Parking Fine Madness

[ModernMadnessEra]

Park in a parent & child space
Left children in car (under 12)
Enter shop to do shopping
Received parking fine

Absolute, ridiculous fine
I am outraged !

Do you agree ?

Secondly, evidently there is also a new rule that children have to be under 12

When children are classed as children under 18

www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1972395/supermarket-parking-age-limit-parent-child-fines

There is no set rule. Sainsburys could choose for it to be 12, Tesco could choose for it to be 10 and the local retail park could say 8 years old. Totally up to them as long as they state it on the car park signs.

Why is it madness?
If you want to park, you abide by the rules.

My sympathy would only extend to her making a mistake whilst her child was ill. If she had paid the parking charge (which would not have been £100 if she'd had paid it straight away) and chalked it up to experience then I'd be sympathetic. But she went back on another day (was it an emergency that day as well) and did the exact same thing again, then didn't pay the charges, then let the charges rack up further.

Because there’s probably not a sick child. It’s a made up excuse to try and garner a bit of sympathy for being a selfish entitled CF who thinks the rules don’t apply to her and finds reading a letter too complicated to manage.

And twice her child sick in the same car park - what’s the chances?

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes

Regardless of the merits or otherwise of the parking fine, there should be common standards universally across the country for parking payment, where you can park for free, and who can levy a fine.

I would prefer for other than overstaying your time in a parking space that the presumption was a criminal offence and points on your licence. If those who currently levy fines had to argue their case in court instead, I guess there would be less of the ones that are genuinely unreasonable.

None of this defends the OP leaving children in the car, which is a wholly separate matter and I think the OP was wrong to do so.

My children are 26 and 24. Still my children and won't stop being si

In these circumstances, why did she need the space? Why could she not have just used a standard space? Genuine question, I’m just trying to understand your point of view.

The spaces are for people who have toddlers or babies in car seats surely? Not for anyone who has able bodied passengers under 18 / 12 or whatever. Plus you don't say how much under 12 they are. They could be letting themselves out and running all over the car park, unnoticed by drivers. Why not take them with you???

If her child was so sick why not leave them at home with the other adult and go to the shops? A sick child can stay in the car in a normal space - there’s no logic to her argument

I don’t have any sympathy for someone who’d leave a 3 year old in a car with ten year old. To run into the garage to pay, fine, out of line of sight in a supermarket nope. A 3 year old is a handful at the best of times and very unfair to leave a child who’s too young to be left alone themselves in charge of two younger children.

She abused the space and easy trod out the excuses but I doubt it’s the first times she’s done it.

Secondly, evidently there is also a new rule that children have to be under 12

What do you mean? These are private car parks - they can have any rule they want. They can make it under 5s, under 12s, under 18s. As long as it's clearly displayed, they can find you for breaking the rules of the car park.

It annoys me on P&C space threads where people say "those spaces are unenforceable". They aren't. They just generally aren't enforced. But they absolutely can be by the car park owner, just like rules on staying for certain amount of time. As long as the rules are clearly displayed.

Secondly, evidently there is also a new rule that children have to be under 12
When children are classed as children under 18

Oh come on. P&C are for those with small children. I'd say that 12 is too old to use them too.

12 the age a child pays full "adult" fare for a flight too?

Sounds just as ridiculous as my daughter getting fined for parking in a Tesco car park for 15 minutes when the store was closed.
I have always thought those spaces are for parents with small children though.

I actually do park in p&c spaces with my mum if there is no age limit specified. I'm 49, she's 85 and her mobility isn't too great, and opening the door wider really helps her getting in and out - though I don't think she would yet qualify for a blue badge.

A fine can only be applied if you have breached clearly stated parking conditions.

I dont think anyone reasonable would mind this though

Anyone could say that though, it doesn't mean it's true 🤷‍♀️

It doesn't mention in the article if the mother of the children had a receipt of proof purchase, perhaps if she had been able to provide that then the parking company may have waived it as a gogw.

It's not crossed my mind to park in a parent&child space if my children weren't getting out of the car - why would you do that? You don't need the extra room if you're not getting children out and you don't need a parking space right outside if it's just you running in and out of the shop.

Also totally don't agree with leaving an unwell 3 year old in the car with other young children, so no I don't have much sympathy for her.

I want to know about your magic car...! I mean I've never heard of one that detects under 18s entering and grows around them!!

Unless of course you have a normal car, in which case when the kids get in and out, they may need space next to the car for a buggy, or in case they aren't careful with the doors. (Or indeed genuinely struggle with not letting heavy doors bounce.) When the aren't getting in or out though no more space is needed!

We really need to stop calling it a fine. It’s not a fine, it’s a fee you agree to pay when you park.

So there is one fee or free parking for when you park in a certain way whether that is up to 3 hours, within the bays, only in a p & c space with a child under 12.

And there is a different fee if you choose to park a different way eg more than a certain amount of hours or in a p&c bay without a child leaving the car.

But these are private car parks. They can set whatever contractual rules they like.

I suspect she wanted the space near the doors because, when leaving young kids in a car for a quick dash into the shop, it feels safer to have them directly outside the doors, where you can keep the car more or less in sight when you're at the ti, than at the other side of a large car park.