To park in a parent / child space ?

[XPD]

I have a blue badge (Multiple Sclerosis). I get that it's on the whole a hidden disability (unless you are in a wheelchair). My (in public) problems currently is numbness from the eyes down plus urgency to use the toilet.

Anyway, pulled into a motorway services today. All the disabled spaces were taken, so I parked in a parent / child space. This is the first time I've ever had to do this - and I was at the point of wetting myself. A lady and her partner started (literally) screaming at me for not having a child with me. I have huge problems with my bladder, I'm not sure if I was in the wrong?

What do you think ? Was I in the wrong ?

P&C spaces are enforceable, depending on the parking T&Cs.

Often on private land you can be fined / towed if you do not fulfil the conditions for parking there; namely having a young child.

I would love to see any company try to do that with someone who has a blue badge, I don’t think they would get very far as reasonable adjustment very much allows for people with disabilities to park where is best for them.

They really should just widen all car parking spaces, put disabled spaces up by the door and stop all this nonsense of prioritising parents with children. It just breeds a ridiculous level of entitlement. Lots of people need a wider space.

Good luck trying if the person had a bb

Think people missing the point, the spaces are there for a reason to help parents with children. Kids are unpredictable and parking further away increases risk of kids getting hurt by cars!!

Anyone can park in parent and child spaces they are just a courtesy space. Yanbu

nope Nobody is missing the point.

p and c spaces are handy if free. They aren’t essential. Their are many other car park users who would benefit as much if not more from the extra space and closeness to the store.

p and c spaces do sadly encourage helplessness in a small minority of parents who as a result can’t see beyond the end of their car seat!

100% this

Next time you go to a supermarket car park, check out the signs. You can be fined for parking in a P&C spot without children. Most supermarket car parks are administered by private companies and this is just another way of making money.

You were fine.
Only an arsehole would comment if you have a blue badge.

Exactly this.

What I do think should happen is that there are wider spaces which are chargeable. I think it would concentrate a lot of minds if people had to pay for them, but it would also make them available to people who don't have a blue badge, albeit that you'd have to pay for them. But if you have eg a broken leg you might be happy to pay for the bigger space if you can't find room elsewhere. And parents could decide if they really needed that status symbol SUV or whether they could manage with a normal sized car after all.

Although I suppose if the larger spaces were made chargeable, or more expensive, the CFs would park in the blue badge spaces if they thought they coul get away with it.

coulD

Ignore them. Dh has blue badge. Most of his disabilities are hidden appart form his sight loss. ( WHITE CANE) . He was asked by someone why he was in a blue badge space _ permit on show. They asked if he was blind and couldn't see the BB sign . Their face was a picture when he said yes. DS who was driving took great delight in calling them a w...er and describing ther faces to me and his dad. On a good day if he can he doesn't use bb space if its safe to walk in a carpark and he's OK. Often it's not. Given BB holders can part on yellow.lines I think a p&c space is fine.

I think you're missing the point - as useful as P&C spaces are, if a person with a blue badge needs to use one, they're perfectly within their rights to go ahead and use it and should not be challenged on it.

Anyway, surely all parents know the best parking space is near the back (so no one parks beside you) beside the trolley bay (so you can plonk your toddler straight into the trolley and no chance of them running in front of a car)

You were fine op.

Let’s hope PrincessGuttersnipe is soon banned for being a reprehensible cunt.

My comment will no doubt be deleted but fuck it.

You behaved reasonably. I personally don’t agree with designated child/parent parking spaces. My kids are both grown up and we didn’t have them when they were little. It’s a choice to be a parent, it’s not your choice to be disabled.

100% OK to park in a childzone if you have a blue badge. Just ignore them next time OR ask them to report you to the store manager if they're not happy.

My child is 12 he has a blue badge precisely because of his severe mental impairment which means he is very unpredictable we will park either in the P&C place or disabled places whichever is closer to the door it's far harder trying to keep a 12 year old safer than a 2 year old.

Could have been my child aged 12 who has a blue badge severe autism and learning disabilities, non verbal zero awareness of danger etc ,but it wouldn't have Been immediately uapparent unless you were close enough to listen to his random shrieking there were any issues.

I totally agree. Parents have been guiding children across car parks, busy roads etc for decades. Elderly people can't move as quickly out of the way of a reversing or speeding car as a younger person, why shouldn't they be entitled to a space near the door?

100% this.