to think that being in a mobility scooter means that your excuse for abusing parent & child parking is COMPLETELY invalid rant rant rant

[flibberdyjibbert]

So I pulled up in parent & child parking, & as we were getting out, so did a car with 2 adults. I pointed out that this was parent & child parking, noted the scooter in the back of the car, & helpfully self-righteously pointed out that there were plenty (about 10 times as many) of disabled spaces a mere stones-throw away.

Them: 'Oh, but they are a long way from the store & it's a long way to go when you are disabled'
Me: Yes, well I'm ok with mine (1 & 3), but it's a long way to go with a newborn baby if you can't park here'
Them (tone of voice changes from the previous slight whine): 'Fuck off!'
Me: [stunned silence that anyone could be so blatantly rude & inconsiderate in so many ways at once]
Them: 'Go on, go away. Fuck off!'
Me: 'You are rude. You are very rude.'

So I've since established that a disabled badge means you can park wherever you like, including parent & child spaces, because these are only 'courtesy' spaces, not legally just for parents with children.

Which is fine. I have no problem with that.

But this person was using the space because it would otherwise be a long way to go 'for a disabled person'. And were then later observed by myself to be transporting themselves around Sainsburys IN A MOBILITY SCOOTER. It would have had to use an extra 2 minutes of battery to come from a Disabled parking space.

And they were SO RUDE

Must go, the chilli's burning.

Nice try, OP.

Yes, having a baby is SO MUCH HARDER than being permanently disabled. You poor poor lamb.

These threads are so twatty

I'm going through a lot of s tonight.

YABU. Disabled people can park in whichever spaces they like (although I always park in whichever has the most spaces free because I have children and a blue badge and I'm a very nice person ).

They are also BU for being rude, but you did start it.

I predict a bun fight.

Really.....really ?wtf is going on in AIBU the past couple of days

Oh lovely. Was shaping up to be a quiet Friday night.

If they did indeed use that language, they shouldn't have, but aside from that, YABU.

What gives you the right to comment on people's use of parking spaces to their face?
Bit rude isn't it? Not to mention judgemental.

Bit of karaoke anyone?

Blue moon, You saw me standing alone...
La la la la...

Sigh

You'd love me. I park in P&C spaces when it's not busy, especially if it's time children were in bed, and I'm not disabled.

I think OP is trying to say that, in this case, parking in the disabled rather than P&C spaces couldn't have made a difference to the person in the mobility scooter because they were "riding" rather than "walking" the extra distance.

Of course a closer space might have been helpful for the other adult - we don't know - and they wouldn't (and shouldn't) have to explain that to random strangers.

I park in p&c spaces all the time when alone. Mainly so I can post on MN that I do it and wait for the frothers to choke on it.

I would have told you to fuck off too. I can do it now if you'd like another dose of fuck off?

I agree with you op. it is a struggle to get kids in and out of car seats and strapped in when parked in a normal narrow parking space. I would never park in a disabled space for the extra room and don't expect people to park in mums and tots spaces without kids. These people had a scooter, why did they need to park in parent and child? Why did they have to swear at you? Very very rude. I admire you for speaking up. Shame political correctness seems to go mad on here! God forbid you criticise a rule breaking, rude and ignorant disabled person!

I said I have no problem with people with a Disabled Badge being able to park where they need to/like. I have no problem with them having preference over a parent with children.

It was their rudeness & inconsiderate-ness that got my back up.

However the reason this particular person was giving for parking in one of 10 parent & child spaces, rather than in one of the 50 disabled spaces (some of which only happen to be slightly further from the store because there are so many of them), was because it was going to cause them more difficulty to travel that extra distance. But if you are in a mobility scooter, how does it cause you more difficulty? And why do you have to be so inconsiderate?

Of course I am not equating having children with having a disability.

Is it more difficult to get around in a mobility scooter, or being 2 weeks post caesarian section with a toddler in tow? ducks below parapet

And at no point did I tell them to go and park in a Disabled space. Or to fuck off.

Now the rice in burnt too

oh op you ARE wrong - ask yourself if you'd rather have a) a baby or b) a disability that restricts your mobility?

Euphemia I have been at a loss for words more than once the past couple of days only for a few minutes before I have waded in with my tuppence worth though

2 weeks post C section you wouldn't be driving !

Great NN, ExitStencilist

And paha! to the OP

Did they have a camel in the car also?

YANBU, and I have a blue badge.
I only use the P&C spaces if there are no disabled ones left, to do otherwise is inconsiderate I think.

Why does anyone give a shit who parks where?

I don't think I ever bothered to use P&C spaces when my son was little - we seem to have coped.

It's such a non-issue.

YABU. Blue badge holders (if they were) have the right to park wherever they need, they have already justified their needs to the authorities so shouldn't have to explain themselves to every member of the public too. You admit that "I'm okay with mine" and yet interfere with them in the defence of some hypothetical newborn baby. You have no idea of their condition, maybe they have something that causes pain or fatigue, so they need to make their journey as short as possible. Assuming only one of them had a mobility scooter, perhaps the other is also disabled.