parent and child bays

[fairy1303]

Our local supermarket is always rammed. I have often had trouble finding a space. There are some parent and child bays and these are great when I have to take the baby - you need the extra space for the buggy and to be close to the supermarket etc etc.

Today when parking in them, the woman next to me sprung out completely childless.

I know I shouldn't get so annoyed sleep deprived and am anticipating biscuits galore - but she was still parked there when I left and I really wanted to let the supermarket know!

There were other spaces btw, just a bit further away.

Jassy anyone who wants to start a thread political party about how shitty / thoughtless park-ers are entirely rubbish gets my vote. I cannot disagree with you there.

Riiiggghhhttt......

Mrs DeVere - no honestly, thank you for your concern but I'm intelligent enough to understand simple English, I just disagree with Tondelayo's point, and her quoting parts of my posts out of context.

Dawndonna's dd here.
I am so very bored with these threads, I'm seventeen and I'm damn sure I should be doing other things on a Saturday night. But, heyho here we go, again.
Mandy as a disabled woman of seventeen, I am articulate, funny and have frequently been asked to model, ergo my earning potential is pretty high. I still face barriers day in, day out. No matter what, I face things that you can only imagine, from being ignored, yes, it still happens, to being unable to go shopping because some arse with her pfb won't fold her damn buggy on the bus. As for online access, yes, it's fine for me at the moment. However, people with disabilities do face problems with computer use and with access. My brother for example is unable to go shopping alone, most supermarkets do not deliver to halls of residence. One example, but I do note that one or two others have been pointed out to you.
Mrs Bucketxx There's a dear. I shall demand my mother (I am taking driving lessons) continue to park in p&c spaces that are nearer to the supermarket. There are many reasons for this, just one is that I am unable to control my body temperature, so if it is cold and wet, I am likely to have hypothermia half way round the bloody store. Don't you think I have enough difficulties shopping as it is? Although why I am here, yet again justifying my existence to all and sundry is beyond me.
However, one quick point:
Did you know that the first parent and child spaces were in the public car parks in Watford. A number of women on the council asked for them. My mother was one who campaigned for them, she was a councillor at the time. That was after years of campaigning for Radar keys to be free, Access to public transport, and more blue badge spaces. She has only one regret among that little lot. Bet most can guess which.

When my children were little parent and child spaces were unknown. I can't say I ever had a problem dealing with them at supermarkets, even when there were three under 5. So I do quite resent it now when I have no chance of parking anywhere close to the supermarket doors because all the places are allocated as parent and child places.

I'm sorry to hear what you have to go through Dawndonna's dd.

I used to get a bit pissed off about people parking in the p&c places without kids when my children were tiny, 19 month gap.
My children were perfect, easy enough to get in and out of the car without the extra space.
Ten years on and one of my beautiful perfect children has a severe disability, uses a wheelchair has a blue badge and we geniunely need the larger parking bays, tbh I don't give a toss whether we use the disabled or P&c bay.
To the parents of little ones who begrudge us the chance to park our car, have a little think.... cos you know what your perfect kids could end up like one of mine, you don't want to be in my shoes or ANY of the people who legitimately need to use the larger bays, think on will ya.

Hi Dawndonna's DD, good to hear from you again.
You, and your mother, always talk sense.
I'm sorry though that you having to explain to such fuckwits just how bloody difficult it is sometimes.

I don't really get why (able bodied) people have a desperate desire to park as close to supermarket entrance as possible. It's particularly peculiar when you see folk going to the local gym being desperate people are for the spaces right beside the entrance. What IS that about???

Plenty of people do have a much greater need to be close to the entrance than able-bodied parents of able-bodied children do, IMO they'd be daft not to use the P&C spaces.

A tiny minority of people use P&C and disabled spaces ONLY because they're too lazy to park their car properly or to walk the extra 10metres to the shop; that's pathetic.

Shops like attracting parents as their shops tend to be bigger than those without kids; the spaces aren't because they're needed, they're to make the shop more money, hence supermarkets have the spaces but NCP car parks don't.

It's not getting the kids out of the car that's the problem- I'm perfectly capable of parking in a way that allows access to both sides of the car. However, when you come back and find that the cars either side have gone and been replaced by numpties who parked too close to get baby back in, what do you do?

Luckily while I was pondering whether to risk leaving baby while I squeezed in and backed the car out, one of the drivers came back.

