Car parking issues in public parking areas
I live near a public parking area and usually park my car there. Today, an unusual situation happened. One person cleaned a parking spot and then told others not to park there, as if the place had become her private property. However, cleaning snow or dirt from a public parking space does not make it belong to anyone. A few hours later, other people who parked there started doing the same thing. They cleaned only the spots they were using, and soon the entire parking area was informally “divided” among residents.
This situation made me think about herd mentality and collective behavior. Instead of questioning whether this is reasonable or fair, people simply copy what others are doing. The parking area is public, and maintaining it should be the responsibility of the city administration. But when residents start doing this work themselves, the authorities have less incentive to act.
When asked why they clean public parking spaces, people usually say, “I need to go to work” or “I need to take my child to school.” These reasons are understandable. However, in many cases, the distances are short enough to walk, and a few days without a car would not cause serious problems. In fact, it could even be beneficial for health and offer a different perspective on daily life.
From my own experience, when I lived in Kazan during heavy snowfall or blizzards, I avoided using my car altogether. It was far more convenient to use public transport or the metro than to struggle with snowy roads and crowded parking lots.
Overall, this experience shows how easily people accept informal rules created by others and how quickly public spaces can be treated as private property. The real issue is not individual behavior, but the lack of proper responsibility and action from those who are officially in charge.
I have a public parking area near my house, so I always park my car there. Today, a strange situation happened. Someone cleaned a parking spot and said, “Don’t park your car here,” because that person started thinking of it as her private place. However, if someone cleans snow or anything else from a public parking area, that place still cannot belong to her.
After a few hours, another interesting thing happened. Other people who parked their cars in that area also joined this process. They started cleaning their own parking spots too. As a result, everyone divided the parking places among themselves.
In this situation, I started thinking about herd mentality and collective thinking. People behave like a flock of sheep and do not think critically enough. The city administration is responsible for this parking area, and they are supposed to keep it clean. But some people do not understand this or simply do not want to wait. They immediately start cleaning it themselves and involve others. Because of this, the people who are officially responsible for cleaning the area may stop doing their job, since residents are doing it for them.
If you ask people why they are cleaning a public parking area, they usually answer, “I need to go to work” or “I need to drive my kid to school.” Okay, but in many cases they could walk instead. The school is only ten or fifteen minutes away, and their workplaces are also not very far. A few days without a car would not be a big problem. In fact, walking is a good opportunity to improve health and to experience life without a car.
When I lived in Kazan during heavy snowfall or blizzards, I never used my car because it was inconvenient and uncomfortable. It was much better to use public transport or the metro than to suffer on snowy roads and in crowded parking lots.
- Your main idea is clear: public space ≠ private property.
- You give a real example, which makes the text interesting.
- You connect the situation to broader concepts (herd mentality, responsibility, public services). That’s strong.
What needs improvement
Tone is too aggressive:
- Words like “stupid situation,” “smartest person,” “flock of sheep” sound emotional and judgmental.
- In advanced English writing, this weakens your argument because it feels biased.
Logic gaps:
- Saying people can just walk may sound unrealistic to readers (weather, time, health).
- Better approach: acknowledge their reasons, then criticize the system, not the people.
Repetition:
-You repeat the same idea (people clean → authorities don’t clean) several times.
- Advanced writing = say it once, clearly.
Grammar & style issues:
- Article usage (a / the), verb tense, and word choice need polishing.
- Some sentences are long and unfocused.
Stronger conclusion needed:
- You describe the problem well, but your final point should feel sharper and calmer.