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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think that mother & baby spaces are for people with babies & small children?!

354 replies

cranberryx · 08/07/2015 19:12

Parked up at asda before work and low and behold what do I see?

3 vans, an elderly gentleman and a young couple all park up and get out of their vehicles and stroll into asda. Not one car seat, not one small child in sight!

I know it wasn't a busy time (8am) but still, I would be so peed off if I parked up with my little one and couldn't find a space with space to get a car seat out of etc!

Next time I might have a word! Or am I just being a grump!

OP posts:
EllieFAntspoo · 09/07/2015 21:14

Funny. I would have thought parents with children would be outraged by the abuse of these spaces by parents who don't have kids with them just thinking WTF, screw everyone else, I'm still a parent even if my kid is grown up or at home.

But reading the thread it seems like thee are a lot of people whe don't see the issue, think its fair game becuase they are close to the entrance, like its harmless fun, and if they really wanted parking for parents and children they should be at the far end of the carpark.

A strange moral compass. One wonders if these same people are the ones who are first in line to order a spare blue badge when granny reaches 65 so they can get free parking wherever they like. Abuse of parking is abuse, regardless of where the car parking space is, the fact that it is impossible for a company to enforce it, or any previous history of having had a child and used it legitimately.

If your child is not with you, or does not require the additional space, you have no right to park there. You are doing so effectively as a big FY to other mothers with young children.

Admittedly is does seem to be a class thing. More Nisan Jukes, Prius' and baby Mercs, than your regular 4yo runaround. I guess rules are more flexible the higher up the pay scale you go. At least where I live.

Wagglebee · 09/07/2015 21:14

Gosh Thank you! Smile Flowers I would've wondered all evening. I've learnt two things tonight, what M&P stands for and to avoid all threads about parking from now on.

Icantstopeatinglol · 09/07/2015 21:16

Lurkedforever I totally agree, all kids are precious. When you've got two young dc it's 'easier' if you can park nearer but it's not the end of the world if I can't. It's weighing up the risks and trying your best as a parent to keep your kids safe. When I'm by myself I park as far away as I can cos I love the walk (and peace and quiet!) Grin I've also got an invisible condition that means at times I can't walk well but as I can now I do as much as possible. Not looking forward to the prospect of having to battle the disabled spaces at some point in the coming years Confused

Wagglebee · 09/07/2015 21:16

still don't know why asking meant I was a goady fucker though

daisywellies · 09/07/2015 21:18

Ellie there is a huge difference between bb spaces and p&c spaces. The responses on this thread have made it clear the majority of people believe this. So your post is rather silly and irrelevant.

Sirzy · 09/07/2015 21:21

"Order a spare blue badge" ?? GrinHmm

Makes it sounds like it's just a case of going on amazon and getting one!

Sallystyle · 09/07/2015 21:23

If your child is not with you, or does not require the additional space, you have no right to park there.

I am pretty sure I do, actually.

It isn't illegal after all.

daisywellies · 09/07/2015 21:23

I think if you own a baby merc sirzy you go straight to the top of the list. Grin

zazzie · 09/07/2015 21:25

I would use a p+c space with my son when he becomes a teenager or adult if I believe it would make trips out easier for him and us. I don't care if the ignorant think that is selfish.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 09/07/2015 21:29

Lurkedforever - I doubt anyone is saying that children get less precious as they get older - but the older a child gets, the bigger (and therefore more visible) they become, and the more common sense, road sense and safety awareness they acquire. Therefore, whilst no less precious, one could argue that an older child is probably less at risk in a car park than a younger one.

OhMittens · 09/07/2015 21:34

U2 It's not illegal for supermarkets as they are private land but here's some info:

"A Parking Charge Notice is often mistakenly referred to as a fine. It is in fact a notice by which the owner of the private land on which you’ve parked will seek to enforce a contractual term that you either expressly or impliedly entered into when you entered their land, for contravention of any of their terms and conditions.”

ilovesooty · 09/07/2015 21:37

zazzie your child has a disability and anyone who objects to your doing that is really ignorant.

