To think some busy car parks have an excessive amount of disabled spaces?

[coffeeforone]

Every time I go to my local Sainsbury's, i very rarely find a free Parent & Child space, or any space that is not at the very far end of the car park. I've noticed this more recently as I'm heavily pregnant and have a 2 year old so would love a P&C space. There are only 12 parent & child bays, but there are 18 disabled spaces, the vast majority of them are always free. Given the ratio of parents with young children to blue badge holders in a supermarket at any one time, would it not be more sensible to have, say 12 disabled and 18 P&C bays, or even half & half? I've noticed this in places like IKEA and other big supermarkets too (but haven't actually counted the bays!)

C8H10N4O2

There are always a huge majority of disabled spaces free too when I visit most carparks. Our local multistory has a whole floor thats mostly empty. I agree with the more p&c or maybe just wider spaces.. some of the car parks here you cant even get your doors open when you park, stupid designs! Not with getting rid of disabled spaces though. Even if they aren’t used its important they’re there.

I'd be interested to know what percentage of spaces have to be disabled, as I agree that there are always a huge number empty

There are always many many more non disabled spaces empty, maybe supermarkets should remove them?

See how silly that is?

I can honestly say that in my 30 years of having a blue badge I have never come across a carpark where the disabled bays are always empty. Yes there are often times where on that particular visit they are empty but never where they are always empty. Never. (Apart from Tesco's in Reading where the disabled spaces are further away than the p&c spaces and half the regular ones.)

I don’t get the take away from disabled people mentality.

Campaign for more non disabled spaces if you need them.

How I would love to live in these wondrous places where there are loads of disabled spaces free, all the time.

Out of curiosity, where are these magical towns and cities?

Do people not realise that they only see disabled spaces when they are empty? When they are full they look like “normal” spaces and your brain doesn’t pay any attention to them.

The lack of critical thinking on this thread is fucking depressing.

I have read through a few pages on this thread, not all of them.

I don’t think the OP meant to cause offence, but it’s clear in her own experience that at the times she shops that the disabled bays are rarely used, whereas the p&c ones are full.

For me personally I think there should be more p&c bays. I don’t care where they’re located as it’s not about the walk to the shop, but I just want to get my car seat out without the worry of banging into someone’s car door. Or coming back to my car where someone has parked so badly that I can’t get into my car - with this I had to go back into the shop and ask them to tannoy so the person could move their car.

According to the ONS 22% of the population is disabled.

The British Parking Association states that 12% of parking spaces in Britain are disabled spaces.

We do not have enough disabled spaces, not by a long shot. Wanting to reduce the number further is disablist.

THE CAR SEAT STAYS IN THE CAR.
The clue is in the name.

Why do some parents always use needing the car seat out as a reason they desperately need a bigger space? The seat stays in the car, the baby comes in and out.

@C8H10N4O2 yeah. It's so much easier having the luxury of a disability. The daily battle between taking enough pain meds to continue functioning at as much of a normal level as possible, whilst trying not to take too many to impede your judgement.

Oh yes its also a luxury to be 'qualified' to use a disabled toilet. To have to insert a tube into your bladder every time you need to urinate worrying about the cleanliness of the toilet as you have a high infection risk.

It's such a luxury to have to pre check every bar/restaurant/place you want to visit to ensure there is wheelchair access and a disabled toilet and to then turn round to friends and tell them you can't join them because it isn't accessible.

It's really wonderful knowing that your disability can change at any moment, symptoms get worse at the most inconvenient of times and then you need to add on the worry of getting pressure sores.

Oh and I forgot to mention how lovely it is not to be able to go to friends houses for bbq's, parties or gatherings.

This is just a tiny snapshot of life with a disability, just so we can have the luxury of a choice of parking space to choose from!

I read C8H10N4O2 "s post as being sarcastic.

It was sarcasm

Both of my local hospital have multistory car parks with disabled parking on the first floor. All good.
Except that some silly sod did not think through how tall adapted disabled vehicles can be and the car parks are 1.9m restricted. My adapted vehicle (like many adapted vans) is 2m high and cannot enter a multistory car park to use the disabled bays provided....perhaps that's why they are empty - we can't bloody access them! 🙈

I can never get into multi stories. my old WAV was massive and I would have lost the top. at our local hospital, that is all the parking that is on offer.

I read C8H10N4O2 "s post as being sarcastic.

You read correctly

Ditto the comment about bearers for my shopping was tongue in cheek...

This is how the new P& C spaces look.
Transfer little Cyril directly to the trolley, and job done.

I hope that cover extends all the way to the door though, can’t have them getting wet!

Tbh op does have a point. I have never, ever seen all of the disabled bays full, regardless of day or time.

Yes they are a necessity, yes they are more important than p and c spaces, however the amount of spaces is disproportionate to the amount of users at any one time to a supermarket.

I do understand as I see so many single, able bodied people parking in both P&C and disabled spaces. But I disagree that there aren't enough disabled spaces. I occasionally take a friend to Tescos and can NEVER find a disabled space to park in. (She has a blue badge) I usually have to drop her on the double yellow lines, help prop her onto a trolly, then go and find a space to park in. In the meantime, I watch seemingly able-bodied people using the disabled spaces.

YABVU. Think yourself lucky you aren't disabled and be on your selfish way.

I don’t get it, I really don’t! If more spaces are needed for non disabled people, campaign for them.

Why do people feel the need to take disabled bays?

@coffeeforone

Was this you OP?

Worrying how many people “liked” her comments