Curbing this bad habit might take time

Few things are at once as painful and comical as witnessing a Beijing driver trying to park a car.

Never mind that Sichuan province recently introduced extra-wide parking spaces just for women, as if only the fairer sex has trouble bringing a car to berth. The truth is, neither man nor woman, in Beijing at least, can properly stow a car at curbside.

Drivers approach parking, especially parallel parking, with a trepidation more suited to tightrope walking.