Parking in a disabled parking bay

[VividLilac]

I am trying to give my 10 year old a little independence. He wanted to get himself ready after swimming lesson and meet me in car park of leisure centre. I was right on time and it was getting a little dark out so I swung into a close(ish) to entrance disabled parking bay. There are around 10 bays in total with one car parked up (I would never have pulled into these spaces if busy and certainly would not have taken the last space). I stepped out the car, waiting next to it for the 40 seconds until he came out of the leisure centre to wave him over. A small child was walking past hand in hand with their grandmother and she loudly started to speak to the child about how selfish it was to park in disabled spaces. Of course she is right and I wouldn’t do it again, no matter what the circumstances but ffs was there any need.

Maybe the grandmother was using your parking as a useful learning moment for her grandchild

I wouldn’t care that you parked there briefly to pick up your child if there were lots of spaces. Best not to take the end ones though

Some disabled people cannot get out of a car in a regular sized parking space. Some disabled people need to be able to park close to where they are going as walking is difficult for them

I voted YABU as on too many occasions no blue badge bays have been available when needed; with cars parked with either no blue badge showing or someone sitting in the car perhaps with an 'I'll move if a disabled person comes along' attitude; with no perspective of how challenging it is to get out of a car, put wheelchair together; talk to the person nicely to ask them to move (a scary situation sometimes); then get back into car; take wheelchair apart; put wheelchair in car; drive into the parking bay and begin while long process of getting out of car agian. Sometimes people park across 2 bays. That's really horrid

@SparklyGlitterballs Hidden disabilities are irrelevant. Only people with blue badges (whether the disability is hidden or not) can use the spaces.

“Just a few minutes” and “plenty free” aren’t justifications to abuse the system. If everyone thought that way then those who need the spaces would be left unable to go out.

Can't you just.
I'm waiting for the posts equating a BB space to a P&C one, those usually pop up on the MN carpark spaces bingo card at some point.

People getting their 'knickers in a twist' probably experience this crap every single day.

Everyone thinks that they are a special case, that they can park in a space for disabled people as 'they'll be quick' 'there was lots of spaces', blah blah blah.

It isn't ok and I'm glad the other lady pointed that out.

Yeah, sure she did. And she knew that you were not disabled, how exactly?

The lack of disabled badge on display was probably a clue

Experience what "crap" every day? There were plenty of spaces. OP was with her car and would have no doubt moved if 9 blue badge holders had randomly turned up while she was there? There's no crap to experience here at all.

People leaving their cars unattended in disabled spaces is a completely different scenario to this one

No one needs to be “qualified” to point of if you don’t have a blue badge you don’t use a disabled space

The OP could have been slow to put it out, for all the other woman knew, or could have forgotten. It does happen. She could have asked instead of apparently shouting out to her Grandchild, who would not have a clue what she was going on about. Meh!

'Experience what "crap" every day? '

People parking in spaces for disabled people? The clue is in the op..

I think everyone is being ridiculous! Common sense must prevail sometimes! If it was late in the day with plenty of empty disabled spaces OP’s actions were affecting precisely - no one. Chill out people, Jesus.

How did she know you weren't disabled? Does she know you? Did she peer in your windscreen first to check for a blue badge? Bit presumptuous if she didn't.

If I was just standing next to my car she wouldn't have thought that I was disabled either, but I am and have a blue badge.

You weren't preventing anyone from parking in a disabled space, so she should keep her nose out.

I wouldn't even say you parked there, you just pulled up to let your child get in the car. There were plenty available. People need to calm down.

It's like the people who use toilets for disabled people as 'there wasn't a disabled people queuing'. Well maybe not but if every able bodied person used facilities and parking spaces for disabled people because they were 'going to be quick' we would indeed have all the spaces used up and queues for facilities.

It isn't rocket science, if you aren't disabled you park elsewhere.

Good grief. I'd never park on one of those spaces without a badge, and when my terminally ill DH had one, I'd be fuming if there was no vacant space for us because some randoms were taking them up.

But jeeze, this thread! It reads as though OP murdered someone. In an almost deserted car park with nearly all the disabled spaces being available, even though I wouldn't do it, I'd not turn a hair at someone pulling in very briefly, staying with the car, and picking up a child.

Good for her - sounds like child is being raised with more respect for disabled people than you were.

Everyone has a “but…” reason why they think they’re justified using the space. If everyone did that, they wouldn’t be accessible to the people they’re actually for.

I applaud anyone taking an effort to instil this attitude in the next generations.

She r got out of the car to wait for her son how is that not parking there ?

No, people don't need to calm down.

If she pulled up infront of the building and he jumped in fine but she actually 'swung in' to a space and waited for him.

It isn't ok, it normalises it and next time she will no doubt it again, oh and why not in Tesco as she was going to be quick and the other spaces were full etc etc etc.

It doesn't really matter how swift the pick-up was, you aren't entitled to use the space and no matter how much independence your son needs at this precise moment, it doesn't outweigh the independence access to these spaces provides those that are disabled. You had no way of knowing how many disabled users could have turned up at that point, regardless of how quick you say you were.

I have a blue badge - it definitely is pretty annoying when people park illegally in the bays.

You shouldn't have parked there. You could have parked in normal space, walked closer to the entrance of the building, then walked back to the car with your child.

'Everyone has a “but…” reason why they think they’re justified using the space. If everyone did that, they wouldn’t be accessible to the people they’re actually for.'

This.

This disrespectful and selfish me me me behaviour needs to be called out every single time.