AIBU to tell people off who park in parent & child spaces but have no children with them?

[Ameybee]

This does my head in when I'm struggling to get 2 kids out the car in a normal space yet some idiot without kids is parked in the child space!!

I told a lady off today! I said 'do you know this is a parent & child space?' She said 'yeah' I replied 'so you're just being inconsiderate then?' She thought about it then made up some bullshit about her child being 'down there, in that shop!!' - she had just driven in!!! Clearly lying. So, would you say something to someone!???

personally I have better things to do than be bothered about it.

YABU.

Oh good, a parking thread.
I'm afraid I'd probably just seethe quietly and get on with my day. Yes it's annoying, but not the end of the world.

They should have larger spaces for people who are unable to park in normal spaces, so they don't take up 2 instead!

Fairly new to mumsnet but even I know you will need a hard hat now op

Move P and C spaces to the back of the car park. Problem solved!

just park somewhere else and walk the extra 100 yards to the shop.

So hard done by! Imagine they had never thought up the idea of these spaces? I usually park in a quiet spot in the supermarket, away from all the crazies looking for children in cars parked in P&C bays. Usually the same ones who think "why are they in a disabled bay, there is clearly nothing wrong with them"

An the old parent and child space debate. They didn't have them in my day.

Today is a beautiful day. Unless you are about to drip feed about SN I declare you unreasonable as you could just walk a bit further.

Maybe supermarkets should get rid of these aces and sell a certain number of priority passes for the spaces nearest the doors. People with blue badges automatically qualify obv. and the rest of the world either gives enough of a fig to pay extra or walks.

FWIW P&C spaces do tend to be close to the entrance of the shops but I don't think that they need to be, they need to have a trolly park close by but why would anyone want to park right by the entrance of the shop when they know that that will be the busiest place in the car park. I rather park further away, where it is quieter.

YABU
P and C spaces are a convenient bonus, not a right. And there may be many reasons why somebody needs that convenience more than you. This lady may have been being lazy, or she could have been disabled, injured, ill etc, but not entitled to a blue badge.

My DS is no longer a toddler but he is disabled, not that you could tell, and I will use P and C spaces with him whenever I feel the need.

If you can't manage in a normal space between 2 cars, if you can snag a P and C space then great. If not just park at the back of the car ark where it's quiet. Sorted.

Why oh why do you need a P&C parking space?
Just why?

It's actually not that hard to walk an extra 2 foot into the supermarket or whatever is it?

I honestly suspect the only reason for P&C parking spaces is to give people something to moan about.

This used to really annoyed me as well when my DD was small. I have both challenged people (and got fluster & excuses) and also reported them to the car park owners. Unfortunately spaces for parent & child are not enforceable unlike spaces for disabled people so most car park owners aren't interested.

However my local council did once get someone to move his car - local swimming pool, this chap (dressed in suit with a brief case) parked in the last parent & child slot. I complained to the receptionist who knew who he was and she got him to move his car. didn't help me but it certainly made the point to him.

people can be a bit strange though; once parked in a space leaving several slots free on both sides so that at least I would be able to get the baby seat out of the car easily. was in the process of lifting out seat with buggy lined up along side when this woman driver beeped & waved at me to move the buggy so she could park right next to me. I pointed to all the empty spaces and she eventually drove off to park somewhere else.

Yay! I get to trot out my line again - we don't have them in Holland and yet life goes on.

OP said "when I'm struggling to get 2 kids out the car in a normal space"

struggling okay.
strugggggggeeeeeerrrrrliiiiiingngngngngngngng

They are provided to make life easier when you have to open the doors wide. I don't care how near the supermarket doors they are, they make things easier when I have DS with me.

People who park in them just because they feel like it are cunts. They just do it to try and make someone elses life a little bit more difficult and if that's how they need to get their kicks then sod em. Good for you OP.

I think YANBU. If the spaces are specifically P&C, unless she was picking up a DC, it doesn't really matter if she had another reason (ill, tired, just lazy) to want to park there.

But I also don't see why this would bother you enough to post about it.

To be honest, this doesn't bother me. I am quite capable of getting my baby and toddler out of the car in a normal sized space. If a parent space is available I will use it but if not then happy to park elsewhere. There are more important things in the world.

On the otherhand my DH gets infuriated and starts arguments with people parking in parent spaces with no children in the car.

I think they shouldn't have these spaces at all and then there would be more spaces for everyone.

I used to go up to offenders, smile disarmingly, and say: "You do know there's a man over there clamping people parking in P&C slots who don't have children?"

They used to move their cars pretty sharpish.

I don't know if you're being unreasonable, but yes if would annoy me too and I've never used a P and C space in my life.

Misuse of disabled spaces is my real hatred though. I give them my death stare!

YNBU!!! It drives me demented!. IMO it is sheer laziness and inconsideration on the part of people who park in parent and child spaces when they don't have a child with them. I once had to park right the other end of the huge Tesco car park when DS2 was a few weeks old. It was chucking it down, freezing and I had DS1 age 2 with me. I also had SPD when I was preg so I was still pretty uncomfortable. I did use online shopping for most of our groceries but needed a few essentials. I saw two people park in P&C spots who had no children with them. I was bloody homicidal cross by the time I got home. I would never park in a disabled parking space as I do not have a disability. If you're not shopping with a child then don't park in a P&C space. So no, Amey, YNNU. At all

They are a convenience not a right.

And seriously, you struggle getting 2 kids out of a car? Why don't you just park in a quieter bit of the carpark? Or shop online? Or stop being so dramatic?

Honestly, if you actual struggle to get 2 kids out of a car if its parked in a normal space, you should probably take the bus instead.

Then you could start a thread about inconsiderate people who won't give up their seat for you/stand in the buggy space/do not offer to help you with your pushchair/drivers who do not wait til you are sitting down/drivers who do not have change/bus is too hot/bus is too cold/bus is too noisy.

So many more possibilities.

They recently refurbished our local Tesco store. In doing so they put the P&C spaces nearest the door, whilst the disabled spaces were further away. I park in the P&C spaces. Tell me off and my daughter will offer to swap your legs for hers.