What is with childless people parking in family spots!!!

[Asher09]

I have a toddler and a baby - so thats 2 car seats and a double pram. I genuinly need a fair bit of space when parking and recently I've seen so many people without children parking in the family spots - its so frustrating!

Surely family spots are there for a reason - they're closer to entrances and allow more space to get in and out. Its so helpful to a parent!
When inconsiderate people park there without thinking it leaves me driving around with a screaming toddler and a crying baby trying to find a decent spot where I have some room - some car parks have such narrow spots its impossible to get my kids in and out without hitting a car.

I've caught some people in the act, and have confonted them 'Hey I think you've left your kids in the car' but no one thinks they sre doing anything wrong or should move.

I think family spots should have the same rules as disabled spots. Just don't know how that would be implimented.

I think family spots should have the same rules as disabled spots.

Oh look another entitled parent trying to compare disability to having children…

Is it offensive to disabled people if I support both child benefit and disability living allowance?

The problem with drawing parity in law between being disabled and having a child with you isn’t that it necessarily has a physical effect on parking spaces per say, as you said, it doesn’t necessarily imply that bb spaces would be removed or replaced by p/c spaces-

although actually, if shops were told they had to provide spaces both for p/c and disabled people under the same legislation it’s extremely likely that they would start to label spaces as ‘accessible’ and allow people with kids and disabled people to use the same spaces, because it’s easier and cheaper for them-

this is exactly what has happened with accessible toilets having baby changing in them,

and even with the large scale removal of luggage spaces on busses meaning disabled people are fighting for access (because the buses want bums on seats, and as many seats as possible- so if they are forced to leave empty space for wheelchairs they have taken it back in luggage space, but people still have luggage and prams)…

basically no profit driven entity is going to give up anything if they don’t have to, so the reality is that when one group gains, another loses- wheelchair bus spaces are gained by disabled people but parents with prams loose out-

The larger damage is in the change in mindset and beliefs of the population- disabled people are already bottom of the pile, with many people resenting any support we get: if the government starts legislating for parents with children in the same way they do for disabled people, then the resentment of and feelings of entitlement towards our provisions will be strengthened.

The message will be that nice to have convenience things (p/c spaces, space not to fold a pram etc) are as important as necessary to normal living things (bb spaces, accessible toilets), and people will be even bigger twats about it than they are already.

@enchantedsquirrelwood

It's not for the rest of the world to make allowances for chosen lifestyle decisions.

Suggesting procreation is merely a lifestyle choice is bordering on idiotic.

We are a society. Societies should behave in ways that benefit the whole and yes of course we accommodate children because they are the youngest members of our society.

@fakeprofile

Fwiw, car seats are not commonly used in Indonesia, and there aren’t parent and child parking spaces either - we manage fine. If I’m not driving, our driver drops us off at the store entrance. They are not really comparable situations, so not sure what your point is.

Oh bless. If there aren't P&C spaces it's ok because your driver drops you off.

Ok

I rest my case

They're great when I take my mum shopping. Close to the doors so she doesn't have as far to walk and nice wide spaces so she can get in and out easily 😃

Learn to manage your expectations and anger OP

If your mum is fully mobile but just old you should drop her at the front then park your car

Shes not fully mobile but doesn't qualify for a blue badge either (not that it matters I'd still use the p&c spaces as they are closer)

I always park furthest away because it’s a lot quicker, calmer and easier and don’t understand why others don’t spread out whenever it’s possible. It’s more peaceful as I don’t have someone with a running engine waiting for me. If the children are playing up it’s also easier not having everyone coming and going around you too. For my older child I’m also finding it a useful time to help them understand safety too.

I particularly like one store that has extra space lines for all users and so if it’s a busy time it really helps us all particularly on days when I would find it difficult without the extra space when I don’t even have any children with me. I think your AIBU should be shouldn’t all stores provide adequate parking spaces for all their users and especially hospitals!

It's nuts to me that P&C spaces are closer than BB spaces.

