What is the Mumsnet consensus on P&C spaces?

I’m not but other people are saying I’ll get a fine. How would that work? When they told me to park there!

I prefer the parent and child spaces as it makes my life a lot easier but if not I use one of the other spaces. It’s like saying I use the scan as you shop checkout as it makes my life easier but if it’s not working, we do it the normal way. Why wouldn’t I make my life a bit easier if I could.

Just before Christmas at Tesco, I was walking back to my car with a trolley full and a toddler who had very much finished with shopping and not happy about staying sitting in the trolley and I saw a couple in their 50’s ish and and a 20 ish your old son/man. It did grate on me as they jumped into the car and drove off while I was juggling all of the above and then have to walk back round with my toddler to put the trolley back.

To me, using the space when you don’t need to is a similar attitude to queue jumping or something “my needs are more important, fuck everyone else”

ETA - to be clear, by “need” I’d absolutely include a blue badge holder.

I’d tell her she can take my disabilities any day she likes.

Many blocks of parent & child parking spaces are closer to the entrance to the supermarket than disabled bays. Speaks volumes about their target market, doesn’t it.

I’m a blue badge holder and, if all the disabled bays are occupied, I freely admit I’ll park in a p&c space. I’m not sorry about it either.

I’m sure I don’t 😂 it is bizarre in the extreme to suggest everyone, or even a sizeable number of people, leave when they can’t get a wide space or chose to take up 2 spaces 😭

haven’t you seen how full the car parks were over Xmas? They didn’t drive off when they couldn’t get their special space did they?

But your missing they lose it anyway if none of the bays are suitable. You know someone takes up 2 by just crossing the white line. You can't get out because they're on an angle. You obviously spend less time in a car park than I do 🤷🏼

Yes so that does mean- as I originally said- if they only had half the number of bays they would lose custom.

which is why they won’t do it

Have a wander round a Tesco car park and have a look at the signs. You will see that they warn of a £70 fine for anyone parking in a P&C space without accompanying children under whatever the age is. This has been the case for a while now. I don't know how many, if any, people are prosecuted. It doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent where I live though but they can prosecute you because it's not your right to park in their car park at all and they can put conditions on you parking there.

I'm suggesting normal people who want a normal bay do leave yes. I didn't say because they couldn't get a p&c bay. I know plenty of people who have complained and left a carpark due to not being able to get out of their car in a FULL carpark doesn't have to have 300 bays.

She needs to get a hobby.

They're just unnecessary. We don't have them in high street parking, in council carparks, hospital carparks etc. I've no idea why supermarkets provide them.

The vast majority of people know they are completely unnecessary as every parent is perfectly able to get their child out of a normal space hence people use them as normal spaces even without a child in tow.

That’s not true at all, most people just use the usual bays 😂 are you suggesting that people ignore the 300 normal bays and drive elsewhere if the 6 P&C ones are occupied?!

They probably wouldn't, because when people can't get a space that's useful they leave. Therefore they lose money anyway. I've been in plenty of shopping centres that have wider spaces and just as many. Why should we have to squeeze in and out of a car. Regardless of who's in the car.

Why would they do this though?

if they increased all spaces to 1.5 the size they would lose 30% of their customer capacity??

This is the best way forward. We should be pushing for bigger spaces. I have 3yr old twins, I'll happily park in the furthest area of the carpark if I can't get a p&c space on the first go around. But I still have to compete with the "I don't want my car dented brigade" who park that far out. Then struggle with them walking all the way to the shop to find no double trolleys. Parking should be easy for everyone! Cars for bigger and spaces got smaller

P&C spaces started as a customer friendly offering with absolutely no statutory regulation behind them at all. They are purely for the convenience of customers and whether they are used correctly depends on all the customers.
Similar to the old ‘9 items or less’ checkouts. Once people work out no one gives a shit or will actually do anything if you ignore the rules then it’s anarchy.
The bottom line is that retailers don’t want to piss any of their customers off. And that includes the people with very large expensive cars parked in P&C to ensure they don’t get their door pinged by some other idiot.

My best friend just looks really worried and says 'I can wait with the baby if you need' when seeing people park without a child. I wish I had her balls but it's sad how often she gets sworn at.

I agree that I don't wish to derail the thread, however feel it only fair to respond. The one we chose was actually rated safer than most regular car seats that do not have the lie flat option. I think they have a bad reputation, but in safety terms this is not warranted. In terms of breathing they are far, far safer too.

I don't disagree with you. Blue badges are issued to help with that and you have one now.

Whilst you waited, if the rules of the car park aren't being enforced then its only your own judgement on your need to use the space that you need to worry about.

But you were responding to pp about q tesco issuing fines to those parked in p&c bays without children or a blue badge and how they might handle your circumstances.

In that case, even if you felt you needed to use the bay, you should expect a fine which you'd be free to contest

My need for a disabled Space doesn't disappear when I forget my blue badge but my right to use a disabled bay without getting a fine does.

It's not such a tricky concept 😆

Now that your badge has arrived you can look forward to being constantly frustrated at all those who park in BB bays without a badge!

Haha
and people wonder why some think SUV drivers are selfish.

Which supermarket are you going (or places where they have P&C spaces) where you can’t fit your car in a standard space?

As per many people, I’ve been out at supermarkets and retail parks around 8 times this Christmas.

erm no, I havent been out 8 times, or even close. I think this is a much bigger issue that P& bloody C parking. Maybe try going out less, plan better, think of the environment and there wouldn’t be a parking issue would there?

Parent and child car spaces should just be for children who need help getting in and out of the car. Hate it when I see a child age 10+ coming out a car when I’m struggling in a regular space with my toddler! Even worse is someone who’s on their own but has a huge car!

Ours was fully lie flat, it's a shame they are rare they're extremely safe and better for the baby's breathing.

It's only the recent ones that have remotely good safety ratings. The first batch of lie flat seats were appalling in safety terms. Some are still considerably sub standard to even average RF seats.

That's a discussion for another thread right enough, don't want to derail this one!

Tesco etc is private property so it’s not an offence to park in a BB bay there either. They could ticket or tow if they wanted, but no idea whether they do.