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.

My Dm is not a wheelchair user. However she does have a physical disability that means she needs to open the door fully to exit/enter the car. That is generally not possible in a normal parking space so her need is every bit as essential as your client's need.

His behaviour is, of course, appalling; but I can't understand why he would go to the effort of trying to save a parking space when no parking was actually needed.

His friend could have pulled up anywhere if he was literally only potentially going to block the traffic/a parked car for a few seconds whilst this bloke shoved his shopping in the boot, jumped in and they drove off.

To seek to deprive a blue badge-holder of the ability to park so that they can make a full visit to a shop/amenity, just so that you can use it for five seconds for loading purposes, is even more breathtakingly selfish than the title of the thread suggested in the first place.

Recently at work I arrived to a full car park. Drove around once, nothing available and several other cars circling. I spotted someone walking back to his car and asked him was he leaving. He was so I asked him to get in my car and I would drive him to his space to take it.

That's the way to reserve a space 😁

I have a blue badge and would never expect anyone to reserve a space for me. I do however often have to park elsewhere and walk because there are cars in the disabled bays not displaying a badge. This seems worse at retail parks. I think it's often related to venue. I can well imagine this in a retail park but wouldn't expect people to obstruct the bays elsewhere. My borough allows me to use my badge in resident permit parking bays for up to 3 hours too which often leads to amusement when residents come out and tell me I can't park there because it's residents only.

I once got into a huge argument about this in a McDonald's car park (I am very classy). There were 4 cars waiting to park and a girl standing blocking the only space, waiting for her boyfriend to drive the wrong way through the gate and park there.

Anyway we all ended up calling the police on each other (sorry police) and then went into McDonald's and scowled at each other while eating our wraps of the day.

I got the space.

I will admit I have a friend who recently "reserved" a parking space in this manner for me in a very busy parking area. I was seconds away when she did it, though (and knowing her, she's usually fairly timid if someone starts a glaring contest, so probably would've moved). I didn't anything of it. It was NOT a disabled space.

In your case, I agree he was nuts, especially as it was a disabled space and you couldn't just park somewhere else. I do, however, think it would've been different if he had told you something like, "You know what, sorry, but I'm waiting for my friend/relative, who holds a blue badge and literally can't get to the store without this parking space. They're just a few seconds away." I realise I'm probably a minority, though, as most others here seem to think that you were there first and in the same situation disability-wise, so you had the right to the parking space. Either way, in both cases I would understand doing what it takes to help a disabled friend or relative.

I don't think he was unreasonable to stand in the space, seeing as he was expecting someone to come (they came after all). But I see no reason for rudeness and aggression on his part. A pleasant conversation about it might have resolved things amicably.

Not the point of the thread at all, but it would help an awful lot if places didn't mark out parking places on the assumption that everybody still drives a 1960s Mini.

If standard spaces were more realistically-sized for most people's needs, without the worry of being trapped in/out of your car, scraping doors or struggling to get in or out, that would remove a lot more temptation from entitled people with larger vehicles/poor spatial awareness/mobility problems but not necessarily disabilities/other to see a full disabled space as an option/perceived need for them to use.

I'm absolutely not in any way saying that non-disabled people do have any right at all to take those spaces, but the fact is that they often do; and the only losers then, on an ongoing basis, are disabled folk.

I realise that land can be at a premium, but ideally I'd like to see P&C spaces scrapped - because ALL spaces are the equivalent size - leaving just (plenty of) spaces for BB holders and then the rest larger standard spaces.

100% this.

Yes 🙈 but obviously I'd move for a disabled person or somebody genuinely assertive

A lot of people seem to have no respect nowadays. It's just me me me. I'm.glad you didn't back down OP, and i would confidentially bet a months salary that this tosser would have moved quicker if a man wanted the space!!

Yes, but @SlightlygrumpyBettyswaitress was asking how you know in advance whether a driver in a car with a blue badge is a wheelchair user or not. Surely it only becomes apparent after they've parked and are exiting their vehicle.

But what if there is a car in front of your husband's that is on 20 seconds away from the space?

