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.

I think the problem here is the keyword 'guidelines' - those spaces you describe are not at all suitable for wheelchair users, but Morrisons policy is only to provide a certain % of dedicated spaces, not that they have to be of a size with safe transfer zones, level access to store etc.

The H&S inspector would probably make recommendations that they should be made suitable but it's not enforceable I don't suppose.

It might still be worth pointing out to the store manager as nice as it is that they have set aside spaces, they are not actually suitable for use. I would do a letter and copy it in to the CEO.

I found twitter worked well when mumsnetters retweeted too.

I think there is something wrong with the blue badge spaces in our tesco.
They are nice and wide. Extra long too.
Right by the door. (Well, nearest spaces to doors). But lots of blue badge holders drive straight past all the empty blue badge spaces and use the p&c ones...which are on the same row, but the next few spaces along.
Tesco tried. They did a nice job. But they don't get used half the time.

Oh thank you

Saw this, blood pressure started to rise....
Yeah I know I've personally experienced this. Morrisons in Brixham, Devon and Tesco in Crawley both have the P&C bays much closer than the BB bays.

Sucks doesn't it?

In answer to using bb spaces without blue badge - I would never do this. I'm currently on crutches with bad spd can't walk far. I will however use the parent and child spaces if they are closer to the entrance. I know this may be frowned upon but I have a small child and in my opinion they are really useful but not necessary unlike bb spaces which are essential.

There is highways and planning guidance on the size and location of disabled parking spaces. There isn't on parent and child spaces.

Which group of people are more likely to spend money at a supermarket?

Which do you think supermarkets want to attract more and keep as repeat customers?

This issue market driven, and ends up being discriminatory.

I was surprised to visit a newly opened John Lewis at Home as see this first hand. Embarrassingly it was one I helped plan & design.

Littlecaf this wasn't you was it?
JL told me to come back in a car...

Erm, that looks v familiar Bishop. Not the lamppost, but that wall and car park and building facade........

Yep.
If I'm trying to get to the store from the Sainsburys end of town (if you know where I'm talking about) I have to travel all the way up to the other side of the store - the West Street end. That's a long way if you're in a manual chair.
I did tweet JL to tell them but they said I could get in from the (upstairs) blue badge bays. I couldn't use the access road as it was a busy Saturday and I would have been taking my life in my hands.

They don't care.

I became disabled when my children were 15 months and 30 months old. It took another few years before it was apparent I wasn't going to improve and I applied for a blue badge. I never parked in a blue badge space until I had a blue badge, despite the fact that I was disabled and really needed to use them.

The blue badge has utterly changed my life, before I had it is lost count of the number of times that I'd drive to the shop and then have to drive home again because I couldn't walk from the back of the car park.

However, there aren't always enough blue badge spaces. The shops with more spaces get my custom now, purely from practicality. I don't go to shops where I can't get into a space easily now. Tesco are brilliant, there always seems to be plenty of blue badge spaces at their stores.

There are times when there weren't blue badge spaces spare and it would have helped me if I could have parked in a parent and child space instead. I'm always too worried to though, as I know I'd be very upset and annoyed if someone challenged me for using them. I'd love to see the supermarkets state that their parent and child spaces can be used by blue badge holders too, I'd feel more comfortable doing so then.

I think we're taking about the same place Bishop. We did tell JLs architects about connectivity for all but they weren't interested.

H? Opened last year?
Wondering to talk to who will actually listen, tbh

I've seen it several times. Most notably Morrisons in Paignton.
Went to Asda in Crawley tonight and not only have they slapped a click and collect hub on half the BB bays the click and collect customers were also landing on the remaining BB bays.

Oh and Need - thank you. I don't think you grasp how much it means to have support of any kind from outside the disabled community.

Oh and sorry for bumping all I clicked watching instead of threads I'm on and thought it was current.
Am a numpty. As you were.

always thought that the parent bays should be half way up the carpark/end. most parents and most children can walk far enough to the shop (dd struggles is somewhere between blue badge and normal walking) more likely to get a space if further away.

same with buses and wheelchair bays. can someone not get fucking organised and design a bus with more multipurpose space. so it is not filled by one pushchair. Berlin and Copenhagen had trams and trains that were brilliant for this.

In our Tesco the P&C spaces are running down on the side of the entrance with 2 rows of BB parking opposite. Surely the disabled parking should be on the same side of the entrance and the P&C one opposite?

IKEA do this. Lovely spaces but then curbs up to walk way so it's long walk around cars who can't see you in your chair in the mirror and going in middle of road until can find a dropped curb

Finally a thread about parking where people use good sense.
BB spaces are an absolute godsend and necessity.
Parent spaces are handy if they exist but not necessary.
Maz that's a great idea about publicly stating parental spaces can be used by blue badge holders (if no BB spaces are available then surely that makes sense?)
I have used parent spaces but thankfully never needed a BB space. My grandfather did though. Without them he would have been pretty much housebound for years.