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!???

I'm sorry, perceptionreality, but that seems a bit of a mean attitude. Yes, as someone else has said, they are a luxury, and yes, you can manage without them, though it may be more of a struggle - but honestly, people, why is it so wrong to give a group of people a small, fringe benefit that makes an aspect of their life a bit easier?

There are some very churlish attitudes on this thread.

Because by giving that group of people a small,fringe benefit you are often making life difficult for other people. Also, some parents no longer see it as a bit of a bonus and have started behaving as if it is a right, causing scenes such as the one described by perception.

Like I said, perceptionreality - entitled people are going to be entitled parents. I honestly believe that the person who did that was probably just as much of an arse before they had kids, and will carry on being a monumentally entitled arse after their kids have grown up and left home. It is not the P&C space that is responsible for that person being an arse - it is the fault of the entitled arse.

Because, SDT they encourage people to think they HAVE TO HAVE this space, otherwise the sky will fall, and to act like idiots when they don't actually need them.

The only people who really need parking concessions are disabled people.

I'm now firmly in the catagory of people who aren't entitled to use P&C spaces, atthewelles, and I don't think their existence is causing me problems or making my life difficult. And if they didn't exist, there would still only be a finite number of spaces near the store, so I don't think that life would miraculously become easier for us all.

But they still only behave badly because they are entitled arses, not because it is a P&C space, perceptionreality. If there were no P&C spaces, as you suggest, or if they were right at the back of the carpark, as others have suggested, you could still find an entitled arse waiting for a space near the store.

I will say it again - yes, I agree, only the disabled need parking concessions, and P&C spaces are a luxury - but they make an aspect of life a bit easier for parents, and wanting to take that away just seems mean to me.

Not you necessarily SDT. But elderly people, people recovering from surgery, people shopping at night time in the rain when all the spaces by the door are empty but designated P&T only, people trying to find a space in a packed car park on a saturday afternoon and not being able to park in a P&T space if it is the only one that becomes available but have to keep driving around and around.....

I struggle when parent and child spaces are not available. My 5 year old has autism, severe learning difficulties and physical difficulties. I still have to lift him in and out of the car, he uses a sn buggy, he has no understanding of safety and he lashes out when he is distressed. Having the extra space makes things much easier and less stressful. He can walk short distances so does not get hrm and so a blue badge. I avoid some carparks because I know it likely I won't get sufficient space next to the car.

It's the people who park in the drop-off space immediately outside the shop who irritate me the most because taxis and cars stopping to drop someone off have to then stop in the road thus holding every one up.

Not so bad if it's a simple open door, leap out and drive off situation but when a diabled shopper has to struggle between the lazy swine's parked cars and then get aboard, the driver has then to load their shopping, stow the chair and so on when all that can be avoided by selfish creatures not parking there in the first place.

What seriously annoys me is when some parents start equating P&T spaces with disabled spaces. Disabled spaces are absolutely essential to disabled drivers and are far more important that P&T spaces. Most parents get this, but some parents really genuinely think they're on a par with each other.

lambsie - you can still get a blue badge even if your ds doesn't get higher rate mobility - it's just that HRM is an automatic passport to one.

Bit of a sweeping statement Everlong. Maybe a bit inconsiderate to park in a P&T space if you don't need one, but I wouldn't necessarily call people who do that lazy and selfish bastards.

I agree that entitled people will always be entitled people regardless whether they have small children or not.
But the entitledness seems to grow to epic proportions when they have children.

These are people who cannot see past what they want. People who have to haev a parking space at the expense of anyone else.
People who would not get off the bus or fold the pushchair for a wheelchair user.
People who would not put their 2 year old on their lap on a crowded bus so my mum on crutches could sit down. Even when I asked her she said no, her daughter might wriggle about and my mum should not be on the bus at all.

That is an appalling story, Tantrums - what a horrible woman!

She sounds absolutely vile (or incredibly thick).

Not sure if its been said but what if at the carpark all P andC spaces are all taken up by people with babies and small children, wouldn't you just have to park further away? Whether or not if you had a small baby or child

Sell the children I reckon, then we would have any problems. Up chimneys, down mines, pop them in hamster type wheels to solve energy shortages. Just think how much freer we'd all be.

That's it, I'm putting DD3 on eBay right now. I knew there was an answer.

I purposely park in the whenever I can. Even when I don't have any dc with me. I get great pleasure winding people up. In all the years after having my 5dc I never yet lost the ability to walk further than the length of myself

Yes, but not everyone who parks in them is lazy and selfish. It doesn't mean they'd park in a disabled space for instance.
And I do suspect that some people are just weary of the ever increasing brigade of precious self entitled parents who think the world revolves around them and just think 'sod it' when it comes to P&T spaces. Unfortunately the fair and non entitled parents suffer as a result.

FrankWippery - I am sorry to burst your bubble, but in all my years of trying, I have never managed to sell one of the dses. Not even when I offered a BOGOF! I blame the recession.

It drives me mad

But what is worse is people parking there with children aged 13/14/15...they have been in the position of needing a safe place with extra room to get their kids out and MUST know they shouldn't be parking there any more