WIBU to park in a disabled space?

[FairfaxAikman]

Ordinarily I wouldn't dream of it.

Our local supermarket closes off half the car park with barriers overnight to deter boy racers. It doesn't reopen until after 8am. ALL of the parent and child spaces are in the closed off side.

DS is still small enough to be in his car seat. In the past if I've arrived before 8am I've parked in a normal space but every time I've ended up with someone next to me, making it hard to get DS back in.

There is a row of 10 disabled spaces, all empty. WIBU to park in the furthest one from the shop?

@7salmonswimming Jesus. How dense are you?

Has this theoretical pregnant woman on the train paid for a first class ticket? If not, then why should she be entitled to all the first class benefits just because she opened her legs and didn’t use protection? Being pregnant isn’t a free ‘upgrade your life card’ - it doesn’t mean the woman should simply just be allowed into first class without buying an appropriate ticket. Isn’t the whole point of first class on some operators is that you are guaranteed a seat? If she pays for a first class upgrade then fair enough - if she has to stand then tough, again being pregnant is a lifestyle choice.

I could substitute disabled woman for pregnant woman, but (a) I want to avoid anyone jumping down my throat for equating pregnancy with disability, even though that’s not what I’d be doing (b) it’d be rare in an entire packed carriage for nobody to give up a seat for a disabled person.

It is effectively what you are doing.

It’s not that rare for no one to give up a seat for someone who is disabled. People often have more sympathy for pregnant women from what some of my friends with disabilities tell me.

I don’t get how this is even up for debate.

Blue badge spaces are one that should be really simple. You don’t have a blue badge then you can’t park there!

You CHOSE to become pregnant

And it lasts 9 months

A disabled person normally has it forever and did not chose it

I hate selfish people

Being pregnant is NOT the same thing

And people do not offer disabled people a seat. Even if visible. And with so many disabilities being invisible this just does not happen

Yes. If the parent spaces are full I use a normal one and have always managed to get DS in and out, the extra space is a bonus but can manage without

The point is,you have a choice,no parent and child spaces?ok I'll park elsewhere.
Bb holder?no bb spaces,go home,no shopping.no choice.

@eminybob and @PurpleDaisies

No, I’m equating two people who need, or whose lives could be significantly improved, by the extra space and physical relief of a seat. It could be someone on crutches with a broken ankle; a heavily pregnant woman; somebody who in acute emotional trauma (I was saw a young woman receive a phone call on a train with news of what sounded like a death in the family). People with disabilities aren’t the only people who should be afforded consideration. It’s right that disabled people are afforded legal protection because of the permanent/long-term impact on their lives. A temporary, acute disadvantage is just as deserving at the time of suffering. The problem is enforcing and policing this, so they’re not protected. That’s life, and we’re okay with it as a society because of the temporary element.

@ProfessorMoody I don’t know what point you’re making (or if you’re making one) in reference to my first point. Disabled parking spaces are for disabled people - clearly. But see every other part of my post. I wouldn’t extend the same comment to elevators or Handi-lifts (not sure what they’re called in the UK, where I am this is the proprietary name for a motorised platform that can take a wheelchair up a flight of stairs), or disabled toilet. There’s a risk that these machines might be misused or over-used, and that when the time comes for the person for whine it was designed comes, it doesn’t work. But a parking spot? What harm is there?

@Hannnnnnnxo what does paying for the seat have to do with it? Would you deny someone in need (not want) of a seat that seat, if you could? Would you deny a hungry child food, a thirsty man water? The extra cost of providing facilities for disabled people is borne by society collectively - that’s what we’ve accepted to do (and I wholeheartedly agree). A person in need is a person in need, irrespective of means.

Sorry for typos - for whom, not for whine being the most egregious

Because this is where it starts for one. 'I'm only going to be a couple if minutes' or the fav one I've heard 'I'm just using the cash machine'.

My local supermarket had such a problem with people using the BB bays to "nip to the cash machine" that at the last storefront upgrade, they moved them down adjacent to the normal bays.

(b) it’d be rare in an entire packed carriage for nobody to give up a seat for a disabled person.

