Pregnant Driver fined for using parent and child parking space

[lynniep]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1193927/Heavily-pregnant-driver-fined-parking-parent-child-s pace--given-birth-yet.html

Just interested to know mn opinions. I think this might be a feisty thread!

Personally, I dont think she had a right to use that space and the fine should be witheld.

Whilst I think it would have been a decent thing to do to let her off as she's clearly close to her due date, (and I suspect a female attendant with children may well have been more understanding and done so - I think I would have ) I think its unfair to suggest the warden was not being reasonable as they were adhering to the law in this particular situation.

I understand its difficult to get out of a car when you're pregant (I almost got wedged myself today in a normal spot when some noggin parked to close to the driver side - I had to squeeze my bump through the gap - poor baby) and you really could do with more room than a normal space allows, however its even more difficult to try to get a child out of its car seat (or in some cases, get the car seat out with child in it) and these spaces are for this purpose only. There are never enough of them.

Opinions pls

[Thunderduck]

Which law? I don't believe that P&C parking spaces are protected by the law.

This fine was issued by a private company,not by the council's parking wardens.

[Ivykaty44]

You think she shouldnt park in the space but not get a fine.

STOP linking to the daily wail - it is a terrible wind up darcy silly paper

[beanieb]

Am getting page load error on the link.

[Meeely3]

My local Asda has "mums to be" parking spaces - perhaps she just assumed most places would be fine with her parking in it, since like u say its hard to get out of a car with a big bump without scratching your neighbours car!

[Rindercella]

My mantra....

Do not click on DM link
Do not click on DM link
Do not click on DM link
Do not click on DM link
Do not click on DM link
Do not click on DM link
Do not click on DM link....

Phew. Urge has passed.

[MaggieBee]

oh that's ridiculous

I felt far less mobile when pregnant than I am now with two children running 6 feet ahead of me.

[edam]

link doesn't work but I think they should just get rid of all parent & child spaces and put paid to all these silly rows.

Would also avoid people comparing them to disabled parking and thinking they have some kind of right to P&C/T enshrined in law.

[maltesers]

I think she should have been allowed to park there.... heavily preg, its difficult to get out of the car....mean tosser sho ever gave her a fine. Does he/she know what its like to be pregnant and huge ???

[Ivykaty44]

Ban daily wail links

Lucky for me this time I saw it was evil link and did not click on the link - fhew.

Daily Mail links need banning pure clap trap write what the reader wants drivel

[PortAndLemon]

I think P&T spaces cause more trouble than they are worth. Do away with them and relabel as "extra width" spaces for whoever wants them.

[lynniep]

No IvyKaty, I think that that whilst she doesnt have a right to dispute the fine that was issued, because she shouldnt have parked there, and the warden was not in the wrong, I would have actually let her off because I do know what its like to be heavily pregnant.

Meeely - we haven't got an Asda near us - do they really have a mums to be parking area? Thats very considerate

[wahwah]

It's all a bit mean spirited, if true. Each according to their needs and all that...

[Peachy]

One eprsons heavily pregnant and mobile is not anothers- by the time ds4 was born I was in a mess physically and could abrely hobble: OTOH with ds1 I was lifing fridges and behaving totally inappropriately (and ended up in hospital)

M&P should automatically incklude pg woman, it might not specify them but neither does it specify birthed baby: she did ahve her baby with her.

I got a warning recently mind for aprking in a disabled spot, the sign on it said M&P but when I revcersed out the sign on the ground was disabled. Even worse I ahd two autistic kids with me- but never mind PMSL, wasn'tr deliberate and only a warning.

[spicemonster]

OFGS - I'm sick of bloody P&C spaces. I don't think she should have got a ticket but I wish they'd just get rid of the sodding things altogether. What I find jaw dropping is that at my local Tesco, the P&C spaces are nearer the supermarket than the disabled ones. Can you explain that to me? I can't see how having a baby makes you unable to walk further than someone with mobility problems.

[Peachy]

That's odd SM.

Its the case here but is a fluke (Disabed spaces used to be right near Woolies door > but Woolies closed so spaces long way from door.

But deliberately is unfair.

[SomeGuy]

er the 'traffic warden' is no such thing. It is a private parking contract and most probably unenforceable.

Working link: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1193927/Heavily-pregnant-driver-fined-parking-parent-child-space--g iven-birth-yet.html

[CherryChoc]

This seems to happen quite a lot, I have heard it a few times now. I do actually think it's hard to walk far when you are heavily pg so I think it is reasonable to use the spaces.

I remember one newspaper reporting one incident of this once and the manager of the shopping centre or wherever it was said that being pregnant was a lifestyle choice (But having children with you isn't??)

[mummyhill]

Asda are very good with this they do indeed allow expectant mums to use parent and child spaces which is a god send when you have a huge bump and quite bad sciatica. Our local Asda has at least 15 disabled spaces and the same number of parent and child. The disabled spaces are closer to the door than the parent and child which is quite right as far as I am concerned. I do wish other stores would follow suit and increase the number of disabled and parent and child spaces offered as well as extending the parent and child to expectant mums as it can be very difficult to get in and out of the car when parking in a normal sized space.

[purepurple]

DH always uses the P&C spaces when he goes with DD. She is 12 and I've told him she doesn't really count as a child. He argues she is under 16 and is a child. (I do think the real reason is he is sick of people opening their car door on his )

[iris66]

I used one today. I'm 37wks with DC4 and, no, I didn't have any children in the car. Should I ? No, becase I'm sick of having to climb through the car to get in just because some idiot has left me with 6" on the driver's side!! Whoever gave her the ticket should be reprimanded IMO - talk about jobsworth!

[mayorquimby]

well judging by the amount of times i've heard that the reason p&t spaces are needed is the extra door space to get baby seats in and out, and also so children don't run out in front of cars etc.
so no reason for a havily pregnant woman to use the space anymore than a really fat bloke.

[GentlyDidIt]

mayorquimby I think there is a world of difference between squeezing malleable belly fat through a small gap and squeezing a drum-tight pregnant belly through one.

[Tidey]

When I was pg with DD I was huge, and really could have done with the extra space, but I didn't use those spaces because I was worried about this very thing. I chose practically turning into a contortionist over the stress of a parking warden shouting at me and having to pay a fine. Perhaps if the rules on the use of P&C spaces was clearly set out of the signs it would stop these problems.

[spicemonster]

I could barely walk when I was 36+ weeks plus - had such bad SPD and polyhydramnios so looked like that woman who had 8 babies. I parked in P&C because I could not get out of the car otherwise.

Peachy - no it is totally deliberate. There is a small square of parking next to the supermarket (all the rest is in front) and there are two rows of P&C and then disabled. Most odd. If I were disabled, I think I'd park in the P&C (although you can never get a space because they are always full of people who are too lazy to walk further)

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

I assume that they look in the car to see whether there is a car seat before giving tickets. If she was pg she probably didn't have one - but they should have let her off - how mean! I put my car seat in the car when I was heavily pg so I could use the P&C parking space once and I'm not sorry!