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.

Building regulations for car parks should be updated from 1960s standards so you can park an average car and open the doors without almost hitting the car next to you. If that means fewer spaces so be it.

No way would you use them if they were at the back of the car park.
aside from exceptionally busy times (Christmas Eve etc), the back of the car park is practically empty. If it were about space, you’d park in a near empty row, ensuring the spaces either side of you were empty and giving you even more room than a P&C space. It’s about wanting special treatment. And having children is in no way comparable to having a disability.

How embarrassing for you.

Didn't you know that you (or anybody actually) has any right to ask anyone to move out of a P&C space?

Did you stop and think one of them might have had a disability meaning they had every LEGAL right to park there (unlike you)

(Could you also in future not perpetuate ageism towards the young, and misogyny towards women, by referring to anybody as "girls")

They’re the same people who park their ICE cars in the charger bays despite loads of other parking being available. They do it specifically to inconvenience complete strangers who they will never meet. Because it makes them feel slightly better about their own terrible lives.

I absolutely would.

I don't like parking far away in a non P&C space currently because there's no guarantee someone with a big car won't come and park badly next to me, making the space too tight (I have a very small car). Non P&C spaces are generally against the wall/fence, or directly back to back with another row of spaces so you can't access the back easily if you reverse in, which is the safer option. If I reverse in and then someone parks next to me, I potentially cannot then get the pram (which is also small because we had to buy a small one to fit in our tiny boot) between the cars to get it in the boot. So I have to drive in forwards and hope no one parks next to me in such a way that I can't open the door enough to lift DD2 into the car.

If I'm just with DD1 (4.5) and therefore don't have the pram, I park in a regular space as I don't need the doors to open a wide to get her in.

I agree 100% OP I'd very happily use the spaces if they were at the back of the car park because it is about being able to open the doors, lean in to undo a car seat, and get child out without bashing someone else's car or squashing child through a narrow gap.

Sure some normal car parking spaces are fine, especially with one child only as you can park closer to the other side to give room to get them out. But many car park spaces are absolutely not big enough certainly for me to get my two kids out (with their car seats I need to be able to open the car door at least 2/3 of the way to get them out and ideally fully) - most car parking spaces only allow 1/3 to 1/2 open door which is enough for me to squeeze out but not the kids). NB I have a mid-sized car before anyone starts 😂

I also get the screaming kids bit, my toddler knos we are going to the supermarket which she likes and once we are there she finds it hard to stay patient whilst I drive round for 10 mins trying to find a space!

My db and sil used to park in them because they're lazy and don't want to walk across the car park, no other reason, they used to laugh about it.

Now they have a baby of their own, they moan about people without kids parking in them 🙄🙄

I wish they'd put child spaces at the back of the car park with a really safe walkway through to the shop. Nobody apart from people with children would park in them then.

Having a car with sliding back doors meant we could park anywhere as long as there was space for the driver to get out of the car. It was great with 3 under 5’s. We didn’t need to be close to the shop. Obviously I wouldn’t expect anyone to just go out and purchase one but if buying a new car with little ones in mind I would definitely recommend getting one with sliding doors.

Do you remind them that they used to do it themselves and laugh about it?

I once lived with someone with an invisible disability; despite having a genuine blue badge from age 20, she would get people making horrible comments all the time about her parking in a disabled spot, even though she needed to do it. It made her hate it because she got so much abuse from people, even though she had no other options.

It's interesting how much people judge each other on age.

When I had long covid a parent spot would have been really useful to me since I really struggled to get enough oxygen in and breathe safely outdoors, especially in winter, and shortening the time by being close to the supermarket would have really helped. But there's no way I would have taken one. Apparently it's okay for elderly people to be entitled to a parent spot though.

Wow, so many assholes on here! Depressing. YANBU op

I got given out to the only time I ever used one- I had two young children and was heavily pregnant. She came up asking where my buggy was as that’s what they were for. I sighed at her, she realised how pregnant I was and apologised. I said it’s grand, it sounds like we’re both having the same day!!

@Springtime79 surely it depends upon the car park, all the ones near me are constantly busy with just a handful of spaces dotted around the car park or often none at all and you have to wait. I genuinely would use them at the back of the car park as I'm very happy to walk with my children in the buggy/on the buggy board or in a trolley.

@sleepylittlebunnies very good tip, wish I'd thought of that pre-car purchase!

It’s courtesy. It’s not necessary like a disabled space. Pretty disgusting you’re suggesting your choice to have kids is on par with a disability. why not walk instead of drive

Assholes who are pointing out that P&C places are a courtesy and not legally enforceable unlike disabled spaces?

Assholes pointing out ableism and ageism?

Which ones? All of them?

I never made that point in relation to a disability FFS! Are people not reading properly? The point was he was old - just old and he probably just needed the space - which is fine. Which was my point. Who the eff was talking about disability- i'm talking about people needed more space.

How would that be any different to the usual BB spaces?

You were responding to someone saying that they "don't begrudge" someone using a P&C space if they have a disability!!
You responded by suggesting well yeah, but only if they are elderly, not young.

Why is an elderly person automatically more likely to "need the space" than a younger person, if neither person is displaying a blue badge?

OMG, Did you read what I wrote!? How embarrassing for you thst you can't comprehend simple words on a post.

I didnt ask them to move! I made them aware that was a p/c space!!!

If they had a disability then yes park there and if they need the space then park there, why not just tell me that when I ask?

But they weren't women, they were girls - teenage girls! What am I meant to call them - Miss/Mams - then I'm f*cked there too because I'm assuming what they identity as - theres no end or winning to this is there.

P and C spaces should be away from the entrance but with a covered walkway.

Oh and disabled spaces are frequently abused.

Parking in BB space without a badge is a £50 fine.

Not using a BB correctly is a £1000 fine and loss of the badge.

Take it easy....

Apparently it's okay for elderly people to be entitled to a parent spot though.

Of course it is if they have limited mobility. Why wouldn’t it be OK? As pps have said, they need renaming.

Why do you think a different badge will stop wankers being wankers?

My local Sainsburys uses the P&C spaces as a holding area for collect by car. That really does piss people off.

It is rude to park there if you don’t need to, or if you have not been told toby the shop. It’s also rude to ding a persons door because - kids.

Cars in general are bigger - my current mini is a good 3 cm wider than the last one. Older supermarkets need to re-mark their car parks . The local Aldi , newly opened- has spaces you could park a bus in. Love it !