I think the problem is that there are already far, far too many people out there who think disability is comparable to parenthood. Look at virtually any thread about prams in wheelchair spaces on buses: there are countless posts about how parents with prams shouldn't have to get off the bus for a wheelchair user. "It should be first-come, first-served. What if the mum's had a stressful day and the kids are screaming? What if she has a doctor's appointment and the wheelchair user is only going to the shops? What if she has PND?"

The entire world is set up for able-bodied people, yet disabled people are constantly expected to justify their right to the few spaces that were created specifically for them (and that THEY had to fight for in the first place.) It gets exhausting. If you put P&C spaces on a par with disabled spaces, it blurs the lines and just adds to the idea that the two situations are remotely comparable.

As others have said, it would make far more sense to put P&C spaces at the back of the car park. Then people would be unlikely to use them unless they actually needed more space.

If your mum has limited mobility I don’t think reasonable people would deny her use of one of these spaces.

But your attitude is clearly that you’ll park where you like regardless.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

We have a newly built shopping complex near us, the P and C spaces are right outside the shops. The blue badge spaces are across the road. If I have to take Ds (15) with me I park in P and C because it’s safer for him than the blue badge space.

i find it unbelievable that developers are prioritising p and c over disabled spaces!

I am not quite sure what you mean by that, but disabled people have individual thoughts on things, so there we are.

It infuriates me too when I can’t get a P&C spot with 2 under 2. Especially at our local Aldi when the ordinary spaces are TINY. no issue with people with mobility issues using them obviously, but when able bodied people park in there because they CBA walking (which, they do! Not everyone has a hidden disability, some people are just selfish) it’s very annoying. I’d be up for them being further away from the store for sure! Also, it’s very annoying when parents park there with children who aren’t in car seats as surely that’s the whole point of wider bays? Teenagers can get in and out as adults. No need to park there. I saw this x3 this morning.

Sometimes though, taking your car seat out of the car is necessary? For example, I would do the nursery run (10mins in car) baby falls asleep, I nip into Tesco on way home, baby still asleep. Rather than wake her when I’m only going to be a few mins, take the car seat out and put it on the designated trolley and put it back in after, all whilst baby stays asleep. Shes only been In her seat a short while and not exceeded 30m.

Maybe we have more of the spaces and change them from being parent and child to being 'priority spaces'. To use one you do need to display a badge.

The badges are funded jointly by supermarkets etc, and available online or in store. They can be used for disability which falls short of a blue badge -perfect for injuries, recoveries etc. They can be used for children, pregnant women etc.

I have a child with mobility issues whose difficulties wouldn't be bad enough to get a blue badge but equally would make walking from the other side of the car park difficult. I also need to help her in/out, so need the doors to fully open. At the moment she is young enough that a P&C space is fine, but in 5 years it'll start getting funny looks...

My attitude is ill park where its good (and legal) for mum.

Not quite parking where I'd like regardless, that would be right outside the door at the pick up bay, especially if it's raining 😬

It's not illegal for anyone to park in a parent and child space so people can do whatever they want if it's legal. Just as there's no law against farting in a crowded lift.

But it's indisputable that its just easier to get small children out of car seats when you have a little bit more space.

So if you're someone who decides to park in a P&C space in a busy car park because you can't be arsed to walk a bit further, and don't really care that you're making life a little bit more difficult for someone with small children, you're not breaking any laws but I think you're a bit of a cunt.

If you don't mind a little bit of negligible inconvenience on your part in order to make someone else's life a bit easier, I think you're OK and help make the world a bit of a better place. Luckily, this is most people.

I saw someone parked there the other day so you’d probably get away with it!

Private parking appears to be a free for all. I can only conclude that if you want to park someone in, you can do it as well.

Whilst it an offence to park in an on-street Blue Badge parking bay without displaying a valid Blue Badge, this does not apply to disabled bays on private land like a supermarket. Here, it is just down to how the land owner decides to police it.

A friend of mine has been waiting five years for a knee replacement. His mobility is so bad that he shuffles..........slowly. Cant park in a family spot and cant park in a disabled spot as his mobility issue is considered temporary despite the fact its already been FIVE YEARS waiting for the NHS to pull their finger out A lifetime of physical work and this is the thanks he gets.

Poor guy, he can use the p&c spaces though

I agree with this.