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!???

Roads are a lot more predictable than car parks though.

In a car park you never know if someone is about to reverse/drive out of a space, on a road you just have to look in one direction at any point. In a car park anything can move out on you.

and there's often no paths in a car park.

Well, obviously I didn't imply anywhere that people with children should never leave home.
But people with children should most definitley make sure their children do not run off in a car park.

And there are other ways to do that other than parking in a P&C space.

What, would that mean I wouldn't still need shopping?

So if you've more than one kid, you're so busy you forgot your reigns and there aren't enough kids trollys, you no longer need to buy food and stuff?????

Really????

so people for whom walking is agony should struggle so parents who cant cope with getting a child from the car safely have a bit more space? and your accusing other people of taking the piss?

exactly tantrums. It seems we are amongst the few on here who take responsibility for our children's safety!

NayFindus what on earth are you reading??

Where did anyone say you wouldn't need shopping??

In very simple terms, here's what you do. you make sure your 2 year old doesn't run into a car park
Why is that so hard to imagine?
What on earth do you do if you go to a car park without P&C parking?
Let your DCs run free?
Of course not.

I don't understand why you are so keen to defend the rights of people who are unable or unwilling to follow a simple request. There is proof that P&C spaces saves lives of children. If keeping them free saves just one child's life in the UK then that's good enough for me. It might be goody goody, so what? It's also just plain common sense.

YANBU but personally I couldn't be bothered and i think its a bit petty.

If you must do this though make sure first they do not have a child. Someone did this to my mum once. She had dd aged 9 months in the car and was about to get the pram and get her out. Before she could a woman raced up to her and aggressively told her she could only park there with a small child. My mum just completely ignored her and carried on getting dd out of the car and they walked off muttering something about my mum looking too old to have children Mum called out "better too old than too stupid"

it's bonkers that people are coming up with so many reasonswhy people shouldn't need to use P&T spaces when they have children - but why in that case is it fine for those without to use them unchallenged? surely they have even LESS need to use them?

Every reason why a parent shouldn't use them can be equally applied to a non parent (unless disabled of course).

What is this massive investment in people not using P&T spaces with children?

I don't get what is in it for anyone else if parents don't use them. Unless you want them for yourself of course. In which case how does your need trump the parents' need?

Or are people just trying to get one up by proving they are 'well ard' enough not to need a P&T space? Fine if so - that's great but some of us find them really, really valuable.

Sirzy you may be talking about little local shops like mine that have 2 disabled and 2 P&C spaces. I can't park there but that's okay because I can park in the residential street outside and walk in. I'm talking about the large supermarkets, where there are 20+ disabled spaces, and non disabled people use P&C.

'so people for whom walking is agony should struggle so parents who cant cope with getting a child from the car safely have a bit more space? and your accusing other people of taking the piss? '

sirzy, I think the problem here is that you are not simply arguing that parents shouldn't complain if people use the parent spaces; it'sthat you're arguing that disabled people should trump parents, even if they have no children - right?

I'd totally concur with this view and I think many of us would.

But that's not the simplistic issue we're dealing with in this thread I think - this is about non disabled, non parents using P&T spaces.

So I think you're having a diferent argument?

Well that's terrific. They are useful to you. And every other parent presumably who is unable to either stop their child running into a car park. Or who cannot remove a child from a car in a normal sized space.
I presume those people only go to places with P&C parking. Otherwise they would get to their destination and be stuck in the car, no?

I actually am so unfazed by who parks where.

I just find it amazing that giving birth seems to mean these days that you cannot walk more than 2 feet in case your child gets into the car park behind a parked car. And that you are unable to open a door and remove a child.

Tantrums I don't. As I said upthread, I figured if they couldn't make the damn space large enough for me to open my door properly, I would shop somewhere else that did, and I do. That does not solve the problem that young children will bolt unexpectedly, and it may be as you're walking through a car park. If you could park in P&C which is next to the walkway it is much less dangerous.

That isn't quite the point I'm making Tantrums.

it's not about the distance for me, it's about being able to open the car door wide enough to get a car seat out, quite difficult in a 'normal' space

NayFindus again, it's your responsibility to make sure they do not bolt into the car park.
People managed this without P&C parking and walkways or paths or whatever else.

So, what do you do if you go somewhere with no P&C parking?
How do you stop your child bolting?

I've been called a cunt on here three times in eight or so years. And every time was on one of these threads So I ain't saying nuffink....

How do you know the people using the P&C spaces aren't disabled?

Ah come on ivor you might as well go for a full house

I park in a normal sized space at a different supermarket next to the walkway. There are always spaces there, even if it's right at the edge of the car park you still get to exit your car and go straight on the walkway, then you don't have to worry about a car suddenly appearing that you didn't see because it was going too fast and you had your eye on the kids. All the spaces are large enough without having to be P&C.

Wow 196 posts.

Anyone had a genuine case of dissolved baby yet?

No pink

Because people cannot physically get out the car if there is no P&C space, therefore their DC will never have to get soaked/frozen/sunburnt walking an extra 5 feet

How do you know the people using the P&C spaces aren't disabled?

Anyone else got their bingo cards out? Full house is right Tantrums