Really annoyed at Someone parking in a Disabled Bay who is definitely not disabled!

[daisychain01]

I'm normally quite a placid person, who goes about her business and doesn't interfere with other people, but Im absolutely fuming.

Im staying at the Travelodge for two nights, last night was my first night, tonight is my second. When I arrived in the carpark yesterday evening, I was walking towards the entrance with my bags when I was nearly run over in the carpark by a woman in a BMW, texting on her phone while driving, trying to find a space.

It stopped me dead in my tracks! Anyway she then proceeds to drive straight into a disabled bay next to the entrance, obviously there to make it more accessible to a blue badge holder.

She got out of her car and I walked up to her. She was still on her phone, yabbering away, but looked at me. I said very politely, "um excuse me, but do you realise you are parked in a disabled bay .." To which she said as bold as brass "yes I know". So I just thought maybe I will cut her some slack, maybe she will check in then move her car.

I mentioned it to the receptionist and she didnt really want to know, because the parking belongs to the Toby Carvery next door. Out of curiosity I nipped out before going to bed and her car was still there, and still there this morning when I left...

...and there when I have just turned up tonight!

If she had said to me last night "yes thanks for letting me know, Im just unloading my heavy bags but I will move my car shortly" I wouldnt be frothing, but the Toby is really full tonight and whats the betting there is some poor person inside who has had to struggle all the way over from the furthest corner of the carpark because of that selfish cow.

The thing is, should I report her now? I just dont know if Its just me being pissed off at her attitude, and a bit up my own arse...im just feeling vengeful, like I want to teach her a lesson. The Toby is open and full of people.

We have been more inconvienced by a toilet queue than no parking space.

The problem is, if you add up 60 "just a minutes" you end up with an hours unavailability. Whether for a toilet, or a parking space.

Inconvenienced

But if you are changing a child in nappies, you're actually not doing anything wrong - its a stupid set up but not your fault.

I would happily call both sets of people twats.

But, (another but) if that stupid set up leads to someone being in unneccesary pain or haivng an accidnt, surely you could have a bit of empathy re their anger at the situatiom?

i wish they would not put the baby change stuff in disabled access toilets. they should be somewhere else, that way able bodied people who do not need a disabled access toilet would have no excuse,
I have never got why people think that having a nt child is a disability.
(do love the GF who brought this up on a parking thread what a stirrer)

If that's the only changing provision then the set up is wrong, not the people using it. But I find people using them for convenience rather than necessity all the time.

For example, at our local Ikea there are excellent changing facilities in both the male and female toilets and a separate baby changing room which are located down a short corridor. There are also changing facilities in the 1 disabled toilet which is much closer. I have never been able to use the disabled loo without having to stand and wait because people can't be arsed to walk the extra 20 metres. It's frustrating that DH takes DS with him to change and they're both done and back and I'm still stood there waiting.

While we're at it - those bloody wheelchair people refusing to fold up and be carried to a seat on the bus so i can get my phil and teds on with my pfb!!

"Because I really don't feel like if there's nobody waiting and I nip ds into a disabled loo (if that's the only changing space) and I k ow I can change him in under 2 or 3 minutes that that puts me in the same bracket as somebody who parks on a disabled bay with no bb because I want to be in and out of the post office quicker and is apparently a twat."

You really can't see the irony here, can you?

It's not a case of being inconvenienced more or less desperate. If dd wets herself because somebody has made the loo inaccessible for some reason, she has to go home. 1) she smells, 2) she's wet 3) her skin is breaking down and ulcerating all the time she's wet, 4) she gets hypothermia.
So, one is in fact as bad as the other. Each is a selfish, thoughtless act if you have no need of them.

Thing is - if that's where the only changing station is then you don't have an alternative

The thing is they're disabled ACCESS toilets, they're not reserved for disabled people! They're designed to make things easier, not to give immediate front of the line passes. Parking spaces are reserved for disabled people. You're comparing apples and oranges.

The thing is they're disabled ACCESS toilets, they're not reserved for disabled people!
This is a myth. They are there for people who are unable to access other lavatories. Those using the Access argument are mistaken. Whilst obviously nobody can be prosecuted for using them, it is rude and selfish when you have ACCESS to other lavatories that those with disabilities do not. However, they are not open access, access for all etc. They are for the specific use of those unable to access other facilities.

