Driving & Driving Test Tips: Parallel Parking, traffic need, parallel parking

Question
QUESTION: Hi Mark,
I'm confused as to who has right of way when parallel parking on a two-way street with one lane in each direction. Does the person attempting to park the car have to wait? Or does traffic need to stop for the person parking to completely finish parking? And what about if Driver A going with traffic ended up standing (because the light turned red) next to the Driver B who was waiting to park and Driver B decided to back into the spot and hit Driver A? Who is at fault? Is it Driver A because they made one lane into two? Or Driver B because traffic was not clear to start backing up into the parking spot?

ANSWER: The person parallel parking has the right of way and the person behind them has to stop.

If A & B are right next to each other as A tries to park and hits B then A is at fault.  A should only park when it is safe to do so.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Just to clearify your answer, one a one lane street, traffic should never pass up a car standing and waiting to park? Therefore, B should have never even driven up next to A in the first place?

Answer
B could pass if there is room to pass and no oncoming traffic and there is no lines on the roadway forbidding crossing over into on coming lanes of travel.  But B has to responsibility to make sure that to do so is done safely and giving A the right of way to park.