People using blue badges in parent spaces, when disabled spaces are free!

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Hi all, I don’t want to start a debate. If all disabled spaces are taken I have absolutely no problem with somebody with a blue badge using a parent parking bay. They are in greater need but yesterday in the supermarket, the majority of disabled spaces were free. Only 2 were taken yet someone with a blue badge parked in the parent spaces. I’ve seen this happen in the same place a few times.

The disabled and parent spaces are opposite each other with a path in the middle and pretty much equally as close to the shop so no difference there.

Both my children have autism, we don’t have a blue badge so I kinda rely on the parent spaces to get my kids in and out safely and close to the shop as my son is prone to bolting off.

Aibu to be annoyed?

Like I said I wouldn’t bat an eyelid if the disabled spaces were free but they pulled in to a parent space rather than a disabled?

Really TooTrueToBeGood, you need to tuck it away or tie a knot in it or at the very least PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!

Sorry, PurpleDaisies. 😁

Lol
'I don't want to start a debate'
Sure 🤔

A blue badge does not only entitle the recipient to park in a blue badge space. It varies by council but in my local area a blue badge enables the owner to park in any public parking space for free and with no time restrictions even if it is not a disabled parking space. This would include P&C spaces.

Blue badges usually also allow the owner to park on single or double yellow lines for up to 3 hours.

Parking restrictions do vary a lot by council/ city etc but a blue badge can definitely be used validly outside of the disabled bays.

@my2bundles pretty sure p & c spaces were created to allow parents space to get their babies/toddlers in and out of the car, around the time supermarkets etc started cramming in as many spaces as possible to the point that space to open your door fully has become pretty much impossible.

ALL my blue badge does is it allows me in my car or indeed anyone's vehicle to use "Space reserved for Blue badge holders in a marked/designated space" It does NOT give me the right to park where I like!!

You should google this. BN didn't juts allow you to park in designated spaces at all. Did you not get any information in the envelope when your BB was sent out?

Floaty. PC spaces where created as a marketing ploy to get more parents to shop in their stores. They where created long after car seats became a requirement of law.

They are allowed to park anywhere with a blue badge.

They were created to give parents of small children space to get them in and out of the car.

I wish they'd put the p&c spaces at the back of the supermarket car parks where they'd be no use to people without children who need the extra space more than they need close proximity to the shop.

They are allowed to park anywhere with a blue badge.

This isn’t true. It’s pretty easy to google to find the restrictions.

Most council car parks don't have them. My local hospital doesn't have them. If they were created to help parents and not as a marketing ploy, surely they would.

It's sweet you think that floaty but they really are just a marketing ploy.

Absolutely undrrhisi

Well, they're a courtesy not a legal obligation. But they're there to help parents get their kids in and out of the car, regardless.

They are still just a marketing ploy Leisure centres rarely have them, hospitals and doctors don't have them,soft plays don't, town centres don't the majority if places don't . All these places are required to provide disabled parking tho. PC spaces are just a marketing ploy to boost sales sugarcoated into fooling parents otherwise.

www.saga.co.uk/magazine/motoring/cars/using/can-a-blue-badge-holder-park-in-a-parent-and-child-space

It seems it's actually up to the supermarket, in this example they advised that bb holders should only park in p&c IF the bb spaces are full.

I think car parks, mainly supermarkets that have these should put them at the far end of the car park with a pedestrian walk way to the store and a trolley park in easy reach. That no one else would want to use them except those they are designed for. They are extremely handy for people with young children.

However I can see why people with lorries/vans etc want to use them as standard car park spaces are so small these days.

Only today an elderly couple returned to their vehicle parked next to me in a parent and toddler bay. They had no kids, the space wasn't closer than the disabled bays to the store and there were ice 10 spaces empty in the disabled section. I can only assume they just didn't realise as they were bigger spaces.

They might not have had a blue badge Scrumptiousbears.

"On private land, holders have no special permission unless signs show otherwise."

So blue badge holders should adhere to the supermarket guidelines, which according to Sainsbury's at least, is to only park in parent and child of all of the disabled spaces are taken!

Blue badge trumps parent spaces I would think.

FarTooSkinny

Why would you though? Other than to be difficult and make a parent's life a bit more challenging, why would you need to? DH has a large 4x4, which I sometimes drive. I've always managed to park it fairly easily in a normal parking space.

Floaty I'm not going to take much notice if a random article in a random magazine . I've done my own research thanks.

@MyNewBearTotoro but a supermarket car park is not a "public parking space". It is a public space, but a private car park, and the supermarket sets the rules.

The problem here floaty is they could be full when they park up but not full 15 minutes later. It's impossible to police it.

Looking at all of fartooskinny’s posts, I think they’re probably being sarcastic.

@my2bundles yes it's hard to police it...which is why so many use the p&c spaces when they shouldn't/could park in another space.