Disabled parking in mother & child space

[CommanderShepherd]

disabilitynow.org.uk/2010/03/04/not-all-childs-play/

Firstly I want to say that I have never parked in a disabled space. having recently become a mother, the parent & child spaces are freaking awesome! I have a doona car seat which is also a pram, which means I have to lift ds and car seat in and out when we use it. Not too much hassle but I need room to get him in and out. I was curious if I could park in disabled space if parent and child was full (I honestly wasn't sure if it was illegal or just bad car etiquette) and came across this article. As per the article, do you think it's hypocritical that disabled can park in a parent and child space? Someone was actually finned by a supermarket for doing so.

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue, obviously I would never rob someone who has a hard time walking etc a space closer to the store, although it would bug me if there was disabled spaces free and they chose to use a p&c space.

Anyhoo, he's a pic of my ds being cute to distract the folk that will call me an evil cow for even thinking about it

CommanderShepherd, are you trying to pick the renegade option?

I'm a paragon to the core

Shit, being a disabled parent I am so torn now. Do I float above the hatched lines in the middle?

Wow, OP, do you work for my LA by chance?

My local High School (1,000+ kids) has 5 BB bays.
They have taken to covering up 3 of the upright 'BB' posts with black bin bags.
Staff and able bodied parents park in them (also park in the 2 BB spaces left too).
I cant then get my DD to after school sports events as the next nearest parking cripples me (see what I did there?) to walk it.
When I challenged it I was told:
'not enough "of them" need BB spaces so we freed the spaces up'.

Them - think about it - the disabled - them. Not us, but them.

As for your original Qu - just

The legal position is not quite as clear cut as you make out becausee it doesn't factor in equality legislation. Yes the supermarket can 'fine' me £50 for parking in a p&c space, that's what the law says. It also says that I can then sue them for £5000 + a shit load of negative publicity for failing to make 'reasonable ajustment' for my disability.

Came on to say what songbird said.

Twice you used "disabled" instead of disabled people or people with disabilities.

To avoid looking like a cunt I'd avoid that in future.

That's not me passively aggressively calling you a cunt btw, if I wanted to I'd just call you a cunt and risk deletion.

While not agreeing with some of your statements you seem perfectly fine so I assume you'd rather NOT be cuntish.

Not comparable!!! P&C spaces are just a courtesy, disabled spaces are necessary and should overflow to P&C spaces if full but not vice versa.

I'm still waiting for my Blue Badge (recently applied due to increased mobility issues) and tbh I can't wait. Trying to squeeze out of the car with my issues means that very often I need to go home instead of going where I need to go.

I would be incensed if I was unable to get where I needed because an entitled mummy had parked in a disabled bay because she's got a baby. I've got two children and funnily enough I have never felt that becoming a mother has made me disabled in any way. I get that it's inconvenient to have to try and get your child out of the car etc but it's not impossible. It is impossible when you have restricted movements.

My disabled mum parks in P&C spaces if the disabled ones are full. As well she should.

Ok, I'll rephrase, due to far too much free time on my hands, I was looking up the legalities of child and parent/disabled spaces (due to not actually knowing the legalities) and came across this article saying that they fined a disabled person for parking in one, even though she had her badge on display, they went on to ask was it hypocritical for disabled to park in p&c spaces. On thinking it over, I thought that it would bug me if there were spaces free and they chose to use a p&c space

Maybe there weren't any blue badge spaces free when they initially parked?

Maybe the P&C space they chose was closer than the blue badge ones that were available?

Disabled people should park in whichever space in most suitable for their needs at the time. Sometimes p and c spaces are closer to the store that the disabled space, or have a better walkway behind them/at the side of them to allow safe setting up on a wheelchair.

Other times all the disabled spaces may be full meaning a p and c is the next best option, and you know sometimes people leave spaces meaning when others arrive it looks like there were free spaces.

Yes YABU. There may be free BB spaces but they may not be the best space for the disabled person. As I said earlier I park in the space which is easiest for me. At my supermarket there is a very slight unnoticeable incline which prevents me using the bb spaces, so I park in th P&C spaces at the other side of the door. You don't like it, I don't give a shit.

My OH told a man in Starbucks that he lacked moral fibre as he'd parked in a BB space with no BB. Loudly. In front of everyone. Chap left pretty quickly with his take out latte

This is true Sirzy In my nearest asda the p&c spaces are right outside the entrance whereas the disabled spaces are a minute or so walk away very large car park.

ovo
used "disabled" instead of disabled people or people with disabilities.

My bad there. I was going to put disabled people but thought those phrases would come off as patronising or too "pc"

As far as I'm aware having a child is not a disability.

No comparative really

The fact that you started off googling whether YOU could legally park in the space and are now trying pathetically to retcon the point and purpose of the thread speaks volumes.

Why do you see "disabled people" as 'not PC' whilst not seeing just using 'disabled' as completely dehumanising. Not even subhuman.

There may be free BB spaces but they may not be the best space for the disabled person

Ok, I hadn't actually thought of that. I just presumed that the closest/best spaces would automatically be blue badge by whomever opened the car park.

songbird I used the phrasing I would be comfortable with if I had a disability

I'm confused, would you describe a disabled person as 'that disabled over there' or 'the disabled person over there'

Change your pram and seat system so easier to get in and out or carry baby in sling
Don't park in disabled you are not disabled nor is child

The issue with that assumption, which I can understand why you made, is presuming that companies actually put thought into the facilities they provide to help people with disabilities rather than just seeing it as a do the minimum to allow the boxes to be ticked which too many places do. To be fair though unless you are living with disability you don't tend to realise that.

"dehumanising"

Yes, songbird, that was the word I was trying to think of! That's exactly it.