to wish that Parent and Child parking spaces were

[WoTmania]

Further from the shop?
The last couple of times I've been to the supermarket with children in tow I've seen

1. A young women talking on her mobile sitting on her own in her car which was in the P&T space nearest to the shop 2)Two able-bodied, childless young women come back to their car, get in and drive off. 3)A man sitting, obviously waiting for someone to come back while two boys (8 & 10ish) sat in the back.

Meanwhile, I end up having to park in an ordinary space and struggle to get my 3 children out of the car (I would go on my own normally but DH is working 12 hours, 6 days of the week s not around to look after them).

AIBU to think that if the P&T spaces were further from the shop less people would use them who don't need them. Walking a bit doesn't bother me. Trying to get 20 month old DD into her carseat while squeezing between my car and a big van parked right on the white line(as happened the other day, I erm 'rearranged' the mirrors but that's another AIBU) does.

yep you can park there if there are no disabled bays.

i would be ok with them being further, i want the extra spce to avoid squezzing tiny baby with basket sideways in to the car and to put the pram in the boot, the thing weights a ton... and 15/16 yo should not count as p & c, they don't need the extra space.

Obviously a small child is not a disability but it isn't half easier to do your shopping without one (or two/three/four/whatever) in tow.

I see no reason to martyr myself just because I could walk the distance of necessary.

YANBU and I have asked my local supermarket to consider this when they redesigned the carpark. Instead they put the disabled parking further away and the P&T smack bang in front of the store

I think there is a wider issue though, that of awareness among parents that once your child hits four (or there abouts) you can probably go in a normal space. DS is 2 and we've started mostly using normal spaces - I say mostly because at our supermarket sometimes P&T is all you can get.

I don't honestly understand why Sainsburys say the P&T spaces are for 'parents with children under 12'. On what level do children of 11 need an extra wide space?

Meant to add that because the P&T spaces are close to the store it means they are the only row (along with the disabled spaces which are fractionally closer to the store that have a walkway between them making it slightly safer to leave child 1 whilst child 2 is strapped in etc.

WMMC - re under 12's maybe it is because then the children police the parents:

10 year old DC "muuuuuuum don't park in the under 12 space, that's so saaaaaad"

Once your children can strap themselves in you don't need a P&T space. Up until then the wider space is useful to open the door wide so the parent can lean in and do the seatbelt/carseat strap.

I stopped using them when youngest could do his belt and strated again when I got sick of people parking so bloody close to the line that I couldn't squeeze my bump through the door and had to clamber over the passenger seat. I drive a mini FFS!

Possibly

I also get quite annoyed with those folks sitting in their cars with the kids while the other parent runs round shopping. Park in a regular space numbnuts.

I did ask Riven and they said that they had done it because that was when they didn't need childseats anymore.

Do you think 12 is something to do with the carseat law and so easier to police?

x posts!

"I got sick of people parking so bloody close to the line that I couldn't squeeze my bump through the door and had to clamber over the passenger seat."

Very frequently, I can't my rear end out of the door

That's the other thing some P&T spaces are exactly the same size as a regular space. That's barking.

Our Morrisons has it right(ish) row of disabled in front of the store parallel to the building and another row out vertically from the building with P&T opposite with proper pavement leading to zebra crossing to the store.

Disabled have close spaces and there is pavement for disabled AND P&T who can't park next to the store. There are also trolley parks on 3 sides of that parking section. There are 'normsl' spaces closer to the store for the lazy people going to the cash machine so you can usually get a wide space if needed!

nymph, that sounds suspiciously like my local morrisons! I always like going there because I can be guaranteed a P&T space. My local Asda is a different kettle of fish, the P&T spaces are right next to the entrance and ive only ever seen available spaces late at night, there's always queues for them in the day and im far to impatient to bother with all that queueing malarky when there are ordinary spaces empty!

My local Asda has done away with its P&T spaces, I have to say I really miss them but they must have needed more disabled spaces so they've all be changed to extra disabled spaces.

TBH its not the space to get in and out that I like the P&T spaces for, its the room to put the trolley alongside your car with DC1 in whilst you get DC2 out into the trolley. Without the extra space, the trolley has to be behind the car, basically in the path of traffic and they usually don't have breaks on them. I'm always terrified in the minute when I have to leave one to get the other out, I hate it, but then I'm a real worrier.

AmazingBouncingPoltergeist- does yours have a boat next to it?

No but it does have a windmill though!

Most of my local Tescos actually do have them far away from the door, usually with the "baby trolleys" parked nearby. So unless I go at a mega-busy time, I can always get one.

I parked in one once with my 10 and 8 year old. Was the only space free.

When I came out, the car park was a bit emptier and I got dogs abuse from some woman with her monster car and giant pushchair so I just smiled sweetly.

As others have said, we did without them, they seem to turn women (and I've never seen or heard men having this debate) into incapable, screaming banshees. It's not the first time I've seen someone get abused for parking in one.

And as for the supermarkets putting disabled spaces further away and p and t closer - the world has gone mad!

I'm always surprised at the implication in these threads that going to a supermarket with a child, or children, is some incredibly difficult and complicated venture. I suspect less discussion time was spent over the decision to send thousands of military personnel into Iraq than is regularly dedicated to the inherent difficulties involved in getting the shopping done. Plenty of people manage it without even having a car, so the logistics of getting from carpark to supermarket and back really aren't that much of a problem.

Perhaps if the P&T spaces didn't exist we would all just get on with it.

Yes we probably would, but they are there and they do make things easier, and it is irritating when lazy feckers take them all up when they don't need to.