Your scenario is no different to the one being discussed here, ie. is it reasonable to stand in a parking space to "reserve" it?

Presumably you only do it when you can see that spaces are at a premium, in which case I'm of the opinion that it's first car - first parked.

For those saying you have no right to reserve a space for any reason - I beg to differ when it comes to Ikea. You take your (very large) trolley to the loading bay, then you or your companion have to go to the main car park to get your vehicle. I was waiting at the loading bay with my DD and her new bed, her dad was fetching the van from main car park. A car began to pull into the space where our stuff was, and I hopped into to parking space and blocked it, smiling and indicating our goods waiting to be loaded and the approaching van. The male driver screamed and swore at me to move and drove his car at me till the bumper was touching my legs. I'm no shrinking violet, I refused to move and he eventually drove off. AIBU?

AIBU I am a disabled old age pensioner. I have ongoing issues with the woman who moved into the downstairs flat several years ago. We both jointly own 50% of the freehold of the whole property. This woman thinks she owns the lot. About 2 years ago whilst I was away she moved the backyard fence to make the backyard bigger. In doing so my bin area disappeared. I now have to keep my bin in the street as not content with this she sent for the police and I believe told them I had thrown a bin at her. You know one of those big black bins the council give out. Anyone that knows me roars with laughter at this as I am crippled with arthritis and have difficultly walking. The council binmen actually come and empty my bin as it is too heavy to move. Moreover my security camera showed she was making it up. Over the last 7 months I have popped 3 polite notes through her letter box as she is such a rude foul mouthed person dialogue is out of the question. One was to tell her the surveyor was coming and I wanted the back gate unlocked remember I own 50% of this space. She refused to let him in saying it was her private space. This is untrue and the land registry document show this. The next was telling her that the gas fitter was coming and needed to get to the flue to fit a new boiler. She would not let him in until he told her the police would come. The third one was to tell her that I wished to put up a shed on the backyard for my mobility scooter. What did she do? She do? She ignored the notes. She sent the police to my home again this time claiming that 3 polite notes in 7months was harassment. What is more they came 2 police. When a family is being murdered they they don't attend but they come out for 3 polite notes in 7 months from a disabled old age pensioner. I am extremely distressed by all this carry on. This woman having put a lock on the back gate stops me from accessing property which I own 50% of. She keep sending the police to my home for nothing. She parks her car on the pavement in front of my path making it difficult to access the path. I have tried mediation the mediator wrote her 3 letters she ignored everyone. I want to be able to use my own property in peace and quiet. This used to be a lovely place to live before this woman and her men moved in. Any advice would be welcome. I tried to post about a week ago but it was flagged as a zombie post whatever that means. It is a genuine post. I cannot help but think this is institutional discrimination on the part of the police. I am old and disabled so l somehow don't matter. This woman is I believe is commiting economic abuse in depriving me of my rightfully owned property. No surprise it appears that someone can do this and the police say it is a civil matter. Any advice as to how to proceed welcomed.

Poor you, this is an awful situation to be in. I'm curious what the police actually say to you when they come.

Unfortunately you really do need to start a new thread of your own to get any proper responses, so have another try. Good luck.

The last time they came they told me not to put anymore notes through her letterbox. The time before they said because the designated bin area was gone it was a fire hazard to keep a bin in the side return and that she could park on the pavement right at the start of the path even though people were having to walk in the road because the pavement was blocked

Disabled parking spaces are a sop to planners. No retailer has any intention of enforcing them, and some people park in them I am sure because standard parking spaces are of a width that is not suitable for the large number of SUVs that people have (most of whom are unfit to have them).

That does not excuse the man's behaviour.

His entitlement to use it or not is irrelevant, he is not entitled to block the space. This happened to us once on holiday, we followed the line of traffic to the parking area and as the car in front of us parked someone jumped out and stood arms akimbo to stop us parking in the space next to him, he 'needed to have his family next to him'. OH switched off the engine, partly into the space and sat with folded arms as the cars behind couldn't go anywhere. Eventually the space-blocker moved but only after calling us 'racist bastards' .

If the land is 50/50 owned on the Land Registry I would have had her new fence moved back to where it was originally.