Suefla, this has been explained oodles of times, but i'll do it once more. The difference is that if there are two toilets, one accessible and one not, a disabled person can only use the accessible one. So they have half of the available toilets. If 'first come, first served' goes in the accessible one for a half hour long poo, the regular toilet could come and go as available a million times, but the disabled person would still be waiting for the only toilet they could use. During which time, odds are they would piss themselves.

That is why it is not so simple as saying they are not 'reserved' for disabled people.

Oh and I'd be careful how you word that in future, it sounds like you are jealous of not having your own special toilet, and I'm sure that isnt your intention. :)

People who go on about things being not legally enforceable are probably those who wait until traffic wardens clock off and park in disabled bays.

What happened to just not doing something because its wrong and will inconvenience someone else?

Debating the legal ins and outs somewhat detracts from the real issue.

Not legally enforceable/not reserved. .all the same sort of argument IMO.

We went camping in the summer and there was one disabled toilet/bathroom for the whole site. Of course, you expect basic facilities when camping so not a problem. It was clearly marked as a disabled bathroom, there was a changing station in main bathrooms.

HOWEVER. As the disabled toilet room had a shower/wet room arrangement, pretty much EVERY SINGLE TIME I wheeled up there in the morning or evening, I had to sit outside the door until an able bodied family came out. And before everyone shouts if they said nothing, I would have assumed they were disabled. But no, they came out and looked embarrassed and said "oh I'm sorry, it's just the other ones were full/there's no other family room/jonny was bursting and there was a queue/I didn't think anyone else would come along and the usual, sorry but I was only a few minutes"

It's NO FUN wheeling yourself over a bumpy field at 6 in the morning, bursting for a wee by the time I got there and then having to wait 10 mins for a selfish entitled twat to finish conditioning their child's hair.

People need to THINK and be considerate as Fanjo says, it's just the right way to behave. If you're not disabled, don't use any disabled facilities. It's really not hard.

And no doubt they all thought THIS in their heads!

Add message | Report | Message poster desperatedoll Thu 09-Oct-14 14:29:22
YesIdidmeantobesorudeactually are you taking the piss? It's hardly the same thing is it running into a disabled loo with a kid (when lots of them are joint changing facilities anyway) and parking in a bb space.
I'm not saying it's right but you would be taking up the toilet cubicle for a matter of just a few minutes (do disabled people not have patience?) And then it could be used again.

YOU sit in my fucking chair waiting and then make snide little quips about "patience" This has REALLY riled me now.

SNAP!

I had exactly the same problem when I went camping. I think I may have posted on here in frustration at some point. Whole families using it together purely because it was bigger and therefore easier for them and me sat outside dying for a wee with nowhere else to go.

I used to wish that, instead of a fine, people who parked in BB spaces without a badge should be temporarily lamed (for maybe a week or so) and not given a badge. After a week of limping across carparks and waiting outside disabled toilets, they might learn a little compassion.

I thought that, having a disabled mother, I was well versed in the restrictions and problems mobility impaired people have to cope with day-to-day, but until I got SPD with this pregnancy, I really had no idea just HOW hard it can be.

Oh LiverpoolLou, you just need to learn some patience!

Seriously though, it's awful isn't it, it took a lot of the pleasure out of the holiday for me. I had to have a rest every afternoon and I'm sure the extra sitting around contributed to it. How did you react to people doing this? By the end of the stay, I let people know in no uncertain terms!

i think in future I will just run over any fucker who gets in my girls way when she needs the toilet.
these thread are so samey, ffs if somone is disabled life is hard enough, yet there are always some GF who want the disabled toilet/the BB bay/the wheelchair space on the bus.

yet they never want the disability, they just wind people up with their silly posts.

I just sat there looking downtrodden and miserable (not that hard a look to achieve) in the hope that they'd think twice next time. There's no way I'd say anything as I'm also autistic and am non verbal when stressed. I did ask the site managers if they could make it key access or something, but they said no. I also asked if they could provide a stool and/or some handrails too as I don't use a wheelchair, I walk with a rollator so need something to sit on or something to hold onto. But they said no to that too.

Would this be any good to you? I have fluctuating mobility so considered getting one for good days. Sorry can't link but this might work...