Preferred Parking Written April 7, 2004 Modified April 11, 2023   Entrance to Giant Eagle supermarket at Waterworks Mall, Pittsburgh Here's a minor peeve.  Why are most small shopping centers, or “strip malls,” laid out something like this? There are delivery entrances behind the stores, which I've depicted in shades of gray.  In front of the stores is a sidewalk (orange), then a busy “street” (dashed yellow line), then the handicapped parking spaces (blue), then the rest of the parking. After you've parked, you have to dodge other cars as you cross the street to reach the stores. But why does the street have to pass directly in front of the stores, especially since you aren't allowed to park on the street itself?  Why not relocate the “street” (dashed yellow line) to the far side of the parking spaces? In this plan, the handicapped spaces are much closer to the storefronts.  Once you've found a space, there's a narrow sidewalk (orange) right in front of it, and you can proceed to the stores without having to avoid moving vehicles.  The wider sidewalk directly in front of the stores would be broad enough to serve as a “fire lane” for emergency vehicles if necessary.  Automated signs at the red X's could signal “choose another row” if all spaces in that dead-end row are already full.