If we're talking safety I imagine many elderly people find it difficult to negotiate car park traffic.

OhMittens · 09/07/2015 21:39

Ilovesooty If an elderly person is vulnerable to car park traffic, are they actually safe to drive in the first place?

Children are vulnerable to car park traffic but then they are not driving. Obviously.

ilovesooty · 09/07/2015 21:43

I didn't suggest that they were drivers.

daisywellies · 09/07/2015 21:49

Yes, they are safe to drive Mittens. Being unstable on your feet doesn't make you unsafe to drive, but it does make navigating your way across a car park with drivers reversing, idiots speeding, cars trying to see around 4x4s quite a dodgy experience.

hazeyjane · 09/07/2015 21:55

Supermarkets should photograph parent space abusers and post them on their website using the spaces with no children, or scrap them altogether and let everyone find their own space. That would solve the problem.

They would get a lovely photo of me doing my finest twirl, whilst flipping the bird and bowing with a flourish.

Lurkedforever1 · 09/07/2015 21:55

Actually sdt the age range p&c spaces are usually aimed at are least vulnerable because with toddlers and babies you'd be either carrying them or holding their hand in a car park. At a rough guess I'd say 6-9 is more vulnerable because they're old enough to trust without handholding but still capable of making silly decisions, and yet still small enough to not be seen as easily as an adult.

OhMittens · 09/07/2015 22:02

daisy I didn't mean unstable on your feet, where did you get that from?

Ilovesooty said "If we're talking safety I imagine many elderly people find it difficult to negotiate car park traffic." I said "If an elderly person is vulnerable to car park traffic, are they actually safe to drive in the first place?"

Why not also ask Ilovesooty what they meant by "If an elderly person is vulnerable to car park traffic, are they actually safe to drive in the first place?"

OhMittens · 09/07/2015 22:03

Typo.

Why not ask Ilovesooty re why elderly people would find it difficult to negotiate car park traffic.

daisywellies · 09/07/2015 22:04

Well then Mittens why did you imply that elderly people who might have difficulty walking across a carpark probably shouldn't be driving? In my view, the reason they are vulnerable to car park traffic is because they can't move out of the way quickly if a car reverses out suddenly or is driving too fast. What is your view?

Ruledbycatsandkids6 · 09/07/2015 22:07

Ellie do you really not see the difference between parent and child spaces and spaces for those with disabilities?

Please don't lecture us about moral compass.

I save my compassion for people who actually need the spaces like my parents and my friends dd who can't walk.

Funnily enough having a child isn't a disability is it? Well I never found it so and I had 4.

Ruledbycatsandkids6 · 09/07/2015 22:09

My elderly parents are vulnerable and need to park near the shops as my mom is very unsteady.

As all drivers over 75 have to pass a field of vision test to keep their licences I guess those driving are as capable as the younger ones.

daisywellies · 09/07/2015 22:10

I think mittens was implying that elderly people who aren't nimble on their feet are not mentally capable of driving a car. Depressing attitude.

Mehitabel6 · 09/07/2015 22:14

You can't just 'order a blue badge for granny once she gets to 65yrs.'It isn't that easy. I am 64 yrs and no one is going to give me a disabled badge when I run half marathons. ( funny ideas of age again on MN)
You could easily put them is a far corner on the same side as the doors with a footpath so that none has to cross. If they were in a far corner there wouldn't be a problem. It is so simple that I can't see why supermarkets don't do it.

Ruledbycatsandkids6 · 09/07/2015 22:20

Just read a post up thread where a poster said her 2 year old had firm for running across car parks!!

I never understand parents like this either as a parent myself or as a cm.

Get a fucking grip of your child.

Yes there are some horrible comments on here about the elderly.

Still at least no fucker has justified parking in the disabled Space because they once pushed out a baby and of course that makes them as entitled and disabled.

Anyway cat poo thread anyone?Grin