How efficient is fuel efficient?

Michael R. Schmidt/Herald News staff photographer

If you've been to Springbrook Prairie Pavilion in Naperville, you've noticed the signs in front of the often-empty parking spots.
"Preferred Parking - Fuel Efficient Vehicles"
It's not someone trying to save a space for their hybrid. The developer is pursuing a LEED status for the strip mall, requiring such spots.
Every time my husband and I eat at Noodles & Co. there, we notice the spots are empty.
We think we know why.
How fuel efficient must you be to park there? If you have a hybrid and park there, will someone with a solar-paneled hybrid get ticked you took the spot when you're not really fuel efficient? If you have a domestic hybrid, you probably get fewer miles to the gallon than I do in my domestic compact. But you'd probably get less flak for parking there.
Or if you fill up with E-85, does that count?
This very discussion has even fueled an angry debate on a car forum.
One company in another state provides a long spreadsheet of cars that can park in their preferred parking. Don't expect anyone at Noodle or Whole Foods to come out to evict you from that spot, though.
Springbrook isn't towing inefficient vehicles or making you download a spreadsheet.
Deb Kwiatt of Whole Foods in the strip mall says, "If it's a small car and you feel like it has pretty good mileage," you're pretty justified in parking there.
But, if you just can't find a good spot and you're hauling around 4,000 kids, hurt your leg or are 9 months pregnant, you're probably OK there too. Just, when you park, whisper a wish for a Prius.
This is a lot like the pregnant-lady parking at Westfield Louis Joliet mall. I went to meet a friend for lunch. She was pretty pregnant but still schlepped herself from the outer circle of the mall to come to lunch, walking past the empty pregnancy spots.
I asked her why she didn't just use one, rather than waddling across the whole mall. (I didn't say "waddling." I'm not stupid.) She said people get mad if they think you don't look pregnant enough. She was wearing the pregnancy pretty well at that point and didn't want people to say something mean, accusing her of fraudulently taking the spot.
Well, that's just cruel.
How about this: Park in the fuel-efficient spot if you think your car is fuel efficient or if you NEED to (not just because you want to run in for a few things)? And if someone yells at you, be ready to shout out your highway miles per gallon or to yell why you're not able to walk across the lot like the rest of us. Acceptable answers include, "I just had triplets and can barely walk" or "The chemotherapy is making me so sensitive to cold that I have to be close to the door." If they still hassle you after that, they're the problem, not you.
But if you park your Armada there and stroll on in to "grab a few things," we reserve the right to chuck organic rolls at you.
Wait, that's just cruel.