AIBU to think Blue Badge holders can use parent and child spaces?

[winterwonder1]

This article says that Blue Badge holders can't park in P&C spaces but I thought they could and that they were a legal requirement whereas P&C was a courtesy? Have I been wrong all these years? Can Blue Badge holders park in parent and child spaces? | Oxford Mail

Strongly disagree.

a disability which qualifies for a blue badge far outranks a parent’s need if they are able bodied.

p&c are convenience. It won’t put you out massively to park at the other end of the car park, get your child out and walk to the shop. You only need a space wide enough to get the car seat out if necessary and away from the general traffic. Most places have safe walkways down the centre of the car park.

disabled, otoh, that may not be possible. They have a BB for a reason,- because they are not capable of using normal spaces.

Except that isn’t reasonable. Having a small child is not a disability

Which would be to park in a standard space. A disabled person very often can’t do that because they are either too far away from the entrance or there isn’t enough space to get a wheelchair out or open the door fully.

And if the disability means they can’t wait?

parents can use alternative spaces will little issue. BB holders can’t.

there’s a lot of posters seem to have never met a disabled person.

as a parent I will find somewhere else if there’s a BB holder in a p&c space. No big deal. A BB holder may not be able to use a normal space.

as pp have said, if they can’t access the service it’s discrimination.

if parents prevent BB holders from accessing parking chances are the land owner will simply turn all p&c spaces to disabled. Seen it happen.

Yep. In my experience it's usually shameless men with 'flash' cars which they've probably bought on finance.

They can but it winds me up when there’s plenty of disabled spaces but they still park in P&C!

As a blue badge holder I will park wherever is going to be safest for my son to be able to get in and out of the car and too our destination (as long as safe and legal of course)

I really don’t care if that winds some parents up. Because getting a disabled young adult around is a hell of a lot harder than getting a baby around!

Of course; you can park where you like double yellow lines, literally anywhere unless it says ‘no loading’. Parent and child spaces irritate me; parents need more space to get prams and car seats out not extra help with a shorter walk to the store

I’ve used a P&C bay when I’m with my mum and the BB bays are full.

She can only walk a limited number of steps.

Of course they can. P&C spaces are not legally protected.

There was an elderly couple (one has the BB) who used to park DYLs outside the library which is on a dual carriageway in the hidden dip. No other person ever parked there. They parked at the back of the library with at least 6 blue badge bays. Plus there was a side entrance with a lift to the library.

Not seen couple's car for ages. May have passed away, unable to drive, gone to care home.

You rarely see PnC spaces on streets. Only see them in supermarket, shopping centre, leisure parks etc car parks.

I don't get why disabled bays are further away from the supermarket entrance etc compared to PnC bays.

Then there should be some allowance for people with that are temporarily struggle to walk due to serious injury - broken leg and/or major surgeries.

As the normal spaces next to BB and PnC are most used.

Yep, I used P&C spaces when I broke my foot.

As opposed to entitled mummies who think that having a child gives them the same rights as a disabled person?

Yes they can park on P&C spaces. P&C spaces are only a courtesy to the SUV brigade who "need" loads of space so if there are no blue badge spaces left, it's absolutely find to park in one.

That said there are usually plenty of blue badge spaces in my local supermarket and it's the P&C spaces which are full.

This whole debate would go away if they just made bigger spaces and charged (extra) for them. And it would be quite useful if there were bigger spaces for eg someone who's brokeb their leg and needs more space to get in and out of the car but only for a temporary period. And not just for people with small children.

Yes I think so too. In fact I think they need the spaces a lot more than the parents who can easily park further away from the entrance. I know they'll say they are worried about their child running off in the car park and being run over - well you just need to keep tight hold of them.

I couldn't get upset about someone with a blue badge using a parent and child space, especially when there are no blue badge spaces free, who would begrudge that?

I don’t think anyone has said that, but a person with young children is quite literally entitled to use the P&C space by their design.
Bizarre attempting to use that as an insult. They have been designed as spaces for people with young children, to keep young children safer and make it easier to get them in and out of cars.

It's safer for the children to not have to walk far, around cars that are reversing or coming around corners.

Do you really care about parking that close to the door?

Dad's also use them, why do you only want to disparage mothers/women?

Or indeed to the dentist/optician/ theatre ...

Women with children aren’t being “entitled” for using P&C spaces. They are actually entitled to do so.

Are you a man?

Or go into a supermarket for shopping, and go to cafe for lunch etc.

Surely the parent and child spaces are only for those who need extra space. If children are walking, then why do you need extra space? And they could have the spaces by a pavement or zebra crossings to the store, rather than near it.