People who park in child and parent spaces when they don't have kids.

[Fortheloveofpurple]

Does this annoy anyone else? I personally don't care about the distance from the shop but I need the room to get my kids out of the car. And when I say when they don't have kids I mean they don't have them with them or a disabled badge or anything. Where I am from it happens so regularly. It makes me so mad 🙈😂

This thread is making me think that maybe I should use P&C spaces when I have my brother with me, pending a blue badge after a stroke and in a wheelchair ...

You absolutely should.

I am suggesting that nobody needs it. So it isn't a big deal to me who parks there.

Of course you should use it without a second thought.

Absolutely you should.

You absolutely should.

I understand health or helping elderly parents as good reasons.

But the "my car is expensive" people deserve a nice slap of ice cream or a piece of bubble gum from a child getting to and from the next car. Just as a small karma for their selfishness.

I’ll do it if there are lots of empty ones and it’s the only shady section in a car park if I have my dog with me when it’s slightly warmer. Before you all pile on I don’t take my dog in the car where I need to park for a while when it’s hot.

I would like shady spaces in cars parks so we can all be happy.

I always park the furthest away, to get my steps in. When my children were small, these spaces did not exist. I just wonder how we ever managed.

And it’s not just the width of these huge cars either, it’s the length too. They often stick out about a foot over the line of the space!

We were so glad we have you here to declare that parents of young children do not need any consideration in the spacing of parking spaces and the proximity to safe routes to the walkways.

Cars and car seats were designed very differently, it’s very clear to see that.

My youngest is 3, so about 18 months ago. Tbh I think part of the issue is everyone thinking they need a massive SUV because they have kids. I didn't buy one and never had any issues parking. If all the spaces were super tight I'd just head to the back of the carpark.

P&C parking just isn't essential, I get vaguely annoyed when I see some douchebag using it without kids for sure but it's a minor inconvenience not being able to use it. Unlike being unable to find blue badge parking which can genuinely prevent people from being able to go about their day.

Yes, definitely do.

Interesting, seemingly full support for use with the wheelchair pending blue badge. It honestly wouldn't have occurred to me. Thank you.

Your needs trump theirs.

I have had great fun with this in the past.

I was in a busy car park that had a few spaces left but very tight ones and someone in front took the last parent and child space with clearly no child in the car. I did manage to find a space nearby and really struggled to fit kids out the car.
On returning I noticed that I had just beaten selfish twat back to the car. So I reversed out the space and was to one side of the main lane, enough space for other drivers to get past easily but blocking selfish twat from getting out their space. My wife and I then had to put two kids (6 months and 2) in the car, disassemble the double pram, move around a few bags, make sure we have checked the sat nav, remember that we needed to get back out and get some snacks for oldest, forget that I didn't put a blanket over youngest and finally about 6 minutes later be ready to drive off cheerfully waving at other driver to thank them for waiting!

Absolutely your needs are far higher go ahead!

First three years of my twins' lives the supermarket car park was like that riddle with the fox, the chicken and the grain. Somehow you can never get all the right people in the right place at the same time. Our Tescos had a 2 level car park and upstairs there were some random spaces next to the trolley park so I had a fighting chance of getting a double seated trolley next to the car. There were a lot of people on here at that time who acted like you were the height of entitlement if you wanted to be able to park next to the double trolley but then the same people would be in the "can I leave my kids in the car while I pay for petrol" thread telling you it was tantamount to neglect not to drag them all out onto the forecourt with you. It was a time in my life when I really learned to stop fucking people pleasing, there's nothing like looking after small children 24/7 to flush out the absolute bampots in your life and on social media.

This isn’t true for my supermarket as it’s also the same small car park for a huge gym and several other big shops.
It’s a ridiculous car park for the amount of traffic.
They’ve also taken half of the P&C spaces and converted them into electric car charging bays.
I’ve been cut up trying to park into one of the bays by a businessman in a huge BMW X5 😂
I found a normal space to park in, when I came back a different car had parked next to me and I couldn’t open the door wide enough to get my baby’s car seat in. I had to leave her on the path to pull my car forward.
It doesn’t bother me if people park in them if they’re disabled etc. but a lone person just running into the shop takes the piss. And no, the businessman wasn’t “picking up kids” because I bumped into him twice inside the shop as he was flying round with his basket.

I manage to get my toddler out the car just fine in a normal space. Most people’s buggies are in the boot where you have plenty of space to get it out. Sure the extra space at the side is helpful but it’s not exactly necessary. I do think some car park’s regular spaces are ridiculously close to the next space though. I sometimes wonder how they can possibly get away with making them that close. Someone who’s very overweight or old or even not very flexible would be completely unable to get out between two parked cars in some car parks

Yep. I would gladly park far away from the shops to be able to open my car doors fully in a parents space to get two kids in and out of car seat

This.
I actually think taking a newborn car seat in and out for a travel system would be far easier in a tight space than getting my 17 month old, 90th centile hurricane in to his seat mid-tantrum.

Modern cars are often bigger and higher-set. Perhaps a lot of people who don't get it haven't had to deal with car seats since the new norm of rear facing until a much older age? It makes it harder still, as the space you're manoeuvring them in to is a small wedge, as opposed to an open footwell.

I still find it immensely irritating that BB spaces are always bought in to the argument. Yes I know they need to provide those legally. Yes BB holders clearly need that provision, no one is saying they don't. But that's seperate- two things can be true at once. It does not make it any easier or safer to get young children in to seats without P&C spaces. I wouldn't mind P&C spaces being further away if there was a safe path to the shop/wherever.

I don’t think the white van drivers or athleisure clad young women who seem to prefer parking in parent and child spaces where I live, are all waiting for a BB. So yes, I think they’re all dickheads.

It seems the solution is to put the P&C spaces at the far end of the carpark, where they won't be attractive to the in rush, will only be a minute people...