to think these people were selfish and rude.

[cakeoclock]

The push chair v wheelchair on a bus just reminded me what happened this weekend.

I was christmas shopping with friends (one in a wheelchair) in Harvey Nicks Leeds and it was pretty busy. We stood waiting for the lift, the doors opened and it was rammed full of people (no push chairs). Not one of the miserable gits got out to make space for the wheelchair just looked away until the doors shut and we had to wait ages for another lift. There were escalators less than a minute walk from the lift.

AIBU to think that this is lazy, selfish and awful and to hope if any of you are reading you feel ashamed.

So disabled people shouldn't have a reasonable expectation of being able to shop above ground level? Difficult in most modern shopping centres.

Pictish,
How do you know thta people do not need to use the lift, are you telling me you quiz people? And you did imply you were rude to people in lifts, justifying it by saying they are all tossbags anyway (charming)? Considering the hundreds upon hundreds of people using shopping centres every day, and the small percentage of people who actually use the lifts I do not see why it is such a leap of the imagination to think most of them for some reason actually need to use the lift. besides, it is no ones right to get a lift straight away and not have to wait. It is not up to any one person to decide who can and cannot walk up the stairs.

Apparently not Ninky, its not law so they just don't have to oblige, you see?

Rumple aren't you a lovely person cough

Ninky...I mean wheelchair bound users, otherwise you run the risk of telling someone who may be disabled to get out.

What if someone had had an operation and found moving difficult but "looked normal" to you bunch of apologists?

What if it was someone learning to walk on a prosthetic leg?

What if it was someone who was autistic or had social fears and didn't want to be approached?

Who the bloody hell made you (plural) the lift police?

Do old people have to use the stairs?
Pregnant women?
Who gets to say who's well enough to use the stairs?
Some stores are 4 flights high.
Nonsense absolute nonsense.

Ninky,
No-one has said that (although someone, stealth maybe, said some people who could nto use the stairs should stay at home if the reason was they had a child, or were very fatigued etc). All anyoen has said iis that people cannot be discriminatory and assume only peopel in wheelchairs cannot use stairs, and that it is not unreasonable for someone in a wheelchair to wait for the next lift. If it is a fire left and there is an emergency then that is different, but when it is the normal lift and we are talking about shopping then it is fair enough for someone to wait.
In all reality if I was at the front of the lift, I woudl probably get out if I was able to walk down the stairs, I also offer mys eta to anyone who looks like they need it more (not just when i am in the priority seats), help people with bags (have actually knowingly missed a train to carry an old ladies suitcases up stairs for her), etc. But i do not think people not gettign out of the lift as soon as they see a wheelchair are being rude or mean.

Rumple you are guessing that everyone in the lift has some invisible difficulty and so wouldn't want to say anything yet we are the apologists?

My feeling is that the lifts are there for everyone to use.

If people are in the lift and the lift is full and there is someone in a wheelchair waiting for the lift, they shouldn't have to get out.

Lifts aren't there for disabled people, they are there for everyone's convenience, whether you have small children and it's safer than the escalator, lots of bags, are tired, are in a wheelchair, or just can't be arsed walking to the stairs.

I'd think it was a bit patronising if everyone got out of the lift to let a wheelchair user on. Everyone has to wait if the lift door opens and it's full. It's the way lifts work.

Priority parking spaces, toilets, entrances/exits is one thing. Lifts are there for everybody to use.

Dancing mustard there were escalators. I have used an escalator pregnant without a second thought!

Of course no one should be made to get out.

But standing in a lift that someone else needs to use when you could quite easily walk or use the escalators does make you a bit of an arse.
Insisting that it is your right to be selfish is an interesting thing to watch.
Of course it is. Merry Christmas.

Kelly, you might want to drop your one point pony, since no-one has said what you are railing against. Nobody is saying that everyone who looks able-bodied is. What they are saying is that its statistcally impossible for all of the people in the lifts to have invisible disabilities, and people know themselves whether they are able-bodied or not.
The point is that if everyone who could use an alternative did, just sometimes, maybe if its busy, then it would make life a tiny bit easier for people who on the whole have harder lives. And the people who don't, the one who KNOW they are perfectly able to, are the lazy ass bastards.

Not sure how much clearer that can be.

Cake- Are you implying an alternative? Donning a high vis jacket and a clip board and asking 10 questions before permitting people to use the lift that is there for ANYONE's convenience?

Maybe I'll make you a badge;

"Lift monitor"

My thoughts exactly pag

Season of goodwill. Season of selfish pigs more like

If there are stairs or an escalator and people can use them then they should. If they are a wheelchair user, heavily pregnant, recovering from a c-section, elderly and infirm,pushing a pram, have an invisible disability then the lift should be primarily for their use. It is polite and fair to use the stairs when there are people who have no choice other than to use a lift to go between floors.

Kelly - my apologies, but I'm just not going to argue the same point with you time and again. Read back to my previous posts and apply them in reply to your latest one.

Rumple - "Anyone can use a lift, if you don't like it then don't go to places that have multi storeys if it's going to cause SUCH distress for you."
Now that's just defensive lashing out nonsense isn't it? Don't be daft.

I've been wheelchair bound, but am now walking relatively well. I'd like to point out that some disabilities are not as obvious as others, on a bad day now I'd take a lift to avoid stairs to avoid more pain or because I am too exhausted and only have enough 'spoons' to get me home.

Rumple You get full marks for imagination. Nobody is saying that anybody should tell anybody to get out except themselves. But if fit and unencumbered and faced with someone waiting who uses a wheelchair or is visibly pregnant - or even using a bloody buggy if feeling nice - they should get out. If the free place isn't taken up - or is snaffled by some selfish and fit bugger - put it down to experience.

Is there an emoticon for banging your head against a brick wall?

BlueBalloon, the point is people with prams are expected to get out for a wheelchair user...and unless the OP can see the disability she isn't thrilled on allowing them to use the lift either.

THANKFULLY there's no law or rights to a lift so she'll just have to be a bit disgruntled.

Oh and OP, quick question, if someone was waiting to get in the lift and you couldn't "see" their disability, would you get out? No you wouldn't. What about a heavily pregnant woman? Would you say, sorry no space? Or a woman with a pram? Or is it just wheelchair users you feel you need to be loyal to, being that you know one?

That's it. I just think it would be nice if people took it upon themselves to do the right thing.

Rumple I would get in a lift I'd get on the escalator so wouldn't have to get out. I never said nor think that prams should get out for wheelchairs I said there weren't any prams in the lift!

Rumple, I don't think the op was saying that at all. She was merely saying that a lift full of people weren't polite enough to let someone using a wheelchair into it.

That's not what she's saying Rumple. What she's saying is it's a PITA if you have to use the lifts and can't get on them because loads of people cba to use the stairs or escalators. And I agree with the OP. It was a PITA using my local shopping centre when DS was in a buggy because of this issue, but at least that only lasted a couple of years. People with disabilities - ALL sorts of disabilities - are being inconvenienced because of other people's massive sense of entitlement.