BB bays vs Parent bays

[NeedACleverNN]

First of all this is not meant to start a debate. Hence no name change

Mn have started to open my eyes to the difficulties that the disabled face on a daily basis. With that in mind, I went shopping to my local supermarket. Not my usual one but a local one either way.

We parked in the parent bays.

Directly in front of the supermarket. No roads to cross. Nice and wide. Gaps either side to allow parent accessibility each side. Perfect!

Then I looked for the BB bays.

They were further away from the entrance and each bay was connected to a footpath. They seemed to be the usual size of a car park space and there was no gaps between each space either. There was also bollards in front of each bay to stop cars from parking on the footpath. However if every bay was occupied, there would be no way a wheelchair could get on the foot path. They would have to go on the road.

How on earth could they get this so wrong?!

It would make so much sense to swap round the bays so the disabled have the parking spaces that are more accessible.

If this is what a disabled person has to go through every single day, I can see why you are angry.

For my ignorance, I openly apologise to each and every one of you. I openly applaud those who go out every day and fight for more rights when you shouldn't have to.

It's a joke isn't it.

There was a parking structure near my old office which had a floor full of bb / p&c spaces. So the legal number of spaces for bb then a load for either. It seemed to work well.

Aha! Thanks MrsHathaway

I don't know where you all live but here in all the local supermarkets there are way more blue badge bays than parent and child. The disabled spaces are all outside the shop with the parent and child a bit further away. My local Tesco has 5 p&c spaces and about 20 disabled. Sainsburys have put their p&c at te back of the car park.

Same with buses, our buses have wheelchair spaces and separate pushchair spaces. I always get told on here that they can't but the front of buses has two sides with fold down seats. One side has a sign saying priority for wheelchairs, one says for buggies or people with heavy shopping.

I'm not disputing being disabled is way harder or that they fought for decent access only I've never known the wars disabled vs parents that I've known on here.

My local Sainsbury's has got it wrong too. Now, there's a generous number of BB bays, but again they're further away than the P&C bays. Why is that? The P&C bays only need to be near the trolleys!
Also, a large number of the BB bays are along a nice wide walkway, so they've put the bollards in for safety reasons to stop people backing up too far. Except of course, as you've pointed out, if you've got a vehicle where you need to get the back open, you either can't or are having to risk being out in the traffic.
Also, the way they've put the trolley ranks in, you can't walk under the covered section from the side of the supermarket, there just isn't room if you're managing with a buggy or wheelchair. Just not thought through at all.
Incidentally, my local M&S foodhall (which doesn't have enough of either bays!) has managed to get the toilets right. The standard toilets each have baby changing and are wide enough to have plenty of room for a buggy.
However, a local garden centre has done it very badly. The changing area is in the standard toilets, but they're just not quite big enough to take a buggy in if anyone else happens to need to pee. When you fold down the unit, if there's someone in the third toilet they have to stay there as it blocks them in - unless they're an ace at limbo!

Our local asda has got rid of all of their p&c spaces and replaced them with BB spaces.
The rest of the car park is like a bloody death trap!
The other Asda still has p&c spaces but you get fined if you park in them without a child in a car seat !
In my area the BB bays are okay, had my eyes opened on a recent trip up north, no spaces anywhere !

My local Sainsburys has made its BB bays BB/PC, which I find infuriating. There should be enforceable BB bays and courtesy wider bays elsewhere in the car park for anyone who needs the extra space. I don't agree with dedicated PC bays at all, there are many people who don't have a BB who need the extra room just as much as parents. I find it especially annoying that the Sainsburys ones state children up to 12.

Our tesco has two BB and closer to 10 parent and child. At least the BB ones are closer but that seems like a daft ratio.
Sainsburys has loads of BB. Parent and child is closer though and by a path. BB are stuck in the middle of the car park with no path around them.
Parent and child spaces can be handy.
BB are a necessity. They should be the priority.

