Do you use parent & child spaces when you don’t have a child?

[incognito1991]

I’ve just got back from my local retail park, which is where my nearest supermarket is and getting increasingly wound up. My 2 year old DD was asleep so I sat in the car for 10 minutes until she woke and we could go to the shop. Within those 10 minutes I saw 3 different cars parking in a parent and child bay and it was only them, no child, not pregnant, just selfish. No matter where I go I struggle to get a parent and child space because they’re all taken up by idiots with no children, I even see people with older children use these spaces, I think they should specify it’s for babies and toddlers not your 10 year old. I really struggle getting my DD in and out of the car in a normal bay as I can’t open the door wide enough, can barely squeeze her in aswell as leaning in to strap her in. If you park in one of these spaces I’d love to hear your reasons please.

It's infuriating as I can't open my door enough to get my child/pram in, so the needless hoggers do my head in. I've got back to the car and had to put my child on my lap in the driver's seat, or leave in the pram and drive out of the parking space first.

I try and park on an end of row otherwise, so no one can block the passenger side in but you can't always get an end space.

Every single time I have my mum with me. Shes disabled but just not enough for a BB 😤. The P&C wider spaces are much easier for her to get in/out and they are closer to the door. Still takes us about 15 mins to get in though 🙄

Tried getting a blue badge out of some councils? That could be the reason, dsds council is a nightmare but we have to use a wide space because the door has to be fully opened to get her in and out and she has ataxia. The only alternative is to pull the car into the lane and block it for up to 10 minutes trying to get her in, it’s not easy. Thankfully everyone we meet instantly recognises her need is higher than a typical 3 year old

It depends. My local supermarket has a lot of parent and child bays - around 20 and are always half empty. If I'm popping in after the gym in the evening I'll go in one as there's only ever one or two cars parked at that time.

However, if I have to go to the big hypermarket in the retail park on the weekend, I'll only park in them if I have DS with me.

It's always solo men in flash cars here. I lift their windscreen wipers up because I'm petty.

Get a blue badge then

They’re not “for” anything other than tempting people to that shop. They’re a marketing tool

People generally spend more if they have their children with them due to so-called “pester power” hence why many P&C spaces are for up to 12yos.

It’s not because shops actually car about people getting car seats in and out. If they gave a shit about that normal spaces would have changed to fit modern cars.

I’m interested by the bit in the OP suggesting it would be ok if the people were pregnant. The spaces aren’t for pregnant women are they?

I use them with my 10yo in the two places that the P&C spaces are closer than the BB spaces. Those places clearly have the opinion that BB=wheelchair therefore the Bb spaces being further isn’t a problem, which it is for DD.

Other than that rarely use them, even with the 4yo.

Jaysus 😂😂 are you joking?

I wish they’d just put them further away from
the doors so people who don’t need them aren’t tempted to use them.

I want to be able to get my newborn out of the car safely, I don’t need to be close to the shop!

Yes, of course.

I would never use a disabled space, though. Disabilities are not a lifestyle choice. Having children is. I’m not going to be inconvenienced just to pander to other people’s lifestyle choices.

I don’t think this is accurate, a Blue Badge doesn’t give anyone a legal right to park in a parent-and-child bay. Those spaces are governed by the car park’s rules, not Blue Badge legislation

Parent and child spaces aren't governed by any legal rights anyway. ETA if there aren't available spaces available to meet the needs of those with disabilities there seems no reason to me for them not to use the parent and child spaces if they need them.

But my 9 month old baby is an individual in his own right and exists through no choice of his own.. and he cannot walk or do anything for himself… Parent-and-child bays exist for safety and practicality, not because parents are somehow being given special treatment, what a weird take!

I don't see it as a weird take. Evidently opinions vary.

And parent and child spaces exist because they're a money making move for the supermarkets. Disability spaces exist because they're a legal requirement.

They are as pointless as a blue badge space is now.

except a P and C spaces are just a nice luxury and a disabled space is a necessity.

and personally having a disabled dependent who’s a wheelchair user i stopped giving a shiny shite about P and C spaces when shops started putting them closer than the BB spaces.

Until they stop demonising the disabled and treating them like 2nd class citizens the rest of the world can get to fuck about their entitlement to a space closer to the shop.
Be grateful you can get out of the car and walk - full stop.

Yep, P&C spaces are a marketing gimmick.

Agree they should be further away - if you need the extra space you won’t mind the extra bit of walk. And yes, in my observation it’s mostly selfish young blokes in big fat cars - it boils my blood and I don’t even have small kids any more. I’m not brave enough to challenge them but it’s infuriating that they get away with it.

The comment I was responding to was that Blue Badge holders are legally entitled to use parent-and-child bays, which they aren’t. Whether parent-and-child spaces themselves are governed by legislation is irrelevant to that point.

Parent-and-child bays may not be a legal requirement, but if a car park chooses to provide them, they’re still designated for a specific purpose and subject to the car park’s terms and conditions. “They’re not governed by legal rights” isn’t the same as “they can be used by anyone” or “Blue Badge holders are legally entitled to use them.”

Whether someone thinks it’s reasonable for a disabled person to use one when the disabled bays are full is a separate discussion but it still doesn’t create a legal right to do so.

The closest parking spaces at my local big Tesco are P&C.
I can understand why those spaces need to be next to a walkway, and not just out in the middle of the car park, and of course they need more room too.
But it makes no sense to me for them to be right next to the door when the BB spaces are a couple of ranks away.
Some BB holders need the room, and some need to be close to the shops. I don't see why P&C need to be next to the entrance.

“Having children is a choice” is a strange response. The bays don’t exist to reward people for becoming parents. They exist because babies and young children need to be safely lifted in and out of cars and car seats in busy car parks. Whether their parents chose to have them is kind of irrelevant.. they’re here now..

Yes. My husband and both my parents have a blue badge. I'm often with one of them and when so will park in whichever empty space is best for them.

When I go to Tesco at 6am I'll park literally anywhere.

Oddly enough at my local Tesco the parent and child spaces aren't near the entrance, they're around the side. And there's always empty spaces in parent and child bit.

I didn’t use them when pregnant as felt abit silly to but I must admit I struggled getting out of the car at times towards the end! I drive a Yaris and always get massive cars parked next to me