Parallel Parking, Driver's Ed: where do you get those flags?

[Brian Link]

Living next to a church with a huge parking lot, I've often seen folks
out there practicing driving. Every now and then, someone comes out
with those orange traffic cones and some flags to teach their kid
parallel parking.

Do driving schools rent those flags? Can you just buy 'em at Menards'?

Our son is 20 - and though he's pulling in some cash playing gigs, he
needs a real summer job. One possibility is delivery, but that's kinda
pointless if he can't drive. Frankly, pretty much any fast-food or
retail gig he'd likely land would require him to drive somewhere.

Any tips on flags or summer jobs would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

BLink
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled."
- Richard Feynman

[D.A.Tsenuf]

"Brian Link" <bl...@visi.com> wrote in message
news:oaki45dq1arla43q1...@4ax.com...

> Living next to a church with a huge parking lot, I've often seen folks
> out there practicing driving. Every now and then, someone comes out
> with those orange traffic cones and some flags to teach their kid
> parallel parking.
>
> Do driving schools rent those flags? Can you just buy 'em at Menards'?
>
> Our son is 20 - and though he's pulling in some cash playing gigs, he
> needs a real summer job. One possibility is delivery, but that's kinda
> pointless if he can't drive. Frankly, pretty much any fast-food or
> retail gig he'd likely land would require him to drive somewhere.
>
> Any tips on flags or summer jobs would be greatly appreciated.
>

1) Cones are often sold in sporting goods stores. I know they are sold in
Soccer gear stores
2) If your son takes driver's ed, he'll get better rates
3) I would not let my kids do delivery (Pizza and such)
It's about if not more dangerous than clerking a 7/11

[Craig A. Finseth]

In article <oaki45dq1arla43q1...@4ax.com>,

Brian Link <bl...@visi.com> wrote:
>Living next to a church with a huge parking lot, I've often seen folks
>out there practicing driving. Every now and then, someone comes out
>with those orange traffic cones and some flags to teach their kid
>parallel parking.
>
>Do driving schools rent those flags? Can you just buy 'em at Menards'?

My kids are just past that stage (yeah!).

I didn't see any source of flags. We used lawn chairs (the aluminum
frame ones): they can see them and it's not a big deal if they get
bumped.

And, to keep other people from having to look it up, a standard
parking space is 8' x 22'. I set the chairs to either 18' or 20'
apart, depending upon which car they were using for practice.

Craig

[Lutsen Lumberjack]

Why not just use "Caution Wet Floor" signs which you can buy at
Menards (make sure one side is in Spanish of course)

[Mike H]

On Jun 29, 6:46 pm, Brian Link <bl...@visi.com> wrote:
> Living next to a church with a huge parking lot, I've often seen folks
> out there practicing driving. Every now and then, someone comes out
> with those orange traffic cones and some flags to teach their kid
> parallel parking.
>
> Do driving schools rent those flags? Can you just buy 'em at Menards'?
>
> Our son is 20 - and though he's pulling in some cash playing gigs, he
> needs a real summer job. One possibility is delivery, but that's kinda
> pointless if he can't drive. Frankly, pretty much any fast-food or
> retail gig he'd likely land would require him to drive somewhere.
>
> Any tips on flags or summer jobs would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks

Brian,

I learned after taking my first drivers test and failing about this
type of thing. What I do is take 2 five gallon buckets I have laying
around and put some bricks or some chain in them. Then I use the
speed wood clamps I have and clamp a flag on each of them. The flags
I use are the Bike Flags you can buy at places that sell bikes.
Parents will put them on their kids bikes as it makes the bike visible
on sidewalks where there are fences or behind cars.

I clamp them to the buckets and then I set the buckets out in a
parking lot to teach both of my kids both how to parallel park, as
well as back into a parking spot (the two tests done in the Eagan test
site). using this technique, the kids can see the spot to park, and
it closely mirrors what they do in Eagan. In Eagan, if backing up and
you hit one of the posts, you fail. Thus I wanted to simulate a
post. Both of my kids used my Wife's Dodge Durango to take their
tests, and easily passed after practicing with the buckets and flags.
I would make the buckets even closer than they test with, so it was no
sweat on test day.

I have 4 flags I don't need anymore. Free to anyone that wants them.

Summer jobs, your best bets are going to be landscape companies,
customer service (food joints), light assembly companies(3rd shift),
and then sales jobs anywhere from cell phones to replacement
windows. There are lots of jobs out there if you don't need to take
home 40k or more a year.

[P T]

When I drive home on Shepherd Rd I sometimes see people practicing
parking on the adjacent frontage road by the apartments between 35E and
the airport remote parking.

Last night a saw someone using 1 gallon milk jugs with poles stuck in
them.

On a related issue, there might be some benefit in taking an actual
driver's training course.

[D.A.Tsenuf]

"P T" <Petep...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:23748-4A4...@storefull-3252.bay.webtv.net...

Like better insurance rates for the junior driver.