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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That she stood in a parking space?

169 replies

StyleO · 03/10/2019 22:08

AIBU to think you can't claim a parking spot by standing in it?

Out with DH in his large vehicle today, we spotted two spaces and so he headed to the larger one. As we pulled in, a lady stepped into it and pointed over the road to a car coming out of another space. He wound the window down and she said "sorry my sister is parking here". So from what I can see her sister was moving her car closer to the cafe they were going into, that's fine, she may be disabled. What irked us is the way the lady stated it rather than asking politely.

I don't think it's technically a done thing but no harm if done politely. We found another spot rather than squeeze into the other smaller one we'd passed. It may or may not be noteworthy that the car that moved would have fit in either of the spots outside the cafe.

Also noteworthy that the spaces are not disabled bays, nor are there any in this zone.

OP posts:
Findumdum1 · 04/10/2019 12:21

the only way to reserve a carpark space is to pull your car into it. Anyone standing in a space to reserve it while someone else does something with the car is being an entitled cf. There are no excuses. There are disables spaces for a reason. What if 2 disabled people were competing over one disabled spot? Would it still be ok for an able bodied person to stand blocking it?

GabsAlot · 04/10/2019 12:21

I would say you cant stand there for several minutes sorry to the disab led person cant you just got to the disabled spaces?

BoxFox · 04/10/2019 12:24

I’d have asked why she was entitled to push in like that, if sufficient reason not provided (disabled, with little ‘uns or pregnant for example) then I would drive as far into the space as I could, and waited, but I expect your DH is considerably more polite than I am.

That woman was a CF and a twat.

FaFoutis · 04/10/2019 12:26

I see this a lot in Waitrose car park. It's usually retired couples, the woman stands in the space, 'reserving' it and looking tense.
They are twats but I feel a bit sorry for them. A reasonable, happy person would not feel the need to do this.

Teensruletheroost · 04/10/2019 12:26

Do you really need a car?

Shanks' pony is much better for you and the environment.

There's always one...

Tensixtysix · 04/10/2019 12:26

Anyone tried that with me, they'd come back to flat tires (no criminal damage), pebbles do have a way of finding themselves inside dust caps...

TipToeToothFairy · 04/10/2019 12:30

I just couldn't get worked up about this. They saw it, she stood in it, you found somewhere else to park.

spiderlight · 04/10/2019 12:31

Someone did this to me in a small car park once. Last space. She got out of the car behind me, cut across the grass and just stood there. There were several other people there, who were so horrified and gobsmacked at the blatant way she did it that they actually shuffled their cars across a bit to create a space for me.

Straycatstrut · 04/10/2019 12:33

I'd have asked why she needed this particular space and what was wrong with the other one, if there was a genuine health reason I'd say no problem. I can't think of another reason to be honest.. unless she'd been trapped in and couldn't open the door?

This kind of thing turns into public slanging matches easily. Person standing in the space has some balls.

whiteroseredrose · 04/10/2019 12:33

I had something similar before DD's swimming lesson years ago. Parking was always a nightmare.

Someone was clearly about to come out of a parking space so I pulled over and indicated that I was going in. Driver got out and said that she was saving the space for a friend who was just arriving. I explained that I was there first and just waited for her and friend to give up before parking.

ProfessorSlocombe · 04/10/2019 12:34

I would have just driven very slowly into the space until she'd moved.

And if she hadn't ?

AryaStarkWolf · 04/10/2019 12:34

Someone did this to me in a small car park once. Last space. She got out of the car behind me, cut across the grass and just stood there. There were several other people there, who were so horrified and gobsmacked at the blatant way she did it that they actually shuffled their cars across a bit to create a space for me.

What a cheeky fucker, the nerve. There's no way she'd be getting into that space, I'd sit there all day until she moved

Straycatstrut · 04/10/2019 12:39

Someone did this to me in a small car park once. Last space. She got out of the car behind me, cut across the grass and just stood there. There were several other people there, who were so horrified and gobsmacked at the blatant way she did it that they actually shuffled their cars across a bit to create a space for me.

Shock Did she have some kind of emergency?! I'd have wound the window down and asked.

Toastymash · 04/10/2019 12:44

I have done this before for my disabled step dad when there were no disabled spaces left. No one actually tried to pull in and speak to me but someone did drive past (my step dad's car was close anyway so maybe they figured out what we were doing so didn't bother to ask). If someone had tried to pull in I don't think I'd have moved, nor would I have asked politely if we could have the space. I would have simply told the person that my step dad was parking there and not even bothered to explain that he is disabled because I wouldn't think that it would matter. I had no idea that what I did would be considered rude to some people.

These threads are interesting to me when I find out that most people think very differently to me on a particular issue.

malmi · 04/10/2019 12:46

There's no rule saying you can't sit in a deckchair across the car park entrance so nobody can get in.

It's just not the done thing because that's not how things work.

Shopkinsdoll · 04/10/2019 12:48

This happened to me last year at the hospital. Circled round the the car park at least 6/7 times. 10 min late for my appointment. I finally spotted a space, was just ready to drive into it and This lady stood there. Rolled down my window, she said that’s my friends space, pointing to a bmw trying to get past me to get into the space. I said no it isn’t. I said you can’t do that!!! I told her to move. She started taking pictures of my car lol. Finally got the space after a few dirty looks on her part.

Surenuff · 04/10/2019 12:50

It's only really cheeky if there's not enough spaces to go round.

In this instance OP had other spaces to go to and apparently the objection is that the person wasn't polite enough - if she used the words in the post 'sorry my sister is parking here' it sounds perfectly polite to me.

gobeithio · 04/10/2019 13:00

How is 'sorry but my sister is parking here' rude? What was she supposed to ask?

zzzzzzzx · 04/10/2019 13:03

My mum used to do this years ago (she died more than 20 years ago) when when with her sister who drove. I didn’t think anything about it at the time but now think it was strange. The only thing I’d say in their defence is she would only have done it if she genuinely thought they were there first but others could cut in from other angles and take it.

1forAll74 · 04/10/2019 13:03

There isn't a lot you can do about car park numpties like this. You can either go elsewhere,or run them down,and park over them ! Usually speaking to them, or getting annoyed, will not achieve anything.

BestZebbie · 04/10/2019 13:09

I think you can claim a parking spot by standing in it, but only for a very short time. Ime it is standard practice if moving a car from one parking place to another close by, as you don't want to end up with no space at all during the moment's transfer - if someone else comes along wanting to park, they can take the space you were just in, as you were parked first.
Acquiring your own traffic cone and leaving it in the road outside your house all day (unless you are expecting a skip as a one-off) is another matter....

Beautiful3 · 04/10/2019 13:12

This happened to me once years ago. I was so shocked that I moved to another (very last) parking space. But afterwards I vowed that if it ever happened again, to roll slowly forward and exit the car half way in the space. Return in half an hour to pull in properly after the cf left.

blaaake · 04/10/2019 13:15

Haha. I can't believe people are trying to justify this weird entitled behaviour. I'd have just edged as far as I could into the space, and if she didn't move would've got out and locked the car. Smile

AJPTaylor · 04/10/2019 13:18

Dunno.
Generally it is bonkers. But then I once did it when me and she were meeting at a service station to swap over mum caring duties after she had heart surgery.
If someone said "I need this space because of xxxx" people understand but it is going against the norm

MoaningMinniee · 04/10/2019 13:20

We don't have any private parking and live on a time restricted zone street so we will do this when we know we're going to be loading up for holidays etc and the space outside the house becomes vacant. No-one has ever objected, as I always explain why if asked.