To think that people who use parent and child spaces without children are selfish *****

[hotcheeto]

Fill in the starred swear word as applicable.

I've only started truly noticing how many idiots do this since I had my baby 4 months ago. I can't believe how many people I've seen do it. And yes I always call them out and have had some pretty disturbing abuse thrown back.

I have also always reported to the shop staff to be told it isn't illegal and there's nothing they can do bar having a parking attendant out constantly which isn't possible (I know this isn't the shop staff's fault).

No disabled spaces? Fair enough, crack on. But this isn't the case 99% of the time. People use them because they are close to the entrance. I would rather the spaces be far away from the entrance with a small trolley park nearby with car seat/child seat trolleys.

Yesterday I purposefully parked straight down the middle of two normal spaces because I didn't want to risk having to reverse out just to get my baby's car seat back in. As I was walking in I witnessed 3 separate very able bodied people walk back to their cars without children.

Just really pees me off 😒

THIS. ^ What a joke!

I have a suspicion that the 'parents' who shout the loudest, and whinge the most about people without children hogging child spaces, hogged child spaces themselves when they had no children!

One woman I knew once, was ALWAYS hogging child spaces for 'quickness' on her lunch break, and used to get scowled at by the 'mums.' Did it for years she did. (And called the mummies sooo 'entitled....')

Then at 34, she had a baby, and moaned and whinged like a little brat when she couldn't get a child space coz the non-parents had got them! 😆

My car has sliding doors it really helps.

Amen!

I am saying what someone with autism would need to do for renewing a blue badge. This is certainly what I have done, as have many other people. It is a specific example where I was responding to a specific poster who was concerned about how to renew her son's blue badge when he is older.

I had to go to Tesco Saturday lunchtime with 4month old and 3 year old after our online shop had half a dozen bits missing for dinner. Drove round for 15 mins trying to find a parent and child space, an end space or one even vaguely near the trollies. Ended up having to park right up to the edge of a bay and manoeuvre myself out and grab the carseat because it suddenly chucked it down and I needed the baby covered, grab toddler put and dash in. All the while 2 older customers got into one of the parent spaces (no blue badges), family return with youngest child not in a carseat ~12 and also saw 2 people just sat in the car.

I'm on your side OP, pisses me off.

Obviously it's a big thread and people won't have read all responses but for the umpteenth time I have no issue with walking. I WANT the spaces to be further away.

I also think it is ridiculous that some pp seem to think everyone without kids in a p&c space has hidden disabilities or additional needs. That just isn't true, sorry. The white van man eating his bacon bap in a p&c space isn't disabled and I'd tell him so. Neither is the teenager getting out of a Golf stinking of weed at Lidl yesterday, after I started this thread. Obviously some people who use p&c are disabled, I'm not thick. But I would venture to say the majority who use them without children are not disabled. In any case, as I have previously commented, at some supermarkets near me such as said Lidl, there are regular spaces OR disabled spaces free CLOSER than the p&c. Suppose I should still shut up and get on seeing as it was my choice to have a baby, like millions of others.

Exactly this.

I don't have a blue badge. Hopefully I will get better. But at the moment I just can't walk very far. The other day I sent older DC in for me and wanted to be able to see them enter and exit the store. I got a few glances, as I sat, looking completely ok, in my car in the p&c spaces but I just can't care about the judgement of others at the moment.

It is selfish. As in I'm prioritising my needs. But you could argue the same about parents and babies. We're all looking out for ourselves a bit.

OP, what do you do in carparks that don't have P&C spaces?

Agree, I have two under 3 it is very annoying and it’s the same thing I say to my DH as he can be vocal calling people out for it but there isn’t much you can do about it and you don’t want to get into fights with the wrong person. I think people use them as they are non disabled spaces close to the shops however I would be perfectly happy if the parent/child spaces weren’t near the entrance I just need the extra space. When I was heavily pregnant with a 3 year old all the 10 or so P&C spaces were taken with no kids in sight at Asda. I had to squeeze into a tiny space whilst trying to get my eldest into the car with a huge bump, the person parked next to me had to wait until I was done as there wasn’t enough space to get their door open. Also I get the spaces are for parents with kids but if your kids are technically teenagers or going to sit in the car and not actually get out at all then just park in a normal space.

