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 🙈😂

@Pumpkinmagic think that was for @MindYourUsage

Self appointed P&C parking police!

I find it bizarre that people don’t care. They wouldn’t say the same about a disabled bay. It’s almost impossible to get a child into or out of a car in a normal bay in my local car park. There are also no walk ways so you have to walk across what are essentially roads with tiny children. Just because it doesn’t affect you doesn’t mean it isn’t wrong. With slightly older children it’s not too bad (my 3 year old can get out on her own.) but a baby in a car seat carrier… you can’t just ask them to get out before you park out or leave them there while you reverse back to get them in.

it makes a Mother’s Day so much harder compared to the inconvenience of parking further back for an able/childless person.

The differences is disabled bays are a legal requirement. They make the difference between someone being able to leave the house and not. The persons whole life is going to be like that in most cases. They need them to go anywhere!

A P and C space is handy when there is one but it’s not essential. Lots of places don’t have them and people cope. It’s only an issue for a year or two.

by comparing the two it just shows a massive ignorance.

It’s “almost impossible” so it can be done! It makes a Mother’s Day so much harder…….give over! Go to the far end of the car park, always space there for opening doors wider.

And stop comparing something that’s a legal requirement to being able to park in a more convenient spot.

Probably the point that life as a disabled person is infinitely more difficult than a few years of having a young child?

Anyone who genuinely needs them should use them. EG passenger with broken ankle, or whatever. They should be rebranded "courtesy spaces for those in need" and signage "if you are not in need of these spaces, please park elsewhere".

That way, anyone who needs to use them can do so (including parents with tiny kids, or people with temporary health issues) but it discourages people from being selfish twats.

Since when it is the difficulty olympics?

Anyone who take a space designed to make something easier for someone else “to prove a point”, not a disabled person using it because it’s the only space available , purposely taking it “to prove a point” is bitter and nasty.

The only occasions I have used them without having my young children with me; I was very, very heavily pregnant with my eldest & was struggling to get in & out of the car.
I was around 16 weeks pregnant with my youngest and on crutches due to PGP and had gone to the shop late one evening (around 8pm) to get nappies etc for my eldest.

Whilst my children have reached an age where we no longer require the use of the spaces, I was very appreciative of the additional space to facilitate loading infant carriers and strapping wrestling toddlers into carpets.

On a rare good day, loaded up with my prescription pain relief, I can leave my wheelchair in the car and, with a walker, go into a nearby shop if I can park close enough to one, and buy a couple of groceries. If you could see me hobbling back to the car, I'd be the person you are referring to.

However, when I do have that day, I am chuffed as heck with myself and see it as a real achievement. I wouldn't be able to do it if I had to park several hundred yards away.

This is actually a really great idea, would work so well if it were socially unacceptable (from within ones own social circle*) to take the mickey with them. For example your passenger being horrified you have pulled into one when knowing it is not in need.

*Impossible otherwise as not all needs are visible.

You know how it is socially unacceptable to drink drive or on the continent to sit in those elderly seats on busses

I just park wherever. Parents aren’t special. I don’t park in disabled though

I always wonder why parents who don’t have the ability to navigate walking across a car park with young children don’t just get their shopping delivered or someone else to do it for them.

No.

disabled spaces didn’t used to be a legal requirement and I am glad they now are. Why shouldn’t I compare parent and baby/toddler spaces to that?

also, most, not all, disabled people find it difficult and ‘almost impossible’ to get out when in a normal space or to walk as far as a further away space. Yea, some physically cannot … but most can, it’s just a lot more difficult. So do you think disabled spaces should be reserved for those who have a wheelchair/ cannot move? Obviously not.

If you think there are ‘spaces at the back’ with lots of room… well you don’t shop in my area. Speak for yourself.

I’m not ignorant, but thanks 🙄

disabled bays are a legal requirement but they haven’t always been. They are a good step forward in supporting disabled people. They are also used by a range of disabilities. For instance my dad definitely needs them, but if not available he can just about manage.

Parent and child spaces can’t be a legal issue in the same way as, as you point out, it’s only an issue for a few years. And people need to ‘self police’ whether it is totally needed or not. Most people do self police (i use them when ive got my baby, but usually wouldn’t if I had my older child) but those that think ‘well it’s not a ‘LEgAL reQuIremeNt‘ ruin the honesty system that should make them work.
those people, like many people on this thread, are the ignorant ones. and it’s really bloody annoying for those of us that need them.

As you say disabled places are legal requirement, p&c not!

Thats it, end of conversation!

If there are no spaces at all to park in the car park, then people are parking in the only available spaces. Their need for shopping may trump yours?

Repositioning them towards the rear of the store car park would completely resolve this issue.
Parents still get space, and in a quieter area.

Its not an available space to someone who doesn’t have a child, hope that helps x

No kisses please, it’s embarrassing me.

When I was having chemo I used them, when if I have chemo or another ailment or treatment that makes walking difficult again, i will use them.

Hope that helps!

The real issue is cars have got wider and the spaces haven’t. It makes it much harder to fully open a car door to get a baby or toddler out, and children under 10 aren’t always very co-ordinated at getting in and out and risk knocking the car door into someone else’s car.

No the question wasn’t … are they a legal requirement.?! There are lots of things that people do, or should do, to support others within society that are not legal requirements. As I said… disabled bays were made A LEGAL REQUIREMENT to support those less able in society…. It’s not an argument, it’s my opinion that people should respect P&C spaces as if they are a legal requirement, to auppprt the less able in society (but like on buses where disabled and pregnant are grouped together) as a large reason they aren’t legal is that it would be so much work / wouldn’t be possible to put the system in place!

There are spaces. But they are so close together it’s not a case of ‘go to the back to find space’ you’re reading what I did not write. they are in groups of 3… and people always use the middle space and others squeeze into the 2 outside spaces, but because of the position of the posts it’s really hard to open the doors fully. It’s a 70s block car park.

Upper case letter does not make your point anymore valid.

in my opinion, they’re not needed and I will use them when having chemo etc.

They are a marketing tool only.

I can walk across the carpark fine, what i can’t do is lift 2 toddlers into a car seat after the selfish person who parked after me leaves 5 inches for me to open one of my doors.

I’m not the one complaining that I’m incapable of walking 10m to the door so simply must park in a P&C space as a lone adult but somehow can mooch around the ginormous super store just fine.