Are there now too many disabled parking spaces?

[Ladywithabagonherhead]

I know I will sound like an entitled cow, but I wonder if I am alone with this. I am all for helping people who have disabilities in any way we can, that is decent - and if you are disabled yourself reading this, this is not against you at all.

I more and more think that we are overdoing the whole disabled parking slot deal. It's been happening these last few months everywhere I go, shops, high streets, supermakets, vet, etc.. Everyone is struggling to find a space, while there is a whole row reserved for blue badge holders, with one maybe two parked there. Meanwhile, there are fewer spots for family cars with small children, for example. Surely... surely there are way more families with kids than disabled parking needs (and I don't even have kids, just an observation). Not to mention the rest of us. Again, yes, we need dedicated parking spots, but aren't we overdoing it? As in, it's not really balanced. This is what I experience where I live, at least.

I have to agree sadly. More disabled spaces than wider spaces for children etc. Disabled spaces mostly empty while people with children fight for spaces or even worse they’re being taken by pricks Without children in the car or with teenage „babies”. I don’t mind walking further, this is what legs are for, I only need wider space so I don’t hit my doors into other car. We just need more of them, not less spaces for disabled.

I dropped my son at the gym /leisure centre yesterday. The car park was rammed but out of over 40 disabled spaces only one was in use.

Likewise at the hospital they have dedicated one entire large car park to BB parking .it's never more than 1/4 full , yet people are queuing for ages to get a space in the other car park. And staff have to all park and ride on top of their long shifts

I am all for BB parking, of course I am, I have one. But there are other people with other needs too. Including very ill or very worried people arriving at a hospital. It has to be a balance and organisations should regularly review use and consider if they have the balance right.

Many many disabled and chronically ill people can't get a blue badge but hugely struggle if they can't get a parking space. I know, I was one of them for years.

I suspect this is part of the reason for p&c spaces being overcrowded @xogossipgirlxo - cars are being buit wider and wider. My 2012-reg car is under 170cm wide but when I replace it I will struggle to find a suitable car of that width, even "small" cars tend to be built with a width of at least 185cm tgese days and many cars are 2.0m or more, so a lot of older car parks which have standard bays 2.3m wide feel far too cramped. This must be pushing a lot of people who don't really need a p&c space as their kids are totally capable of getting in and out of a car and walking through the car park, to use one just for the width

This is true, have you seen new toyota yaris? It’s crossover now, I was shocked how big it is. It was always small city car, why does everything need to get so big. People can’t feel those massive suvs anyway and they take ages to pass through narrow spaces. I had new kuga as courtesy car and I feel it’s way too big for UK roads, yet it’s still smaller than some bmws, range rovers etc.

The station car park in my town has 20 disabled bays and 36 regular spaces.

To add I still dont think it’s valid reason to take up these spaces.

Our station car park has 638 normal spaces and 6 disabled spaces. That’s less than one percent!

One of the service stations we use regularly has 450 normal spaces and 7 disabled spaces. That’s 1.5%.

Are the disabled spaces generally well occupied?

No, I don't think I've ever seen more than one car in there. I doubt the trains themselves are actually very accessible for a lot of people who would require the disabled space.

So basically your point is "I want more P&C parking spots because it suits me"?

If that's what we['re doing now, then I'd like to say that family spaces can all go right at the back of the car park where you can have all the room you want + less traffic, and all single people get priority right at the front, because we'll be faster nipping in and out.

I trust I can count on your support?

No they really don't, there are constantly increasing numbers of EVs on the road and far more infrastructure is needed to keep up. It's getting better, the motorways now have chargers everywhere but in towns and cities chargers are still few and far between. Bear in mind if someone is using one it could on there for 40 mins or so, so not a quick swap over with the next person.

Something I noticed when I had a baby/toddler was the number of parents with older kids using parent and child places. Personally I never used those spaces unless I had a baby or toddler with me that required me putting car seat in and out of car or was a struggle to get strap in car seat. The moment my kids were past that phase I stopped using those spaces so others could.

Maybe the real issue is are parents using parent and child places in a way that is considerate to other parents

Plus why are car charging points replacing in disability spaces and they definitely don't need to be close to the stores etc (obviously it is just about running the power to the shortest possible distance when installing them but frankly dig up the carpark and put somewhere else)

@Neverstopwondering The charging points need to be near the suitable electricity supply!

Yes I did address that in the bit I wrote in brackets

They need to dig up the carpark and run power to back of it. A trench to do this will cost them more for installation but it is the only sensible and practical answer really. They would likely be able to fit more charging points in that way so a win for everyone.

Disabled wheelchair user here. If I want to use a train then I have to register 24 hours in advance. Then around a third of the time there’s no ramp provided. Or the lifts out of order. Or no train attendant. Bikes or luggage where I’m supposed to sit.

wheelchair users and most disabled people in general hate using train from my experience and that’s probably why there’s so many empty dysabled parking spaces.

How strange. I’m a wheelchair user and I can never get a disabled bay at our local hospital. On our retail park that has a gym there’s rarely a bb space. In fact I travel to other cities for my job regularly and I’ve never once thought “wow look at all these bb spaces”

Fucking hell 🤦‍♀️

Sounds like you live where I live.

As a mum with an autistic daughter I find your question inflammatory - I suspect you do too considering the wording.

My answer to your question would be - walk a mile in my shoes then ask yourself the same question. I suspect you would be able to answer your own question then.

If an abled bodied person has to find somewhere else to park it is a minor inconvenience, if there are no disabled spaces free for us it can ruin our whole week - Disabled spaces are there for a reason - because they make our difficult lives just that little bit more bearable..

A complete failure on understanding the point, but do go on. I think it's equally as bad when there are far less BB spaces available than needed. Either way it's not efficient - casually ignoring that side of the argument.

No.

There’s not enough. Many councils - including my own - provide the minimum amount required by law.

They don't even adjust for the demographic.

I can often struggle to find a space to park with ds who has a blue badge.

We need a space with the hatched lines on the passenger side or he cannot transfer from the car to his wheelchair.

The issue here locally isn’t too many disabled spaces.

It’s the C and P Spaces that are put closer than the disabled ones and often are far more numerous in number.

Plus not being able to park close to where you need to be is actually prohibiting for disabled people. Not so much for those who are able bodied and it’s a want rather than a need.

Can we stop with taking things personally now, please? NOBODY, not a single person said anything about wanting your dedicated spots, or making you lose spots for anyone's convenience. The whole thing is about the businesses, organisations calculating the amount of spaces that are needed in a poor manner. The ratio is OFF when there are a million spaces for disabled drivers but there are only 2 cars there at all times maximum, and it is equally of when people would need those spaces but there isn't any available. They are both off!

There are never "a million spaces" for disabled people.
There aren't enough IME. A lot of the time there are selfish, entitled people parked in them who shouldn't be and it makes life much harder for those who do need them and can't manage without them.
The parent and child spaces should be right at the back of any car park with a safe pedestrian path leading around the outside of the car park to the entrance of the store or wherever.
I would like to see disabled spaces in a separate section near the entrance and a system of blue badge scanning to access them.

Stop with the hyperbole, there are not enough BB spaces.

I would like to see disabled spaces in a separate section near the entrance and a system of blue badge scanning to access them.

🤔