To think that you can not reserve a parking space by standing in it?

[Itsanicedaytostartagain]

I am a PA for a disabled person. She is a wheelchair user and can not walk unaided. She holds a blue badge.

Today we went to a local, small retail park. This retail park only has a handful of disabled bays. When we arrived I noticed to my dismay that all the disabled spaces were taken then happily realised one was empty so drove up to it and went to pull in.

However, I suddenly noticed that a man was standing in the middle of this space. I stopped expecting him to move, thinking he was passing by but no, it appears that he was saving the space for someone and had no intention of moving. I sat there for a moment or two and he just glared at us. I wound down the window and said ‘Excuse me would you be able to move as we need this space?’, he angrily replied ‘No, you can’t have it, I’m reserving this for someone, they will be here in a minute’
I looked around but there was no car coming, no sign of anyone. I replied back ‘I can’t see anyone and we are here now, my friend needs this space’. He said it was tough and he wasn’t moving.

This pissed me off because without this space we would have had to go home or drive miles to somewhere else and I didn’t think that was fair so I just sat there. Eventually and realising his car wasn’t coming just yet he moved. I thanked him and parked up but the whole time I was getting the wheelchair out and my friend in it he just glared at us. A car then turned up in a car and the guy driving got out, opened the boot and the guy who was glaring at us dropped off his shopping and they both drove off, still giving us evil glares he whole time.

AIBU to think that you can not ‘reserve’ yourself a parking space if you don’t have the car with you especially a disabled space? I obviously have no idea if this guy or his driver companion were blue badge holders or had any disabilities as I appreciate not all are visible but they didn’t have a wheelchair and we’re both able to walk unaided and surely a wheelchair user needs the space first? My friend cannot use a standard space as there is not enough space to get her wheelchair to the passenger door.
My own dm has dementia and osteoporosis and has a blue badge but is able to walk (with a stick) and although a disabled space very much helps her as it’s obviously near to the venue etc, if all disabled spaces are taken or a wheelchair user needs the space we will park in a standard space but it seems some other people don’t give a shit about wheelchair users (something, sadly I come across on a day to day basis as a PA).

But this guy made me feel bad as though I was pushing him out for no good reason and I even started to wobble and wondered if I was BU, should we have just driven somewhere else? We both felt a bit intimidated by him tbh.

You did the right thing. He was an arse.

Yanbu. The space is for cars to be parked in, not for humans to stand in. If he didn’t have a car with him there and then to put in the space then it’s tough luck. The space is yours for your car.

He didn’t get there first, you did.

I don’t think it would be unreasonable to reserve a space in this manner for a person entitled to use it. But I do think it was UR for him to reserve a space given it sounds like he wasn’t entitled to use and it was blocking someone who was.

Good on you . I’d have mowed the little weasel down.

@RedPinkPeach of course it would be unreasonable. It’s a parking space, and you get it when you turn up. It’s for parking your car in when you’re actually there driving into the space. You can’t reserve them.

Nobody should be reserving spaces for any reason, you did the right thing OP

How have you decided he (or whoever was in the car) was not entitled to use the space?
The op said she had no idea whether they were blue badge holders.

There is a garden centre cafe place near PIL where batshit people do this

It’s not a massive car park but there is a row of spaces nearest the entrance which is obviously where lazy people want to park

The first one of the group parks and then stands in another space until their friend/grandchildren arrive

I think they are the boss level of people that reserve tables in self service cafes before they get their food

He’s a liar who abuses disabled spaces.

What he meant was “ I’ve called a taxi / my mate and told them to pick me up at the store entrance in the disabled spaces “.

They are not pick up / drop off spaces for able bodied people who CBA to walk 20 meters.

You might have noticed I said “I think” ie that’s my opinion. You don’t have to agree.

I said “it sounds like” because it does. I didn’t say definitely.

this ^

My abusive father used to make us do this - run across the car park and stand in it until he got there - it’s batshit

High-risk, low-gain strategy, standing in a parking space. Silly boy.

Tbh, it’s the first time I’ve ever come across this and was taken aback especially as he was quite aggressive/intimidating.

The space next to it (also a disabled bay) had a large hire van parked in it with a couple eating their McDonald’s, they just stared at us whilst it was going on. Again, no idea if they were blue badge holders but they weren’t displaying one and I’d bet my bottom dollar they didn’t possess one either.
I am so fed up with people thinking they are entitled to things which are designed/in place for others more needing of the services etc.

It very much depends, I've stood in a space momentarily (not disabled) whilst dp goes around the one way system in the multi story rather than illegally reversing like many do. But we are talking 30 seconds and we have already effectively started paying as you take a ticket on entering, too often the only free spaces are disabled and we aren't (unless dsd is with us). What is described here seems quite odd, why stand in a disabled space unless you need to park?

YANBU. People at my local hospital do this, it’s so fucking annoying. Yes it’s crap when you have an appointment to get to or a sick someone to visit, nobody wants to waste time doing laps waiting for a space, but getting your DH or whoever to jump out and weave between cars to stand in the space that the car 6 ahead of you should be parking in is shitty behaviour.

All spaces, disabled or not are first come first served with an actual car.
You lost me at the wheel chair bit. How can anyone possibly know, when parking with a badge in a disabled space that a wheelchair user might come along?

Surely it's a first come first served basis? Why should the car that wasn't there get a space reserved, when a user that requires it is already there?

Because that’s what disabled space are/were originally designed for - they need the extra wide space to accommodate their wheelchairs/walkers etc. The yellow wheelchair sign on the parking space is a clear indication of that!

Reading this reminded me of when we visited a fort last Easter. It's a popular day out as it's free and quite often has trails for DC or special events. We went in the morning, parked up with no issues and left a couple of hours later.

When we got back to the car park, it was rammed. People were blocking the exits, entrances. Carnage. We got to the car and a women stood in front of our car to save the space for her family member who was about 4 cars back in the queue. The next person in the queue was arguing with her about jumping the queue to no avail. Kids were crying, parents screeching. It was ridiculous. I eventually managed to convince standing woman that no-one could use the space until we drove out. She begrudgingly moved and we left. As we drove out I looked back and saw another space stander had got involved! Absolute madness

I live in a very touristy area and parking is a nightmare in the summer. One day after searching for ages finally found a space but some utter git had obviously just told their kid to get out the car and run over and stand in it while they waited for the traffic to work through the full car park. I asked the kid to move and he wouldn't and I couldn't bring myself to be an arsehole to him but fuuuuck so annoying!

I think you're wrong to suggest there should be hierarchy of need for the disabled spaces. If you've been deemed to need a blue badge then it's first come first served. But you're right to say people should be reserving spaces.

YANBU to say that you can't reserve a space for vehicle that isn't there.

But YABU to suggest that wheelchair users are priority. There are many wheelchair users that can mobilise to reach a wheelchair that doesn't need to be directly against the car door, and there are many ambulatory disabled people who need the extra space and location for other reasons. There is no hierarchy of need amongst those in need, and all blue badge holders are as entitled as each other to use these spaces, provided they display their badge.

@RedPinkPeach why on earth would it be reasonable to reserve it for someone with a blue badge? It's completely unreasonable, regardless of the type of space or whether he was entitled to use it.

Dm has a blue badge. If all spaces are full, I have told her she should use a P&C space if available as she needs to be able to fully open the door to get in/out. A blue badge entitles the bearer to park in a BB space or the nearest suitable place. She is reluctant to do so as she got an ear full once from a person with an older child (8 or 9).

Entitled people like the man in the op make life so much harder for people like my mother.