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AIBU?

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Original poster

To block in cars parked in disabled bays?

67 replies

RainingHens · 05/04/2013 16:04

I know, that old chestnut and i've namechanged!
DS had a session at a local authority owned sports centre today he has severe disabilities and uses a wheelchair.
There are five disabled bays, none were available and none had a blue badge showing.
We need to use a larger bay to get him and his chair in and out of the car so I blocked one car in went to reception told them why I had done this and that I would only be a couple of minutes.
Got back to the car and it has been keyed all down one side, was defo ok when I left the car.
Was bu to block them in, really? There was nowhere else to park (because all the bays had been used by non- blue badge holders)
Honestly what would you have done?

OP posts:
TheCraicDealer · 05/04/2013 17:06

Surely there must be CCTV if it's a municipal car park?

DontSHOUTTTTTT · 05/04/2013 17:17

There will have been CCTV? I would call the police.

HeySoulSister · 05/04/2013 17:23

The fact it was disabled parking is irrelevant surely?

You parked your car .... Wrongly.... It got vandalised.
Presumably you would do the same if all 5 bays had blue badges displayed?

montage · 05/04/2013 17:23

I reckon it was someone who suffers from "misapplied self-righteous syndrome" who keyed your car - they "thought" they were keying the car of someone who had blocked in people with disabilities.

Obviously that was not the case and anyone who keys a car is a pure vandal regeardless.

I know what it's like - we had to leave and avoid our local shopping centre before Christmas as so many cars without blue badges suddenly appeared in the disabled bays and there were none left.

Some people operate on the basis that disabled bays should be left free - unless they are the only place left to park and then it's ok to use them. Hmm The utter lack of logic or thought....

Sparklingbrook · 05/04/2013 17:27

YANBU, that is really vile. have you asked about CCTV?

Floralnomad · 05/04/2013 17:28

You must have already made the decision to block the spaces before you knew they were not displaying badges as you would have had to have got out of your car to check . It was wrong of someone to key your car ,but it was wrong of you to park illegally . Sadly because other people abuse disabled spaces it doesn't give those of us with badges a free rein to park illegally .

Blu · 05/04/2013 17:31

OP, what a shit day Sad

Perfcectly reasonable, IMO, to block in a non-BB holder who is using a disabled bay, but I'd probably leave a note on the windscreen saying 'sorry, blocked you in as I couldn't use the disabled bay to take my child to activity, ask reception to call me and i'll come and move'.

You might have been the victim of someone who thought they were avenging a BB user blocked in in the bay, you might have been a victim of someone who hates blockers-in without regard to any context, you might have been a victim of a random twat passing by with a key in hand. Was your car making it hard for anyone to squeeze past?

Whatever it was, vandalism is never acceptable, and it may well be worth asking the centre if they have CCTV.

I would also complain to them about not monitiring the car park and allowing non BB holders to monopolise the space.

People ae SO selfish and inconsiderate about BB spaces.

Sparklingbrook · 05/04/2013 17:32

But Raining was only a couple of minutes and she had to get a chair out.

BelleOnceUponATime · 05/04/2013 17:33

I find it hard to believe 5 people all at the same time, in the same place would all park illegally.

But ... I wasn't there so ..

Blu · 05/04/2013 17:36

Belle - then you clearly don't use Brockwell Park or Dulwich park in S London (especially on a 5-a-side tournament day or a hot Lido day), or visit Holt in Norfolk.

I have found all the BB spacces blocked with non-BB olders in all those places.

Oh, and Cromer.

Many of them were 'just droppping something off, popping in, waiting for someone won't be a minute' blah blah.. and meanwhile you are driving round assuming all spaces taken...

Sparklingbrook · 05/04/2013 17:37

Yes that crossed my mind Belle but it is the school holidays, and it's freezing cold so swimming etc would be busy.

undercoverSAHM · 05/04/2013 17:39

Why would anyone want to key your car, OP? (A serious question - I'm not trying to be funny)....

Original poster
RainingHens · 05/04/2013 17:44

Perfectly normal here for all the disabled bays to be used with no blue badges, never happens at the local authority owned car parks in town because traffic wardens patrol and ticket...
I have never done this before but today two of the cars parked had been reversed in so I could see they had no badge, it was only after I got ds into his chair and passed by the other cars I saw none of them had a badge.

OP posts:
AThingInYourLife · 05/04/2013 17:46

"It a person perceives it to be a hate crime, then it is."

:o

Wow, hate crimes are even more idiotic than I imagined.

Original poster
RainingHens · 05/04/2013 17:47

I honestly have no idea Belle, there were several people in reception when I told the staff where I had parked, why and how long I was going to be, perhaps I inconvienienced the one car blocked. I don't know.

OP posts:
montage · 05/04/2013 17:48

Was it George Osborne's car in any of the spaces though Raining?

undercoverSAHM · 05/04/2013 17:49

Was the driver of the blocked in car around when you got back to your car? (looking shifty perhaps)

Original poster
RainingHens · 05/04/2013 17:49

not belle, athing. Bella is the one who thinks I am bullshitting!

OP posts:
Original poster
RainingHens · 05/04/2013 17:51

ffs mean undercover.

OP posts:
crashdoll · 05/04/2013 17:52

AThing I know people too scared to go out of their homes because they're bullied by twats who pick on them because they are disabled. Don't mock something you have no knowledge about, educate yourself on the matter. You're making yourself look ignorant and offensive.

sunshine401 · 05/04/2013 18:00

You were wrong to block them in. If you had gone into the sport's club first to get a member of staff they would of used the cars details of the people with no badges over the mic system and got one of them to move their car.
However who ever keyed your car was an complete idiot and had no right. They will have Cameras on site. Make sure you report it, it is the only way to get people to stop being such horrible pricks... !!!

Owllady · 05/04/2013 18:01

the ironic thing was it was at a sports centre where surely people go to get fit, not to park close to the door if they don't have a disability Hmm

and of course you are not being unreasonable. Anyoen who thinks you are obviously doesn't understand why disabled parking spaces/bays exist in the first bleeding place

Sparklingbrook · 05/04/2013 18:04

What Owl said.

WestieMamma · 05/04/2013 18:05

I don't understand the double standards of MN over this. Those parked in disabled bays are now arseholes and deserved to be blocked in etc. Yet just a few days ago when I asked here if I should use one with a blue badge (I'd inadvertently left it at home), precisely because I wanted to avoid this sort of judgment, everyone said I should. Confused

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1717524-Quick-poll-supermarket-disabled-parking-without-blue-badge-yes-or-no?msgid=38071006

Blu · 05/04/2013 18:06

OwlLady - in the Lido car park I mention, swimmers and football players use the BB spaces rather than park on the road (which is free parking at weekends) only 20m away.

People are unbelievable when it comes to disabled spaces.