To use (a bit of) free parking slot to sit in car and eat

[HungryPerson]

Genuinely don't know if IABU or not 😆

I have several appointments today so I'm somewhat rushing around, with a couple of gaps. I drove to one appointment (in town centre, no dedicated parking for the place I'm going to) and parked in a town centre car park. The car park has a number of spaces that are free for one hour, so I used one of those.

My appointment only took ten minutes so I took the opportunity to go and buy a sandwich, went back to my car and sat there to eat it. So as not to drip feed, I'm pregnant and hungry! Don't know if that matters. It's also freezing, so although there was a bench outside, I didn't want to sit there.

While eating a woman knocked on my window. I opened the door and she asked me to move. I looked around and there were no more free spaces, and she was waiting for mine. I apologised (bc British 😆) and said I'd be done in a minute.

She then said "absolutely ridiculous." I said, "pardon?" and she ranted at me for a minute or two, the gist being that I'm selfish and entitled. I didn't say anything, just gave her a look and shut the door on her, and then I left. I was sitting in the car for maybe ten minutes max.

Altogether I only used the space for 25 minutes ish. And if I'd sat on the bench to eat I still would have been occupying the space. But I'm questioning myself now!

Was I unreasonable?

I see someone else said it first! That's what happens when you get a phone call in the middle of your post 🤣

Why should OP pretend anything though? She didn't do anything wrong?

I do this 🤩

Sounds like an entitled so and so to me! I'm also pregnant and nothing would get in the way of me and my sandwich 😂

YANBU. You were using the space and not doing anything wrong. If someone asked me if I was leaving, I'd just say "No, I'll be another 20 minutes" or whatever, giving myself plenty of time, and not entertain any further conversation about what I was doing there in or out of the car.

Twenty pence? She probably burned through more fuel getting upset with you!

Well if you'd paid for it, you're entitled to use it however way you choose!

Tip - when you do what you did @HungryPerson , and you return to your car, sit in the passenger seat to eat your sandwich. Then if someone knocks at your window, you can say that you're waiting on the driver to return and will move as soon as they get back.

They will move along, you'll be able to eat your sandwich in peace and when you're getting close to the hour being up, you get out of the car, walk around to the drivers side, get in and drive off!

YANBU. Fancy getting shirty with someone because you don't want to spend 20p. Some people are beyond pathetic

YANBU however like lots of other pp if I’m just sitting in a car park I always move over to the passenger side .

Didn't see your post before I posted mine.

Great devious minds think alike!

As a very new driver and still getting used to the etiquette, I would have stopped in my car for a quick sandwich! Certainly wouldn't have noticed if anyone was sat in a car if I was driving and looking for a space (but tbh I am most focused on not driving into any of the cars!)

She probably thought you were about to vacate the space and was mightily pissed off when you didn't. It happens!

I don’t see why you should move to the passenger seat when you were quite entitled to be where you were. I would have sat on for as long as I wished, within the hour. Pregnancy aside, you could have had a thousand reasons for being there and why should somebody else’s reason be more valid than yours? The other person was being totally unreasonable.

She's unreasonable for interrupting your lunch. I hate people asking me if I'm leaving my space and I'm not even eating! I sometimes have to wait in the car for a while for others. Sometimes I sit in the back so that people assume I'm not the driver and don't keep asking me. However I have also been shouted at as a passenger before I could even drive because the driver had blocked someone in. She was outraged that I couldn't magic the driver back to the car. People get really upset about parking.

OMG just seen your update that she was trying to save 20p!

I wanna know where you can park for an hour for 20p!!!!! Bloody Hell, it's normally £1.50-£2.00 where I'm from

I do this all the time. Of course you can eat your sandwich/make a phone call/wait for someone in the free parking space. The woman had a bloody cheek, I'd have stayed put and finished my lunch.

YANBU It's free to park for whatever reason. You don't have to get out of your car at all to use the space. Its no different to her going and getting someone out the ship and telling them to move. You were using the space.

😆 I'm in the north west. The entire car park used to be free, so it's possible the council are just easing us in gently before they hike it right up!

I'm debating with myself now whether my strategy in future would be to sit in the passenger seat or just refuse and sit there for even longer! Both are tempting! 😆

@HungryPerson In future sit in the passenger seat and if they ask say you are waiting for someone.

I would have probably said I have only just got here and got out and walked round the block or gone to a shop.

I'd have got out the car and said that I'll go into a cafe instead!

Exactly this. Finish your sandwich, then get out, lock the car up, and say you are off to do your shopping, back in 45 mins. Fuck her banging on your window like that.

I don't understand. You needed to eat lunch. Your only other option was to drive home and then eat, which might not be possible if you had other places to go after your appointment in town. Or, let's say you had several other places to go before you went home, you might not eat for two or three more hours. This was your lunch break and it coincided with your being in town. Your car, which would be, well, wherever you are, would therefore be parked in town during your lunch. There's no reason why you should leave the free hour-park spot and go to a paid spot to eat lunch, that would defeat the purpose of using the free spot.

I must be missing something because I don't get it.