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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

At what age is it unreasonable to use the parent and child spaces on a car park?

114 replies

TheFlipsideOfTheCoin · 30/05/2013 17:57

Just that really.

Saw a woman with a young teen (about 14 years old) use a parent and child space at Tesco yesterday.

Also saw a family with a baby using a normal space, although they could have used the parent and child spaces as there were some available.

So just wondering.

OP posts:
tobytoes · 30/05/2013 22:54

I always find it hard to get a P&C space as people just park in them if they have children or not but the supermarket dont seem to do anything about it. The one day i managed to get one and I saw 4 cars all leave as I was getting DD sorted and none of them had children. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

TidyDancer · 30/05/2013 23:37

They are there for all to use though. They are a nuisance because they are always located near the shop which is totally unnecessary. It would be better to put them in the far end of the car park where no one parks out of choice. That way you end up with parents or shitty parkers getting the space they feel they need and no one else cares.

I have never come across anyone in real life who gives a fuck about P&C spaces. They are a marketing tactic and nothing else. The way they are promoted, however, makes people think they are a legal right and that it's wrong for other shoppers to park there.

ivykaty44 · 30/05/2013 23:56

when your dc gets to 72 I think you may be stretching the limits

louisianablue2000 · 30/05/2013 23:59

My local Sainsbury's has a sign up saying you will be fined for using one if you don't have a child aged under 12 with you. That seems quite old for a child without special needs but I guess it's better to have too high a limit.

They have recently enlarged the store and made the carpark multistorey so now the P&C are at the far end of the carpark but with a safe path to the store and it's brilliant because you can always get a spot.

I do wish there were 'pregnant' spaces though, I have realy struggled to get into the car while heavily pregnant in supermarket carparks. Of course if they made all spaces a bit wider it would be a lot better.

TidyDancer · 31/05/2013 00:18

They can't fine you, Louisiana.

Jestrin · 31/05/2013 07:16

When they no longer need a buggy

Lazyjaney · 31/05/2013 07:57

Doesn't it depend on your car? I always thought that if you had a very expensive German car or posh 4x4 you didn't even need kids?

Well, that's what I see anyway......

BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte · 31/05/2013 08:02

I have a friend in her late 40s who uses them to take her disabled father shopping. Nobody has ever said anything to them Grin

suzexxx · 31/05/2013 08:14

I had this conversation with my partner the other day, whilst trying to park at the supermarket.

I've got a 13 week old son and try to park in parent and child spaces when possible, just because of the extra space when trying to get him out of the car and into the pram. It upsets me when i see people parking there with teenage children or older when a shop is busy and then i have to struggle in a normal space. Obviously if these said people/children had a disability that would be different.

2rebecca · 31/05/2013 08:29

Depends how busy the spaces are. If it's busy I'd say under 5, if half the spaces are empty then I've parked there with primary school age kids.

louisianablue2000 · 31/05/2013 11:10

I suspect they can fine you, it's private property. There are fines for parking in private car parks, or for not paying for parking, I can't see a big difference in principle to charging people without children for using a designated P&C spot. A private car park holder can make up charges for anything they want and as long as there are clear signs telling you that no petty claims court is going to disagree.

ProudAS · 31/05/2013 11:14

34 (especially if 68 year old parent recovering from surgery) Grin

Lovecat · 31/05/2013 11:17

Our local sainsbos is up to 7, according to their sign. I haven't used them since DD was about 5, would be too embarrassed now!

I well remember the frustration when she was tiny and I needed the room for getting her carseat out and all the spaces were taken by (healthy) adults just because they were nearest the store (and plenty of disabled spaces free), so I'd never do that to another parent!

WestieMamma · 31/05/2013 11:58

I suspect they can fine you, it's private property.

They can't fine you precisely because it's private property. They can only invoice you and you are not obliged to pay it because they would have to prove they had a contract with you if it went to court and/or that they have suffered a financial loss as a result of you parking in that particular spot.

TidyDancer · 31/05/2013 19:38

What WestieMamma said.

It's an invoice, not a fine. Hth Louisiana. :)

They rely on people being sucked in by the blurb, and some are silly and pay.

IneedAsockamnesty · 31/05/2013 20:12

They can't fine you, Louisiana

Actually tidy now ( and since October 1st 2012) they can, the reason why mst enforcements failed prior to that date was due to the clause of having to prove who drove the car but OT being able to use CCTV however now we have the protection from freedoms act that means they can just enforce against the keeper unless they can prove they were not the driver.

It makes them much much easier to enforce and more cases are turning up in court and the companies winning.

IneedAsockamnesty · 31/05/2013 20:22

In the two supermarkets nearest me the spaces tend to be used as overspill for the disabled bays. I think its pretty piss poor that someone without a child or a disability would use the p&c bays as its quite obvious why when the disabled bays fill up these spaces are used.

I saw a woman the other day pull in front of a car displaying a blue badge ( the disabled bays were full) use the p&c space get out of the car and as she was walking to the store she yelled "fucking idiot they are a marketing ploy not a fucking right."

Nice woman.

TidyDancer · 31/05/2013 20:22

They rarely chase any of their 'fines', it's generally not worth their time. WestieMamma summed it up well tbh, so I won't rehash!

IneedAsockamnesty · 31/05/2013 20:24

They do now and have been quite consistently since October, its becoming quite a money spinner.

miffybun73 · 31/05/2013 20:25

5

TidyDancer · 31/05/2013 20:27

Did someone actually say something to her first, Sock? That seems very odd otherwise.

I agree that if the disabled bays are full then P&C is an ideal overspill and blue badge cars should have priority.

Anyway, the fine issue is a moot point, since they wouldn't 'fine' people for parking in P&C. Supermarkets (or those companies who run their car parks) will generally only send out paperwork for things such as overstaying etc.

TidyDancer · 31/05/2013 20:30

I haven't heard of it happening Sock. I have two relatives who work in head office of two different supermarkets and both have said when this conversation comes up that their companies don't chase.

Is just really pathetic IMO. Trying to fine someone for something so ridiculous is just silly.

IneedAsockamnesty · 31/05/2013 21:10

The driver of the blue badge car said "excuse me" but in a attract attention way not a snotty way.

With the enforcement thing it won't be long until they all catch on to the changes.

TidyDancer · 31/05/2013 21:17

I can only assume they thought it was a parent with child starting to have a go about parking there. Certainly doesn't in any way excuse the language or hostility, but I've seen many a disgraceful incident around the P&C spaces and they have all been because parents have screamed (yes, screamed) at anyone who dared to park somewhere they had every right to park.

P&C spaces are far more trouble than they are worth and as a parent myself, I would like to see them got rid of and all the spaces made bigger (this would satisfy those who like P&C spaces, and the shit parkers!) or they could be relocated at the very far end of the car park where no one would care to park anyway.

(I don't lurk in supermarket car parks, just for the record! I used to work in an office that shared car spaces with a supermarket!)

ShadowStorm · 31/05/2013 21:20

I'd say once a child is old enough to get in and out of a car by themselves, and fasten the seatbelt by themselves, they don't need to be in the P&C space.

If the child still needs to be lifted into a car seat, or needs a parent to lean in and fasten the seatbelt, then I'd say parking in a P&C space is reasonable.

But blue badge holders should have priority in the P&C spaces if all the disabled spaces are taken.

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