Pedestrian holding parking space

[carparkcow]

As soon as this happened today I told DH I just HAD to open it up to the wrath of AIBU... very interested to hear opinions!

We were circling the hospital car park which was extremely busy as always. Finally see a lady pulling out of a space a little further up the row and thank our lucky stars. However, as we go to pull into it there is a pedestrian stood there and says she has claimed the space for her husband and points at a car literally on the other side of the car park.

I was pretty stressed about my appointment (scan to check for MC) and essentially told the woman that she was completely out of order, this wasn't in the spirit of the law of the car park and we would happily block the space and take the fine to prevent her being able to park there, such was my fury.

So - AIBU?! SURELY this isn't acceptable behaviour??!!!!!

It’s not ideal, but everyone is stressed at hospital and everyone has an important reason to be there. I don’t think I’d have been able to pull the woman up the way you did in a hospital car park because I’d be worried that their need was more urgent or upsetting than mine.

No, op was there first! In her car. Parking. The other lady was there on foot.

Your first post absolutely suggested that your reason for being there was more important than anybody else’s possibly could be including this individual. Otherwise, why mention it?

I haven’t ever come across somebody trying to reserve a parking spot like that, but I really did find the way you stressed how important your visit was quite distasteful.

Huh.. I was unaware of the ‘must answer the OP” rule.

How’s this… it’s odd that people are wandering around on foot looking for a parking spot.

I do it all the time if we've been going round the carpark numerous times, first come first served, you snooze you lose 😂

No it's not on. I'd block the space until she moved.

I hate people that do this. It's always the entitled wives of blokes in Rovers or Mercsthat drive like snails. Beep them until they move.

Oh stop stirring, you're being ridiculous, clearly she mentioned that it was an appointment because if it had just been visiting her aunty recovering from a verruca she wouldn't have been stressed.

I think it's first car to the space.

Emotions run high in hospital car parks. I remember this exact same thing happening to my SIL on her way to a very stressful paediatric appointment and she just lost it and told the woman that if she didn't move she'd mow her down. She's not normally that kind of person at all! (Presumably the other woman was also stressed and scared as well.)

I hope everything is OK with you. I had lots of spotting and a couple of terrible big bleeds in my first pregnancy with lots of anxious trips in for scans. (DD is a healthy teenager now.) It's awful. I really hope things work out for you.

and how the fuck do I do that when I am on my own, pray tell?

Can't do it if you're on your own as I mostly am.

I have done it - well my teenager did so that I could park and get my mum (wheelchair user) into the hospital. And I would do it again!! There were no disabled spaces, not even double yellow lines to use, it was that, red lines or emergency ambulance spaces and I could not have coped with being towed as well!

No of course you can't do that. That's ridiculous. I saw that once in a B&M carpark. It ended up in a standoff. I joined in to tell the pedestrian how ridiculous she was being, and she eventually did move.

I have had to wait on many occasions when taking my wheelchair user stepdad to see my dying Mum in hospital - I didn't have anyone to jump out and reserve a space but even if I had I would never be such a cheeky fucker.

Obviously cars trump people. Had someone try this on in a space by a pavement cafe once, literally refused to move. Was tempted to drive at him but clearly couldn’t do that. Sat and beeped my horn repeatedly until he shifted as everyone sitting at the tables on the pavement told him to jog on. Ha! He then tried to tell me I was stupid as he was saving the space for his disabled mother. Yeah - right! There was an empty disabled space two spaces down!!!

Another one was someone at Kew Gardens years ago. Possibly NYE? She decided to block a space with her body for her partner who was further down the road. Told me she had twins, like that made a difference to anything 🤯 She didn’t move and I remember winding my window down and saying, happy new year to you too, you silly bitch. NEVER like that normally but she was just so smug!

I am not stirring. That is how it came across to me, and clearly not just me and I did find it distasteful.

What you are describing isn't "first come first served"

I’m afraid I have done this, when time was running out to get DF to his appointment. I’m not really sure what the problem is
The problem is that someone in a car is ready to park in a car parking space and can't because someone with a car somewhere else wants that space.

No, it's first CF come.

It’s incredibly easy to just put your coat down on the chair.
Order your food and hope you have a table to eat it on is ridiculous.

Her first post doesn't "absolutely" suggest that at all. It's just what you've chosen to infer from it.

@FergalforPM - I am far from being a cheeky fucker, but if that's your mindset I won't lose sleep over it!

My mum was in a lot of pain, my teenager was upset, I'd been driving about looking for ages. What marvellous thing would you have done?

Well it did to me. Yes absolutely did to me. Otherwise no need to mention it. Nobody is going to hospital for fun.

I'm shocked that so many people are okay with this, it's out of order. YANBU OP.

Someone did this to us once - not in a hospital, though. Small car park, and a woman got out of the car behind me, walked past me and went and stood in a space that was just becoming free, folded her arms and glared at me as her husband squeezed his car past mine and into it. I was young and flustered and didn't confront her, but other people in the car park were horrified, and two people who'd just parked further along and were walking past us as it happened both went back and moved their cars up to create a space for me, which was lovely. It's so out of order though, unless they had a really compelling reason like a dying relative.