@hotcheeto
I think a lot of the negativity comes from your own attitude to parking - that you’ll park across two spaces, or “oh well I’ll just have to damage other people’s cars” (or words to that effect).
For what it’s worth, I’d never park in a P&C space, despite my disability that causes me issues getting out of cars at times. You are quite blasé about inconveniencing others. You’re giving off centre of the universe vibes, only you can be selfish, and everyone else who does exactly what you do is a four letter word.

Totally reasonable points OP. People just like to throw in some whataboutism to make people feel bad for making a legitimate complaint.

I think most rational people would conceed that someone who is disabled or obviously frail, or on crutches is not the majority of those sitting in blue badge spaces without a badge, or a P&C space without a child under 12 (usual guidelines in shops that have them).

But people like to argue on here.

I agree with you Op. The simple answer to this is to move the P+C spaces further away as you've said. In most supermarket car parks it wouldn't hurt for them to add a few more disabled bays in the freed up space near the shop as well.

If P+C spaces were at the far side of the car park it would be interesting to watch and see how many parents were suddenly, magically able to use regular spaces near to the shop wouldn't it? How many would trade a shorter walk for their lazy arses for the convenience of more spacious parking?

Very much this!

I agree entirely.

Yanbu. These spaces are intended for people with young children/babies who need to lifted in and out of the car and cannot fasten their own seatbelts. Babies cannot be left unattended while the parent reverses out of a normal space.

I also think anyone who needs assistance in and out of a car, blue badge or not should also be able to park in these spaces, perhaps they should be renamed to reflect this.

People with a ten year old who is capable of fastening their seatbelt and getting in and out of the car independently have no need for these spaces.

But on this thread there have been plenty of parents arguing against that because they need to be parked close to the shop because they can’t control their own children in the car park and keep them safe.

Ultimately, P&C bays are not mandatory or a right. They are a nice thing to have.

In an ideal world, there would be plenty of suitable spaces available for everyone and everyone would follow the rules and be courteous. But that's just not reality.

We have to either learn how to cope or campaign to make changes. The problem with campaigning is you only have a young baby for such a short time. Once they're older you forget how often you struggled or how often you cursed people out in your mind or whatever. You will remember what the struggles were but they aren't that important anymore.

DS is now 6 and I have a whole different set of issues to contend with.

@Sirzy The majority in this thread seem to be happy with having the p & c spaces further away (although admittedly I read the majority of this thread at 3am whilst breastfeeding so might have missed some of it). The people wanting the spaces to be closer to the shop appear to be those that are using the p&c spaces for not their intended purpose and are using them because for whatever reason (hidden disability etc.) they want spaces closer to the shop and are not entitled to use the disabled spaces which is a separate issue.

our local asda has the right idea. plenty of BB bays right close to store. P&C are across the road, crossing directly in between. and walkway in between as well. P&C bays do not need to be as close to the store as BB bays.

I completely agree. It is the extra width of the p&c spaces I value, not the proximity to the shops that I need.

Some supermarkets do it very well and there are usually spaces but the ones that have them right next to the disabled spaces are more readily abused.

Simple solution here. Just find a space that’s on the end of a row where nobody can park on one side. Then put the car seat in that way. So entitled!!!!

That is what I do when there are no p&c spaces available. However, it is unfair to label people as 'entitled' when they express a wish to use the spaces the supermarket have provided for them but are unable to do so as they have been taken up by people who are using the spaces for not their intended purpose.

What I’d say is entitled is threatening to scratch somebody’s car door for daring to park next to you! If you can’t find a suitable space, park somewhere else or visit the shops when it’s less busy. Or order online if it’s causing you so much stress!!!

I'm disabled and sometimes we have to park in Child spaces because there definitely isn't enough disabled spaces.