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!)

I would have loved to have the luxury of parent and child spaces when my kids were little.

But then I would also have loved to have things like maternity leave when I had my kids as well......

And my disabled husband would love to be able to park in the disabled spot in his nearest supermarket, except that it is often taken up by people who are just dashing to the 3 cash machines....

Tell you what OP. Next time you go the supermarket, throw yourself in front of an oncoming 4x4 and maybe you too will get a blue badge. You can then use the disabled spaces to your hearts content.

Oh heck, well that went well OP.

I have often mentally grumbled about the number of parent and child spaces, when in some supermarkets they always seem empty but finding a normal space can be nigh on impossible. Interesting to hear there is government guidance on number of spaces for disabled, P&C etc. I'm not complaining here about it though, I wouldn't dare! 😂

My gym has two disabled bays which are never used, and recently re-surfaced their car park and all the nearby spaces are parent and child. I'm always bemused by the number of children apparently visiting the gym between 6-7am and 9-10pm and able bodied people's lack of willingness to walk a further 100 metres to their exercise 😂

I wouldn't decrease the number of disabled spaces. They are a necessity but any disabled person would rather they didn't need.

But with the fact spaces are so small and vas getting bigger I do agree there needs to be an increase in wider spaces for those who require them. I think they need to increase these but they need to be furthest away (as well as the current closer ones) so people who 'want' a wider space can have one but the play off is distance.

I'm not disabled and I do have young children, but I don't begrudge a single space to disabled people. Where I live all the spaces are almost constantly used by non-disabled drivers, so people with disabilities face real problems. There aren't any P&C spaces here, but that's a matter of convenience anyway, rather than a necessity.

I have to park carefully, but so what? It's easier for me to make sure my children are safe by a little thought and planning than it is for a disabled person to struggle into a shop because some wanky parking has made it impossible for them to use the disabled spaces.

You have the entire carpark to park in. Plus the option of parking elsewhere and walking if need be. Yet you begrudge disabled people having just 18 spaces.

AYBU for wanting to take a necessity from disabled people for your own convenience? Of course you bloody well are.

@coffeeforone I have a blue badge sometimes when I go shopping all the blue badge spaces are full up but parent and child spaces are empty maybe there’s too many seeing as they are not used all the time? A lot of the time when I go shopping a lot of “normal” spaces are empty I find that outrageous! I mean there are all these spaces and no one I saw using them!!

See my point 🙄

I think they should have some wider spaces too but charge (more) for them. I imagine that would concentrate minds about whether people really needed them or not.

Curiously, have you counted the rest of the spaces OP? Because if you want more P&C (reasonable) surely it should come from the rest of the spaces, not the disabled spaces?

At my local Tesco there are loads of BB spaces, at least twice as many as P&C, and they are mostly full.
I have a 4 year old and am heavily pregnant, so use a P&C space if one is free, otherwise I use a space at the back of the car park where I have enough space.
It has never occurred to me to question or begrudge a BB space. They are not comparable to P&C spaces in the slightest.

That's a really good point by previous posters!

Why aren't you asking for more standard spaces to be made into P&C? Why did your thought process go straight to wanting to take from the blue badge spaces?

Oh and I meant to say, even if the BB spaces were usually mostly empty, then that doesn’t mean that one day, or every now and then every BB holder in town might all decide to come and do their shopping at once, and I would like to think there should be enough spaces for them if that unlikely event does happen.

It’s all too common sadly. Someone wants something and zones in on disabled facilities, because it’s an easy target. Ditto for toilets.

It’s not a conscious “fuck the disabled people” thought process. It’s just lack of giving a shit.

Why aren't you asking for more standard spaces to be made into P&C? Why did your thought process go straight to wanting to take from the blue badge spaces?

Since a few people have queried this, it's because, quite often the entire car park is full (all normal spaces), aside from the 3 empty rows of blue badge bays where there are usually one or two being used out of the 18. So it's the empty spaces i'm noticing.

OP I take issue with your ratio of parents with young children to blue badge holders in a supermarket at any one time, remark. Not all disabilities are clearly visible

I think you are going to the supermarket at the wrong time as I can almost always get a parent and child space. I often see all the disabled spaces full though.

Hopefully you'll never need to find out how essential disabled bays are. But to even think that what you are saying is acceptable makes you trash and YABVU

How dare people who need these spaces not be using all of them 24/7 so there is a queue to get them. Lets make every space which isn't constantly getting used into a space to make your life easier. Who cares if it stops someone disabled from actually being able to get out of their vehicle from time to time, they can just queue, as long as its easier for able bodied people like you /s

Not all disabilities are clearly visible

Absolutely!

Since a few people have queried this, it's because, quite often the entire car park is full (all normal spaces), aside from the 3 empty rows of blue badge bays where there are usually one or two being used out of the 18. So it's the empty spaces i'm noticing

Normal really isn’t the appropriate word.

If you’re going shopping at the busiest times, it’s not really on to complain about lack of spaces. Go another time?

@Pinkyyy of course they are not. I was assuming the ratio by the lack of usage of blue badge holders, not visible disabilities

It shows a genuinely selfish attitude. Your thoughtS stopped at 'I want more spaces and I've decided they [blue badge holders] have too many so I WANT.'

You've had to have it explained to you that there'll be times they are full, just not when you're there. Or that it's great that disabled people have a plentiful supply of spaces so aren't struggling to park.

Bless you and your lack of critical thinking op.

Blue badge users need their spaces because they are disabled.

Most people who park in P&C would manage just as well in any parking space as they are not disabled.

If you are able bodied, stop driving everywhere. You are polluting our planet just because you can't bear to be inconvenienced. Get your shopping delivered/walk/cycle/go on the bus.

See you choose to have babies go to sainsbury's heavily pregnant disabled badge holders however... yabu and you know full well you are.