Not really. I've had to walk with a stick before now and no one would budge for me. When I sat on the floor a la Corbyn, a suited city-type told me I was "in everyone's way". When I suggested he swapped places with me he hid back behind his newspaper sharpish. I now have one of the TFL blue badges, as does my disabled DS. Doesn't always work. People are knobs.

OP, I'd suggest parking diagonally across two spaces at that time of morning. May be a bit of a dick move at other times, but at that time of the morning there will be enough spaces for others. Many people like to pull up next to cars so they can align themselves as it's easier than using the lines alone.

FWIW though, I'm disabled (though not a chair user) and didn't get my BB until DS was 4. I've been disabled since my teens. I managed solo shopping trips with him, car seat and all, and I was never out early enough to nab a P&C space. I used to park as far as necessary to the back of Meadowhall's car park to guarantee a space, even though it meant more walking for me.

There is a row of 10 disabled spaces, all empty. WIBU to park in the furthest one from the shop?

This is from your first post. This is why people are getting defensive, because you've stated you'd do it, not that the shop assistant said you could. I think you just mentioned the shop assistant said you could to take the flack off yourself.

But see every other part of my post

I have. You're an ableist.

But a parking spot? What harm is there

Come back and say that when you're disabled, I dare you.

OP. I think you may have come to realise that as a previous poster said you’re probably just better living your life and not asking for reasoned debate on AIBU

If you’d just parked there briefly this morning as you had been given permission to do, no one would have been any the wiser and you could have saved yourself a lot of grief on here.

Hopefully the supermarket will take on board your suggestion and allocate some P&C spaces outside of the barrier to save this being a problem in future.

OP. I think you may have come to realise that as a previous poster said you’re probably just better living your life and not asking for reasoned debate on AIBU

Where’s the reasoned debate to be had about parking in blue badge spaces when you don’t have one!?

@ALemonyPea fair enough I probably should have written "There is a row of 10 disabled spaces, all empty. WIBU to park in the furthest one from the shop? as the shop assistant seems to think.

That was genuinely what I was told when I complained about the P&C being blocked off.

I'm blaming lack of sleep. Got up at 5.30 to take DH to work and been up half the night with DS.

I've done a diagram to show. Green in P&C, Blue is BB (with a black pedestrian footpath through the middle) Brown is the roadways and red is the barrier. The L actually extends a bit more down the way but I lacked space on my phone to draw it in.

It would do them no harm to stick a couple of P&C at the far right of the BB section.

Purple. Because surely you can still make your point without being rude or aggressive? Not on MN...

It would cost the business money. It could also mean idiots park in disabled if those couple of parent and child spaces are full rather than driving round to look for others.
You don’t NEED parent and child spaces. Many people can’t go out without parking in a blue badge space. Park elsewhere, shop at a different time and thank your lucky stars you have no need of a blue badge.

Wolfie. Some people do need wider spaces particularly during pregnancy as it’s often hard to lift one DC out of a tiny gap if you’re heavily pregnant. What about those who suffer with conditions such as SPD during pregnancy and after?

Sounds like there’s plenty of spaces so why not help out someone in that situation by offering P&C spaces too.

Some people do need wider spaces particularly during pregnancy as it’s often hard to lift one DC out of a tiny gap if you’re heavily pregnant. What about those who suffer with conditions such as SPD during pregnancy and after?

There are lots of conditions that mean you’d benefit from a wider space. Many elderly people struggle with mobility but not enough to qualify for a blue badge. Why limit p and c spaces to parents?

Park at the end of the row?
Park further away?
Parent and child spaces are helpful but not a necessity or legal right.

Pregnancy is not a disability.

And repeat.

All they'd need to do is swap a couple of disabled with a couple of P&C

I can't believe I just read that.

Stupid question OP.

You have a baby, not a disability. Get a grip.

YABU, of course. My DD is disabled and has a BB, sometimes the spaces aren't available and we have to park in a normal bay.

We already get a lot of looks from people assuming because she's a child we don't have a BB.

Yep fresh. Entitled much OP?

@ProfessorMoody I don’t think the OP has said she’s pregnant has she??