People who park in child and parent spaces when they don't have kids.

Then you're lucky it has any P&C spaces at all.
I'm probably not qualified to comment. My youngest is nearly 17, so mine were small when both cars, prams and car seats were more modest in size.

The first thread I ever read was about parent parking spaces when my dd was one. She’s twenty two now.

I guess if the car park is so full ie there are no spaces for you to park further away from the store while still allowing you to open you car doors wide, then I can see it would be annoying.
IME, supermarket car parks usually have quite a few spaces at the far end of the car park.

Absolutely "unhinged" to use a MN favourite.

If I had to guess, I'd say Self centred new mum who thinks the world revolves around her because she is the only person in the world to have birthed a child. 🙄 Insufferable.

Never mind that you likely need such a parking space for life, while she only needs it for a year or so. Absolutely no empathy.

But... a blue badge sort of is a licence to park wherever you want, isn't it?

She was a tit, ignore her.

As a blue badge holder, I parked in one a few months ago, as all the disabled spaces were full. The parent-and-child space I parked in was the last one before they reverted to standard spaces, and I think I took the last one, as a mum pulled into the 'normal' space next to me and started to take her very young baby out of its seat, and get a pram out of the boot of her car, while I was getting my wheelchair out of my boot.

The barrage of abuse I got from the mum was shocking. She literally ranted at me for daring to take a parent and child space and that my blue badge isn't a licence to park wherever I wanted. She correctly pointed out that I didn't have to open any of the rear doors on my car to get a baby out like she did, and as I only needed to access my boot, I should show some consideration and park in a normal space. I pointed out that I can't exit my car without having the driver's door wide open, and therefore also need the additional space to the side, and was pretty shocked when she suggested I should therefore go and park in an isolated area of the car park about half a mile away 🙄

🤣🤣🤣

YANBU I can see your point

I have a family member who might end up needing one if what is wrong with her turns out to be incurable/old age. But as they are not on PIP (and would not qualify for PIP as they are not below the income threshold) we are unlikely to be sucessful with a blue badge application when the time comes. Blue badges are linked to PIP here.

I had no idea that being above a certain income threshold protects you from mobility problems ! 🤡

My answer to this is to have every space extra large like Costco and no P&C parking.

I didn't proudly admit to any such thing. Insurance all sorted it out. I personally couldnt see how the other scratch was caused by the other car, but both insurers agreed it was. Not my problem and no embarrassment at all. I wont argue with the experts 🤷‍♀️

I can't bring myself to get worked up about this. If a space is empty, great but if not then we'll just park at the back and never had any issues with space when doing that.

I do if all of the disabled spaces are full and I have my mum (blue badge holder) in the car.

It's pure selfishness. And there's a good reason for them being closer to the door of the supermarket, because small children are much more at risk of being hit by a car and seriously injured than an adult, so a short distance from car to shop is much safer.

I’d be more embarrassed to proudly admit to insurance fraud tbh…

It really pisses me off too. Mine are older now so we dont need parent and child spaces. But it still gives me the rage when people misuse them. Life's hard enough with little children, least you can do is let them have a parking space where they can get their buggy out easily

It seems the solution is to put the P&C spaces at the far end of the carpark, where they won't be attractive to the in rush, will only be a minute people...

I don’t think the white van drivers or athleisure clad young women who seem to prefer parking in parent and child spaces where I live, are all waiting for a BB. So yes, I think they’re all dickheads.

This.
I actually think taking a newborn car seat in and out for a travel system would be far easier in a tight space than getting my 17 month old, 90th centile hurricane in to his seat mid-tantrum.

Modern cars are often bigger and higher-set. Perhaps a lot of people who don't get it haven't had to deal with car seats since the new norm of rear facing until a much older age? It makes it harder still, as the space you're manoeuvring them in to is a small wedge, as opposed to an open footwell.

I still find it immensely irritating that BB spaces are always bought in to the argument. Yes I know they need to provide those legally. Yes BB holders clearly need that provision, no one is saying they don't. But that's seperate- two things can be true at once. It does not make it any easier or safer to get young children in to seats without P&C spaces. I wouldn't mind P&C spaces being further away if there was a safe path to the shop/wherever.

Yep. I would gladly park far away from the shops to be able to open my car doors fully in a parents space to get two kids in and out of car seat

I manage to get my toddler out the car just fine in a normal space. Most people’s buggies are in the boot where you have plenty of space to get it out. Sure the extra space at the side is helpful but it’s not exactly necessary. I do think some car park’s regular spaces are ridiculously close to the next space though. I sometimes wonder how they can possibly get away with making them that close. Someone who’s very overweight or old or even not very flexible would be completely unable to get out between two parked cars in some car parks