P&C bays don't need to be near the supermarket.... they can be put anywhere. I have never understood that at all..... are parents incapable of walking? Totally agree about the BB bays needing to be near the shop.

The number of disabled parking bays is dependant on the overall number of spaces, e.g 4percent plus 4 spaces if there are 200 spaces overall. To be legitimate Bb spaces they should be clearly marked, have transfer zones, have clear access to the store etc. if the store isn't complying with this it's a health & safety issue. The store manager may know FA about this - ask the store (HO) who their H&S provider is.

Here we go again, I thought...

But no - YANBU at all OP, that's bad , do complain.

they can be put anywhere. I have never understood that at all..... are parents incapable of walking

It's helpful if they don't cross the car park as small children are hard to see and have little road sense.

At my supermarket they're mainly kind of round the back, so it's a bit of a walk but on a fairly secure path. The BB spaces are plentiful, and right by the main doors.

I have a BB and if I came across the set you receive OP, I would not hesitate to use the P C spaces. They are also terribly abused, supposed to be helpful for those with car seats etc but I see parents with teenagers using them!

If I needed a blue badge I would have used the parent bay too!

Anyone dared to complain would be told they are welcome to use my BB space and see how they get on

You are so right.
I have disabled family member and blue bays are often full. We sometimes have to park in parent and child with blue badge.
It's impossible to get my mum out of the car and into her wheelchair without the car door fully open.
So nice to see someone that doesn't live with it everyday appreciate how difficult it is for us 24 hours a day

Are disabled parking spaces in supermarket car parks only for blue badge holders? I thought they were for anyone who needed them. I'm sure we used them after I dislocated my knee and was on crutches (and that was an eye opener on just how inaccessible some places are - most memorably we went out for dinner with a group of friends, steps up into the restaurant, our table was then up a flight of stairs, loos were back down those stairs and up another bloody flight of stairs!), and we used one on Tuesday as dh has a broken foot.

On toilets, proper facilities should be provided for both people with disabilities and parents. From quite a young age my DS would not go on those change shelf things, I had to change him on the floor, and he was terrified of hand dryers. Doing it in a busy ladies in a supermarket would have been a nightmare.

Our council recently resurfaced the disabled parking spaces in the pedestrianised town centre. They used cobbles. Apparently they look nicer than paving slabs. The bright spark who came up with idea has clearly never had to push a wheelchair.

My m is a WC user. If you think supermarkets are bad you should see how difficult it is for her to get anything done to her car or for her car.
She has a motability vehicle but the car garages park their sold cars flash cars whatever in the BB spaces leaving WC users a nightmare to get out and dice across a car park full of reversing vehicles etc etc.
Utterly crap
When she complained they said ooo you could have called and someone could have wheeled you in
Arrggghhhh

When DW was on crutches I dropped her outside Tesco and parked in a general space; when we left I loaded the shopping and then picked her up from where I had dropped her. No BB? Stay out of the disabled spaces. They're not yours.

When DW was on crutches I dropped her outside Tesco and parked in a general space; when we left I loaded the shopping and then picked her up from where I had dropped her. No BB? Stay out of the disabled spaces. They're not yours.

And what about those driving themselves?

Can you drive with a broken leg? Never broken my leg before so I don't know

I say make all spaces wider with paths either side even if it reduces the car park capacity by half. The wide bay should be the norm and not the exception.

The other thing I think is that they could alter the car parks and make the a bit like streets inside where you park nose to tail, path either side with road between. The bays should be a little longer so noone gets blocked in mind. Iyswim.

Those bb spaces are not in line with planning or building regulation guidelines. Perhaps you could contact the planning dept of your local council. They should be minimum 2.4m wide by 4.8m long with a 1200mm clear space to 2 sides.

flacidunicorn Do you want to park at busy times? Do you want the supermarket to be there for you to shop at?

Need I think I love you! 😬♿️💐❤️