The other issue of course is the safe walkway. One time I was pushing the pushchair and a driver backed out suddenly and came very close to hitting the pushchair. They were paying attention etc, but the pushchair was below their windscreen and they simply couldn't see it.

I'm perfectly aware that p and c spaces are a privilege not a right, and in car parks where there are no p and c (or if they're full), I manage and take the risk that I won't be able to get DD back in the car. However, where there are spaces, surely I have more right to use the p and c spaces by an able bodied non parent (or parent of an adult)?

And whoever asked about online shopping- I have halved my food bills by switching to Lidl. I can't afford the delivery cost, and the inflated food costs, so a weekly shop at Lidl it is. Incidentally, my local Lidl always has p and c spaces free as they are round the side of the shop and there are plenty of regular spaces that are closer to the door.

There are many people who are seriously ill, such as people going through cancer treatment/radiotherapy who do not have a BB. They are able to drive, but energy levels are low.

Would customers really grudge them making use of a P&C parking space?

I am delighted my parent is trying to maintain independence by getting to the pharmacy (at the supermarket) on their own. They park in the normal part of the car park for fear of someone shouting at them for not having a child, but are tired out by the outing.

you do not know what is going on in other peoples lives.

I love p&c spaces because they stop me from bashing the car next to mine with my rear door trying to get my kid out. I couldn't care less how far away from the shop they are

I am strange in that I have a bb for my son I still do all that is possible to not park in the bb badge area. His wheelchair is foldable and I still have the strength to lift and shift him. He is no longer a toddler so technically should not use p&c but I would rather that than take a bb space and have been insulted over this generally before I remove the wheelchair. Tbh I like to park next to the trolley bay or the end of a line so I know I will not be closed in. Now if everyone made this effort these threads would not exist. Tossers exist that will park no matter what, and if parents are given these they should be allowed to use them, unfortunately it can be impossible to tell the difference between a person who is genuine and a tosser as like many my child does not have disabled tattoed across his forehead so it is impossible to tell like many disabled people.

I park in P&C spaces if its convenient with or without my children and do not feel even slightly guilty doing so.

I had SPD when carrying my daughter and still have issues with it years on so getting out of a car on some days is very difficult - but its obviously not a disability so its a choice between a potential struggle with a normal bay or being able to open my door wide to swing both legs round to exit the car pain free!!

I can see the point you were trying to make with this one Mandy. Whilst it is true that disabled people as a group are more likely to be poor, unemployed and disadvantaged in a number of ways, I have been bothered personally in the past when others have assumed just by seeing me that I am poor, unemployed etc. I am a professional in a full-time, highly paid job. It pisses me off when people assume I don't or can't work.

Wow! cocacols
I had spd with all five of my pregnancies, a double mastectomy (in constant pain and limited movement) and more recently major surgery, however I wouldn't dream of using a p and c space without my baby!

I don't care where the p&c spaces are, I just need the extra space they give to open the car door enough to put baby in or out of car seat and when he was younger take the car seat out to put on the trolley. I would happily walk from the end of the car park and have never needed them to be close to the door. As soon as he's old enough to hop in and out himself we can park anywhere. And we don't all live on accessible streets that supermarkets will deliver to.

I don't need them either, not even the extra room as I can manage (despite not being a tiny girl) but if they are there I will use them just to be a bit closer so less distance to push trolley etc. however I do think its a bit rude for them to be used by people with no kids. Clearly you'd have to be a tosser to feel even remotely pissed off a disabled person used one though, that would be very odd!
As an aside my ds is on full DLA as he has renal failure and is awaiting a transplant. He doesn't drive but if he's with me we just use a normal space and walk a bit slower.
I don't feel entitled to use any designated spaces but maybe I should!

Given that my grandma used to cope with five children and several bags of shopping using only buses and her feet to get about I think people are letting the whole issue get out of hand.

I was going through cancer treatment when my son was a baby. I just parked where I could and didn't get my knickers in a knot over parking allocation - I had far more important things to worry about than whether my car was 3 ft closer to the supermarket entrance.

All those saying oooh how did our parents cope are clearly forgetting about the car seat law.

It was much easier then bug the kids in with no belts! And then your shopping and your off.

This thread has made me more adamant to say something when they are misused.

Its not aboit how close it is they should be at back if the car park.

Thats why bb users and nobs feel the need to use them.