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 cannot tell you how many times my heart sinks when all B.B. spaces are taken and then people bounce around frolicking like March lambs in the nearby P&C spaces.

While I have to think long and hard about whether I can still do my trip or whether I have to remove something else usually more important out of my day to accommodate the extra that this is going to take out of me.

I don't know what supermarket you go to OP, but I wish there were some around here like that.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll yes, this was exactly the point I was trying to make.

I do apologise again to all those I have offended.

The usually trotted out argument regarding Parent and Child spaces is to allow access to the tank-like vehicles deemed necessary to transport the beloved, in which case there's no reason not to use empty spaces further away from the entrance, being pregnant isn't an illness, the walk might do some good.

Unless you are watching that carpark 24/7 you're not going to know the numbers of people who need and use the blue badge spaces. There is legislation in place for blue badge spaces, I can't remember off the top of my head right now but it's a percentage of the total number of spaces in the carpark.

Arrived at my local supermarket yesterday at 8.30am all BB spaces were full, difficulty in walking to the entrance, went home again. Coffeeforone, your apology has been accepted by me, just a gentle word of advice if you post again, engage brain before you type! I wish you well.

Yeah, even though I'm sure it was never your intention, any post that basically says take something away from disabled people and give it to me because I'm a parent isn't going to go over well.

Reading threads like this, I wish I had the power to make all p+c spaces disappear for good. Having children is a lifestyle choice, and you are not entitled to be accommodated at the expense of others. I often wonder if people like the OP are born with such a selfish outlook, or if it’s just a shittier symptom of ‘baby brain’.

‘But but but, how on earth am I meant to fit my fat-arsed car into a normal space, then get out my 200 piece travel system if I can’t park in a super-wide spot? Those lucky disabled people get more space than they need!’. Utterly unbelievable the shit I read here sometimes.

That being said, where I work there is a large private car park for my work only. There are a number of disabled spaces which I understand need to be provided and why. Yet in my 15 years of working within the organisation and building, I have never seen a vehicle parked in those spaces.

I wonder what this suggests about your workplace as an equal-opportunity employer.

However, IF it should happen to be the case (and the OP obviously only has snapshots of the situation and can't possibly know this) that, upon monitoring the situation permanently, it is found beyond any doubt that there, say, 50 spaces for BB holders and at no time of any day over a six-month period are more than 20 of them ever occupied, it is not unreasonable to suggest that there are far more than are needed.

Populations change. The average age of the area may rise, and needs change with it. A health clinic or retirement village or community facility might be built or move in nearby that raises the local demand for disabled spaces. Supermarkets and councils truly don’t have the resources to constantly monitor and revise this usage. Just accept that there are worse things than a few car parks sitting empty because the local disabled population happens to be lower than average at the moment.

I'm 45 and have had MND for 5 years. I can't believe what I'm hearing. You won't be saying this when you or a member of your family has a blue badge op.
Many car parks I go into the disabled spaces are all taken.

You won't be saying this when you or a member of your family has a blue badge op.

I've spoken to the B.B. holders I know (a family member) and they agree that they do come across some car parks that have an excess of spaces. They also said that there are plenty of car parks where they'd like to see more disabled bays, most car parks have got the balance wrong one way or another and monitoring usage would be a good idea.

Conversely, my experience is the opposite of the OPs. I have rarely found a supermarket car park that has a large number of BB spaces and they are usually occupied. However, I often find supermarket car parks with large numbers of C&P spaces and most of them are usually unoccupied.

so op says sorry. then posts again about there being too many BB bays
I've spoken to the B.B. holders I know (a family member) and they agree that they do come across some car parks that have an excess of spaces. They also said that there are plenty of car parks where they'd like to see more disabled bays, most car parks have got the balance wrong one way or another and monitoring usage would be a good idea.

so op is so sorry she offended........she does it again.
I do wish MN HQ would deal with this kind of back door disablism.

I mean adjust the BB spaces to 200% of maximum usage level.

please borrow brain cell.

If I go to a supermarket and can't park (that includes bb spaces that are too far for me to walk) I go home.

Lots of people are in the same situation, so because we CAN'T park the number of spaces should be reduced?

Then there are fewer spaces so more people can't park, so they reduce them further.

You have spoken to one person, one! So you and one other person think there are too many spaces and you think you can dictate law and policies set up to protect disabled people from the likes you you?

Fucking hell OP. Honestly, can you hear yourself?

THIS blue badge holder has to go home on a regular basis because they can't leave their vehicle as there are NEVER any free spaces at the shops, school, doctor, hospital, or anywhere else I go.

Add that to your "research".

I don't think that being pregnant or having children compares to a disability. Iv had 3 children under 4 and being pregnant is not a disability. It's a privalege. I feel insulted.

OP do you just find yourself idly wondering to yourself "Hey, I haven't started a thread that is going to really put people's backs up for a while and will give me something to do for a few hours while I'm bored?"

Based on the fact that prior to this particular gem of a thread you had one entitled To ask what A&E docs do when they are not with patients in which you also exhibited some bizarre notions that resulted in pretty much everyone disagreeing with you while you kept on about it.

.

In my shopping centre, the B.B. bays and P and C bays are usually full. The B.B. bays are used by all kinds of drivers, although they run the risk of being fined. Anyway, I rarely manage to find a park there and have to go home.

However, if a P and C bay is free, I’ll park there, you bet I will, as my need trumps theirs. Not sorry either - their bays are a courtesy, the BB. ones are legislated.

My elderly mother is crippled with painful rheumatoid arthritis, I took her shopping and I could have cried watching her painfully hobble past the dozens of P+C parking spaces at the store entrance with the parents children running around because there wasn't space in the disabled parking. It seemed totally unfair.

Our children are under exercised nowadays, I think parking further away from the store would be beneficial, and you won't be heavily pregnant forever op,( and presumably have a partner or online shopping to fall back on.)

Disabled people are usually stuck with their condition forever sadly.

How many threads on this topic over the past few days?! It's been done to death now.

Disabled people need the spaces more than parents with young children do (and I speak as the latter). They would have a lot more of a problem in a regular space than a parent with a child, so whether you think so or not, there needs to be more of them.

The whole point of disabled spaces is that there is always one available if needed which is why they are sometimes empty. Because a decent retailer would prefer to ‘waste’ space than make a disabled person feel unvalued . Parent and child spaces are a luxury not a necessity

Wow @ShatnersWig you must have an awful lot of time to go through all my posts/threads going back over six months and pick up on that one.

No, only took about 20 seconds to find it actually. I thought it was likely someone who was coming across as badly as you were on this thread had form for it.

Can you really, really, still not see how unreasonable and thoughtless you have been on this thread, bearing in mind all bar about two other people very strongly disagree with you? To keep arguing your point is ludicrous and quite frankly your comments are bordering on disablist.