Provisional Order on Parking Spot Hovering
Someone is in a car next to a parking space. They are not leaving. They appear to be leaving. They have been appearing to be leaving for four minutes.
In the version of events where the waiting driver had moved on at 2:16pm:
A different spot was found two rows away, also without waiting. The car parked. The driver walked slightly further to the destination. The extra thirty meters cost forty-five seconds.
This Version
The waiting driver stopped beside the space at 2:14pm. The other car's driver appeared to be gathering things before leaving. This was a reasonable assessment.
By 2:16pm, the assessment remained reasonable but unconfirmed. The other driver was still on their phone. This behavior is consistent with: finalizing before driving, finishing a call before leaving, or using the phone for a purpose unrelated to the imminent departure of the vehicle.
By 2:18pm, four minutes had passed. The waiting driver had not moved. The other driver had not moved. A dynamic had formed between the two cars.
The Sunk Cost
The four minutes were an investment. Leaving at 2:18pm meant abandoning the investment and acknowledging that the initial assessment had been incorrect. The investment was four minutes. The cost of staying was continued waiting. The cost of leaving was the psychological acknowledgment of the mistake.
Most waiting drivers choose continued waiting over the acknowledgment.
The Resolution
The other driver's phone call ended at 2:22pm. The engine started. The car reversed at 2:24pm. The waiting driver parked at 2:25pm.
Eleven minutes from first assessment to parking.
The alternative spot was empty throughout.