To think it is appalling Asda are using disabled spaces?

[NightSpot]

For their click and collect orders?

Our Asda has a hut in the middle of the carpark. During lockdown understandably this became busy and was blocking the flow of traffic so they moved click and collect to the side of the store. All fine.

Went to get my order for the first time ina few weeks and realise they have now moved it to the other side of the carpark.. using the disabled bays as the collection point.

Yes, they have other disabled bays, but as I understood it they needed a certain amount or they wouldnt have been originally installed? When questioned, they said it was because they are only using one of the entrances, "hardly anyone " was using them. Surely that is not the point? They are there for a reason! And the queues to the entrance they are using are quite often up to these ones anyway so the person would have to walk further to reach the end of the queue!

I think you’re being a bit precious if I’m being honest.

Why don’t you write them a strongly worded letter.

No it pisses me off too. My local morrisons have installed a garden centre thing on six or seven of their disabled bays. It means that sometimes it's impossible to find one which means my mum may not be able to get out of the car.

Presumably they still have enough disabled bays to still meet whatever their quota is and they weren't being filled up, so it made sense to use them. supermarkets near me often have loads and loads of disabled bays so I guess they put more in that the are required to

I guess the reasoning is that many who need those bays will be shielding.
It's not a good move from the supermarket though.
The local tesco has used the parent and child bays to do this, again not brilliant. There isn't any normal parking spaces close to the store to do otherwise though.

YANBU - how long are these spaces going to be out of action for?

Yanbu assuming that the bays are normally filled at peak times.

It is appalling but you won't get agreement from many here, mumsnet is notoriously disablist.

Supermarket car parks are generally a lot quieter these days due to people not shopping as often or buying online, so there's less need for the number of disabled/child spaces. I presume they've not blocked them all in the store you're referring to? Could you not actually park near the entrance at all - was it that busy and were there no other disabled spaces?

Tell them then? They’re using the cafe in mine.

If the entrance they are close to is in fact closed it seems a sensible use of resources to me.

@QuestionableMouse

No it pisses me off too. My local morrisons have installed a garden centre thing on six or seven of their disabled bays. It means that sometimes it's impossible to find one which means my mum may not be able to get out of the car.

Mine did the garden thing too, now currently out of use of course. The various permutations of queueing systems mean that there's always one set of spaces near the store out of action, whether it's parent and child or disabled parking. They were in the middle of revamping them when all this kicked off, so it's hard to work out which flavour of space it actually is sometimes, as the signage and the markings contradict one another. Click and collect is wherever they want it to be in any given week. I'm not bothered where I park, and as far as I can make out they've tried most remote corners without finding the ideal spot.

Our sainsburys is doing the same and I did think it was a bit odd but there are always spaces.

They've done this at loads of shops, mostly to put the que in. The other issue is if you park in the disabled, you're close to the entrance but not the back of the que. Not all shops let you skip the que with a bb.

There has been loads of acsessability thrown out of the window for the apparently more important covid measures.

Masking, meaning hearing impaired can't understand people.
Blocking disabled parking.
Forcing people to walk long routes round centres.
Shutting toilets.
Narrowing walkways with signs and fencing.

I went into shoppinh centre loos today and the cubical that is larger for people with children, buggies wheelchairs or just need a bit extra space was locked - as per the rediculouse and nonsensical measure of shutting every other cubical. Because apparently covid can jump through wooden participants but not cotton masks.

Disabled access is not something that gets much support in this country. Still less on Mumsnet.

It depends
If there are still enough spaces then it's not to much of an issue. I think most supermarkets put in more disabled spaces than they have to so I'm guessing they still have enough even now.
I would have thought they'd be better off using the child space as I'm sure they aren't a legal requirement.

Presumably those disabled bays are where they are in order to make it easier for disabled people to use the nearby entrance - the one that's now closed. Would anybody be wanting to use bays near a closed entrance when there are enough bays near the open entrance?

Disabled people are pretty used to being shat on, so this is no surprise.

If you feel like wasting your time, you can always send a letter asking what actions they took under the 2010 EA to assess the impact of the changes on people with disabilities. But that's really only if you feel like playing the "what excuse will they use" game. Which tends to wear after a few years.

The alternative, as suggested to DW a few times, is to not be disabled. Have you tried giving that a go ?

Those disabled bays will be closest to the entrance I imagine. Disgusting. BB holder here.

@Alabamawhirly1

They've done this at loads of shops, mostly to put the que in. The other issue is if you park in the disabled, you're close to the entrance but not the back of the que. Not all shops let you skip the que with a bb.

There has been loads of acsessability thrown out of the window for the apparently more important covid measures.

Masking, meaning hearing impaired can't understand people.
Blocking disabled parking.
Forcing people to walk long routes round centres.
Shutting toilets.
Narrowing walkways with signs and fencing.

I went into shoppinh centre loos today and the cubical that is larger for people with children, buggies wheelchairs or just need a bit extra space was locked - as per the rediculouse and nonsensical measure of shutting every other cubical. Because apparently covid can jump through wooden participants but not cotton masks.

I haven’t ventured to shops. Not well enough atm. Do you know shops are allowing bb holders to skip queues?

DGRosetti, depressing but true. Interestingly, no one has suggested my husband stop being disabled- possibly because he's a man. Or possibly because his disability isn't immediately visible, which carries different challenges. I've certainly had to tell a LOT of passers-by, shop staff and bus drivers that he's severely visually impaired. Sometimes prefaced with 'sorry,' sometimes not...

Sorry, rambling to myself now. Anyway, yes it's shit, not just because of the inconvenience for disabled people but because it reinforces the idea of these accommodations not really being important.

I would urge you contact your local council planning department, and a group like Disability UK. There are other spaces they could use and anything less is a gradual erosion of disability rights. It's difficult enough to even get a blue badge these days without there being even less parking available.

@smallaxe

Presumably those disabled bays are where they are in order to make it easier for disabled people to use the nearby entrance - the one that's now closed. Would anybody be wanting to use bays near a closed entrance when there are enough bays near the open entrance?

Quite possibly if like me you've got to juggle a wheelchair user out of the car. It's not always about distance, sometimes it's about the accessibility to get in and out of the vehicle.

not just because of the inconvenience for disabled people but because it reinforces the idea of these accommodations not really being important.

Well they aren't are they ? Disabled folk are a pain in the arse and somebody elses concern, surely ?

From my experience (24 years with DW) we passed the high water mark about 8 years ago. It's been pretty much downhill since then.

I am surprised by some of these answers. I thought it would be better, as a PP mentioned, to use the parent bays as these are courtesy spaces and not legally mandated.

Re closet to the closed entrance, often the queue goes to the closed entrance. So it would be further for the disabled person to go to the open entrance, back to the closed entrance for the que then back to the open entrance to enter.