AIBU to park in a parent and child space?

[x1982x]

I have just read a story that tesco is going to start charging people who use parent and child/disabled spaces when they shouldn't.

I agree that these spaces should be kept for those who need them but once a week I am guilty of parking in a parent and child space (there are always a lot of them free) with my 82 year old relative.

The two reasons I do this are - Once when in a normal space due to there not being enough room my relative suffered a bad cut on her shin from banging it whilst trying to close the door.

The second being these spaces are always near to the door and less walking distance in an area that is dangerous for people with poor sight/hearing.

AIBU to do this?

Sirzy of course she should stay in and never ever inconvenience a young healthy parent who would find it a little more convenient to have slightly more room to get the children out of the car.

But Fleur, people like going shopping, especially when they are otherwise stuck at home because of their infirmities. They even like to be able to choose what they want and look at the different options, just like anyone 20 years younger. Also the entrances to supermarkets are not always the best places to wait, no seating etc and can be busy, next thing we will hear about some old bat blocking the entrance.

I agree P&C spaces are good, and I used them when mine were little, but my needs certainly didn't trump those of the elderly or disabled. I remember often parking at the far end of car parks so I'd have plenty of space to decant children. Generally for the able bodied there are ways round slight difficulties, for the disabled and elderly there are not. I guess for most people with young children their parents are still quite active, so they don't really have any idea or comprehension of what it is like to be proper old and infirm (but not entitled to that wonderful BB).

Oops, crossed posted a bit there.

So it seems charlie

I wonder what fleur suggests I do with ds. He is 6 now so still "acceptable" to use p and c spaces but due to his disabilities when one is free it does make life easier. He can't be left in front of a shop alone and never will be able to. Obviously he should never learn the important skill of shopping incase someone has to carry their baby a few steps more!

So in the months before she died I shouldn't have taken my mum shopping? Are you generally this lacking in empathy?

Fuck me Francis that is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard, how dare they do that ? Since learning on mumsnet just how awful it is to coo at babies I do it all the time now, no doubt there's a thread somewhere about an awful 50 something creature "smiling at my baby". When I'm really old and wearing purple I'm going to ramp it up a bit.

I have just parked at the local swimming pool and managed to open my door fully and still be in the lines. Ditto earlier at the shopping centre. Supermarket spaces seem to be particularly narrow which is probably a lot of the problem. (Which is pretty stupid when you think about the massive trolleys people need to wheel between the cars!) If all 'normal' spaces were a decent size there wouldn't be the issue of getting in and out easily for (most) people as doors could open much wider and therefore reduce the need for anything other than BB spaces.

It's been said before, but it's worth saying again.

Put extra wide, P&C parking at the back of the car-park but with easy access to safe, well-lit walkways to the supermarket. The spaces will still fulfil their primary purposes of giving motoring parents of young children extra space to get kids out of the car and minimising the kids' opportunities to wander under traffic while mum or dad is dealing with a sibling.

I'm fascinated to know when shopping with babies/toddlers became such eye-watering entitled faff.
People on here hate being told how it was in 'the old days' Well tough. There were no p&c spaces when my dc were small. What we did was park, get the children out of the car, go shopping, put the children back in the car and go home. Job done.
When young, able bodied, entitled parents think their needs are more important than those of the frail elderly, the adult recovering from surgery, the teenager who really, really needs adult support , then I don't really know what to say except that parent and child spaces should never have been introduced and I genuinely hope they get abolished soon

yadnbu! You should probably even be using the disabled spots which are normally closer! I really get annoyed at people using the parent spots when they have no kids with them, ive even challenged them sometimes as it is so brazen... but you should def continue to use them... makes me wonder should there be parking for the elderly and frail in the same way there is for parents and those with disabilities!

I don't grudge p&c parking, but it seems to bring out the worst in people. Can some people not empathise that there are other vulnerable people who could benefit from the spaces too.

Do you not realise how it can be frightening for the older generation. One fall can be a life limiting experience.

Parents spend their time teaching their children to share, but obviously not p&c spaces.

PunkrockerGirl I think I love you I agree with everything you posted.

I can't count the number of times I've gone to a supermarket with my disabled adult dd, only to find that all the disabled spots are taken mostly by cars without blue badges, whilst there's a great swathe of empty spaces at the edges of the car park. She does not have a wheelchair, but is unsteady on her feet and has learning difficulties,
so I can't just drop her off outside. I was once glaring at a young woman who had pipped me to the post for the last disabled space, and was tottering around on ridiculous shoes." Can't walk in these bloody things" was her explanation. Having said that, my mil is early 80s, and she has a blue badge due to her age and frailty, so you can get them if you really need them - but before she got it we would drop her off at a bench and she would wait for us. Because of these experiences, I never park in p&c spaces, even if I pop in for a couple of items at 11pm! I know that might sound a bit daft, but I just can't do it.

I've just read more of the thread, and want to add that we were lucky mil was ok with waiting on a bench for us while we parked. It's just not do-able for some.

Thank goodness, it is about time!!
I hate those people who park in the child spaces with no kids, rude and ignorant is what they are!

However if you have a disabled child or any relative with disability and they're not entitled to a disabled badge then more often than not, a supermarket will allow special consideration when they see your clearly in need of the space. I would speak to the manager of your local store and get one of their 'for store use only' disabled passes.

Why should people need to ask though? I'm sorry but if that is the best space for someone use it. Don't add extra stress by having to try to find the manager or whatever

It's an obvious reasonable adjustment. There should be no need to ask.

I felt really guilty using a P&C space yesterday because all the disabled spaces had gone and on my way into the supermarket, I clocked a really elderly couple driving round and round. I'm not even sure if they had a blue badge but they quite clearly needed a big space closer to the entrance that I did. I did have two children under the age of 5 with me but both perfectly capable of walking across a carpark. I don't think you're BU OP.

*more than I did...

This obviously isn't about the disabled. It is about the people who have absolutely nothing wrong with them except that they can be bothered or think that the rules don't apply to them. Three times now I have found myself unable to get DD back into her car seat because some inconsiderate person has parked far too close to me- despite me being in the middle of the space. I had to go away and wait for them to move.

There will always be those who take the piss of there isn't any kind of fine. These are the people who need to stop using P&C spaces. The issue of lack of availability of BBs is totally separate.

Also, why is it always babies vs the disabled on here? Surely both represent the vulnerable areas of our society and should be helped. Only on Mumsnet is it an either/ or scenario.

Francis You are correct that the elderly are vulnerable. However, you are kidding yourself if you think that kind of people who abuse P&C parking won't do the same to elderly reserved parking.

And I said that babies were vulnerable. They are. Having a child does not make you vulnerable. However, the law demands that vulnerable infants travel in car seats. P&C parking helps support that. It's not a right but a helpful thing to have.

By all means campaign for parking for the elderly. I'm not sure how that affects P&C parking. It is a separate issue.