Non Parents in Parent and Child parking spots

[MrsM494]

Its really getting on my nerves how people are parking in Parent and Child spots despite not having children. I saw 3 cars like this today and 2 the other week. I watched one woman act sheepishly as she saw me struggle to take my toddler and baby out of my car in a regular parking spot, whilst she (with no children) parked in a parent and child spot. I don't want to be confrontational but would I be in the wrong to ask people to park better?!

It's very annoying, especially when big work vans park wonky in them but there's not much we can do really, they aren't legally enforceable, more of a convenience. I have 2 young kids, one who has ASD and a disability so p&c spaces are perfect if I can find one

It's very frustrating, it's just a common decency to give priority.
I have had a few times in past few days where someone parks so close to me, that I have suck in my stomach to get in the car, and strap my kids in from inside the car. Obviously we don't always get these spaces, so I park further away from busiest car park areas, but it us definitely a pain in the backside, when someone else has no need to have mega wide space.

Another of these! I'm frankly amazed you gave the time to watch the comings and goings of the people parking in these spaces to establish their entitlement to them. When my son was small it never occurred to me to vet the other parkers for appropriate use. If the spaces were full I parked at the far end of the car park where there is plenty of space to get into and out of the car, and walked!

It's the owners of the carparks you need to be having a go at.

They either enforce the spaces or they don't. If they don't, put pressure on them.

(That's how Disabled spaces came into existence. Pressure. Law change. Regulations.)

I'd say politely speak to the people on the spaces if you see them. Otherwise they'll continue to think no one minds if they park there.

I never used parent and child space because I was pregnant! Would it be ok for my overweight father to park there though if pregnancy is actually ok.

See already the lines are blurring....heavily pregnant is fine?

What about mid pregnancy??early pregnancy?

Disabled if all disabled spots are full?

What about the unfortunate parent with an injury....bandage or other accident

How about those recovering from a c section at 6 weeks +? Or earlier for some??

Or ANY operation?

DADS included?

Because your point is ‘it’s not illegal’. You’re right it’s a courtesy - like queue jumping

Op question was 'would I be in the wrong to ask people to park better'

It's not illegal

😆

She can ask but, unlike some methods of parking,this one is not enforceable

Last week I was in the asda car park waiting for a parent space to become available so I could get my 4 month old out into the pram.
I was pulled up just back from a space as I could see a woman loading her kids in to leave so was going to have the space after her. It took her a while as she had a todler who was fighting his seat belt (totally get this and was willing to wait and so was pulled up for about 4 - 5 mins)
She got in and left and another car came from the oposite direction and snuck in ahead of me.
Lots of swearing from me.
I could see there was a woman driver with a male passenger. The man saw me swearing at them and made her reverse back out of the space so I could have it since I was waiting patiently.
Gotta say, I was deliberately loud and flamboyant in unfolding the pushchair and cooing over DS to show I had a child and so was in the right place.
They then pulled into a regular space a few down and they scrambled away head down not making eye contact whilst getting no children from the back of their car.
That annoyed me.

DH has had people have a go at him for using these spaces in his sports cars, when he does actually have our toddler in the car in his car seat.

I am disabled due to extensive osteoarthritis and have a blue badge, I also use a mobility scooter to go around the shop, so when all the disabled spaces are taken, we will park in the parent and child space as my husband needs room to get my scooter out, I've often witnessed people without blue badges parking in disabled bays which is really annoying, I don't like having to park in the parent and child spaces but we do need extra room, more than a parent with a child who is able to walk unaided.

Actually when I wizzed to Sainsbury’s today I was yet again massively irritated by the big car in the parents parking area ,that had taken over a part of my driving space , too long for me to reverse out safely ,too high for me to see safely! Also think that parents parking should be further away from the supermarket. The elderly,disabled should get priority . We didn’t have these favours when my children were young and weirdly it wasn’t a problem.

@OnAir when I was heavily pregnant I couldn't physically park in anything but parent and toddler and I felt massively guilty, BUT, I did have a baby in me and always followed the rules prior to that.

Now with 2 DDs aged 5 and 3 I mainly park in normal spaces so heavily pregnant women and parents with small children/prams can have child spaces - makes sense to me.

To be fair a lot do this in blue badge spaces too.

Do people who comment things like this just close their eyes and choose whichever random thread they click? Surely the content of the post is obvious from the title?!

People who don’t have a blue badge sometimes need an accessible parking space that’s close to the store and has room to open the doors. For example, if you have an elderly or disabled person as a passenger, or if you have a short term injury. In those situations I will park in a P&C space. You can’t get a blue badge unless your disability is expected to last more than three months.

No, but it is very lazy, selfish and entitled.

It irritates me too!

We didn’t have these favours when my children were young and weirdly it wasn’t a problem.

Seat belt and car seat regulations have also changes significantly in recent decades. Just because things didn't use to be done doesn't mean they shouldn't now.

I don’t know why they don’t move the disabled and “parent and child” etc spaces a bit further away from the shops that way they would be less attractive to selfish knobs. A row is spaces right next to the store could be reserved for “arrogant selfish knobs” with a big sign and arrow stating such

I can never understand why there is lots more disabled spaces then parent and child spaces. In my local supermarket there is 3 parent and child and 20 disabled. If they are taken I usually park at the disabled.

*See already the lines are blurring....heavily pregnant is fine?

What about mid pregnancy??early pregnancy?

Disabled if all disabled spots are full?

What about the unfortunate parent with an injury....bandage or other accident

How about those recovering from a c section at 6 weeks +? Or earlier for some??

Or ANY operation?

DADS included?*

Early pregnancy is nowhere near comparible to late pregnancy.

I am 8 months pregnant and recently had to wait 20 minutes for the owner of a range rover to return to their car, because I couldn't open my car door anywhere near wide enough to get in. There were no P&C spaces available in that car park. Thankfully they weren't longer.

Of course dads are included, why on earth wouldn't they be. Just as grandparents who have the children in the car are included.