Another buggy in wheelchair space thread

[MsAR]

I got on the bus at the same time as a wheelchair user was queuing to do so. The driver told the wheelchair user there wasn't room, so I quickly checked and saw it was a buggy and a shopping trolley in the space.

The driver told the wheelchair user there would be another bus in a few minutes and they didn't seem to mind and weren't particularly insistent about getting on.

Was I being unreasonable to step in at this point and tell the driver that the person with the buggy should get off as wheelchairs have priority? He was pretty annoyed when I did, and kept repeating that there wasn't space.

I'm in London, and there are clear signs on every bus stating this is the case. I've often had to get off a bus when a wheelchair needed to get on and would never question if asked to do so.

Would it also be unreasonable for me to complain to TFL? I know I'm being a busy body but the driver's attitude really irritated me! I'd like the mumsnet jury to help me decide what to do, if anything.

Yeah right meand. You could contact morrisons and say please can you separate the changing room and disabled toilet so the pesky disabled people can stfu I guess.

I think any supermarket that combines parent and child facilities with disability access should be told they have a time period to provide facilities for the use of the disabled only or they'll be shut down until they do.

Bishop

Just been to local Sainsburys.
They have a disabled loo AND a babychange. Completely separate.

Brilliant.

Jesus wept I'm not even going to waste my first mumsnet biscuit on that sarcastic but not patronising comment.

Glad you could squeeze in Bishop

Well Bishop have some compassion for them. How are they meant to fold the buggy down AND hold on to the doll for dear life too!

Tbf I wouldn't say those things at the bus stop. Now I've read it back it does sound a bit unlike me. Just a silent eye roll when I turn my head away would be enough.

I was just being goady in that post up thread and got a bit carried away. Sorry. I wouldn't actually speak to someone like that in RL when they aren't actually trying to annoy me. I'm a bit embarrassed at that keyboard warrior post
If this situation ever happened in the future I can guarantee I would not say anything like that and definitely not in that tone.
A quiet eye roll to myself and that would be it. Us parents with young children aren't all selfish who get on the bus.

A silent eye roll with head turned away is also unnecessary. Are you actually being serious?

No, just continuing yo troll, as she's just admitted to doing.

I do that with most people who start speaking to me at the bus stop and I just want to be left alone. So yes, sorry.

Us parents with young children aren't all selfish who get on the bus

No you're not, and people have emphatically pointed out throughout the thread that they are talking about some parents behaving spectacularly entitled, not all.

I actually remember one time with my DS. He had a horrendous reaction to his preschool boosters and I had to put him back in his pram just to get anywhere (single parent still had DD to pick up etc and his Drs and hospital appointments) and he was incredibly lethargic as we couldn't get his ridiculously high temp down, hence the frequent hospital and doc checkups. I had to go and get him a syringe from the chemist as he wouldn't take the abs and meds the doc had given him. Went to get the bus and there was no room. I'm still incredibly thankful to the lady and her friend that offered to get off a couple of stops earlier with both their prams so I could get on with him that day.

Attitudes have changed in recent years though and I'm not sure the same would have happened again given some earlier very entitled posts at the beginning of this thread. I know most mums are as lovely as that mum that was kind to me that day and would have shifted for a wheelchair user without grunting too, BUT it has to be acknowledged that some parents attitudes need changing.

It is MN that has changed my awareness and attitude towards bus spaces. I only joined MN when my oldest was 1, so that whole year I would have had no idea that I would need to move for a wheelchair user. Luckily I very rarely got the bus anyway as I didn't have the confidence to steer my pram on to the bus and didn't want him to start crying loudly, so I never got in to a situation where I refused to move. I just never realised that space was for wheelchair users only, and thought it was a first come first served kind of thing.
Then when I joined MN I realised.

Point to this post. These threads do work. They do change people's awareness.

You seriously would have bad no idea that disability takes priority?

sooty Oh shut up. What's the point in trying to raise awareness if you're just going to moan at people for their past ignorance? It just makes you look arrogant. I was very young if that makes any difference.

Nope, it doesn't.

Ok. Well my first point stands. Moaning at someone for their PAST ignorance makes you look arrogant. I don't know why you bother trying to change people's attitudes if this is the way you go on at them AFTER their views/actions/awareness have changed.

Youth doesn't excuse lacking the common sense to understand the big wheelchair symbol and the fact someone with a wheelchair needs the space more.

Things seem to become your past ignorances when people pull you up on your behaviour...

It's a good thing then that my local bus clearly states on the space that wheelchairs take priority. I suppose it might raise awareness among the ignorant of any age.

Maybe the lack of experience stopped me from understanding then. Before I had a child I always sat on the normal seats and never needed to use the big space at the front. I never really looked at the signs on the bus as I never needed to. I just assumed It was for wheelchairs/prams/someone with a push trolley/a suitcase or whoever wanted to use the space.
All I can do is apologise for my lack of understanding.

I've never had a child. Isn't it fortunate that I haven't reached my advanced age thinking that my suitcase had the same rights and needs as a wheelchair user?

I'm not stupid enough to think that anymore so get a grip.

But you still think it's no problem for disabled people if they have to wait for you to use the parent and child toilets...

No, I do think it's a very big problem. It's all down to bad planning in certain stores. A lot of them realise that both disabled people and parents with babies need their own spaces, so have 2 different spaces. Some still have the one space and that really isn't my fault.