......to expect that people without children have the common decency to NOT park in the 'parent and toddler' bays!!!???

[Heebychick]

Grrrrrrrrr!

It drives ('scuse the pun) me mad when you have a toddler on your hip, it's pouring with rain, you are pregnant, have bags and purse to hand and have to park at the opposite end of the supermarket car park and make a wobbled dash to the shops.

Then as you run past the 'parent and toddler' marked bays you notice some lazy sod who 'didn't want to get wet running to the cash point so decided a parent and toddler bay would be easier'

"i'll only be a minute love, i'm just getting some cash out and it's raining"

ARGHHHHHH!!!

"i'm only about to slash your tyres .... LOVE"

Ok rant over, calm thoughts.

If supermarkets made all of their spaces wider, there might be less hogging of P&T or bays for disabled people generally as I think some people, rightly or wrongly use the wider bays to get themselves, never mind babies or children out without an unseemly struggle.

FWIW, I had a a badge to "allow" me P&T parking at Tescos but I don't recall ever being able to find a space. I used to park in the middle of 3 empty spaces to allow me to open my door enough to get dd out in her seat (I had a 3-door car which seemed to have excessively long doors but probably weren't).

It still irritates me more when people misuse bays for disabled people as disabilities don't grow up and develop their own legs in the way children (generally) do.

Lol Paws I couldn't get in to my car one day when Iwas pg had to get into passenger side and climb accross, 9months pg was not a pretty sight or easy

So flame me, I don't even bother with p&T spaces anymore I just go to other end of carpark and park across 2 spaces

Whilst I agree with you OP and have often been in the same situation I have now noticed taht in my local tesco ( which I visit as little as I can) they now increased the number of bays for Parent and child and disabled and I was in the silly situation of driving round and round trying to find a spot yesterday with 18 parent and toddler spaces empty!!! GRRR....not to mention the 22 disabled ( yes I counted )

My Mum is fiercely defensive of P&T spaces too. She loves kneeling buses as well and talks about how she would tell me to stand quietly while she folded the pushchair while juggling my baby brother and the shopping. We are both very relieved that we don't have to do that now as we both agree that DD1 would be halfway down the road by the time I had finished saying "now DD1 if you could just...".

That's what I do plum-much more time to pack the car up too, as no one is waiting for your space. I remember the old "hump the bump" across the passenger seat wiggle. Also got in through the back once and got my tummy wedged between the front seats-had to ring MIL to rescue me, as thankfully she was about to go and do her shop, so swapped supermarkets!

This annoys me too. I was waiting out side our local shop on Sunday for my mum and noticed no less than 3 childless couples park in the P&T spaces and one lady park in the taxi only spaces. The car park was half empty there were disabled spaces if they needed and were entitled to them. It is just laziness and selfish people with no regard for others who do this. I remember Safeway before it changed to morrisons their P&T spaces used to state they were also for pregnant women.

I hate parents and toddlers bay and really think that they should be further away from the store. That way people whi don't need the extra space would use them and parents who do sometimes need the extra space would always be able to find one.

I don't think parent's should have right to park closer to the store, however I appreciate it can be difficult getting children out of the car when there isn't much space.

"But, Jeee, I can PROMISE you that those 'executives' in their sports cars feel entitled to jump into disabled and P&T spaces 'because of the taxes they pay'"

you should also keep in mind that many of those executives will either have children or a disability. i know not all but it always pissed me off when people presumed that my dads car was parked in disabled bays "in the wrong" because it was a very expensive car and he was wearing a suit. it seems some people jump to the conclusion instinctively without even checking for a badge because they seem to think disabled people couldn't possibly have such a high paying job .
oh by the way im not saying you were implying this at all, i know you are talking aboput people who are parking in the wrong, it just reminded me of one of my bugbears and sent me on a rant.

I park in the P&T spaces when i don't have my dd with me. I don't go out of my way to get one, however if by any chance one if free when i drive past I will use one.

I do not think that there is any link between disabled spaces and P&T spaces and anyone who says that there is so is wrong. I would never dream of using a disabled space, I may add.

Fair enough, it is a struggle to park and get your kids out of the car, however I do not think that people with kids should get natural priority.

I do not understand why people get so het up on MN about P&T spaces. Have never seen anyone get pissed off about it in real life.

Ha ha love those parking tickets.

Do you use them? they are a great idea! tee hee

This is why I shop at Waitrose. I am able to park in a P&T space every week without fail.

I agree, it is the space to put the trolley up the side. When you have 2 children under 2 it is worrying to have to leave one of them strapped in behind the car whilst you put the other in their seat.

There is a Mnetter whose sister lost her son in this very way. A car reversed into the child in the trolley.

Ah, you should have seen me in Waitrose car park then, GetOrf. It was a proper middle-class bust-up!

There were very few free spaces and a couple without children parked in a P&C space. I rolled down my window and said that it was a P&C space. The women said "well last time I parked here my car was scratched." I said "so what" and she told me to go park in a disabled space. Eventually they moved their car.

The guy then came over to my DH in the veg aisle and said "did you get everything you want?" I love how people become all indignant when they are wrong!

I don't feel that P&C spaces are an entitlement, but if they are there, then people without children shouldn't use them.

I actually witnessed a police car parked in our local Asda in the parent and toddler space but i thought better of it than to go over and point it out to them

There is no need whatsoever for p and t bays - sorry.

I don't think you can say there is no need whatsoever, that's a very general statement. i think they have a good purpose when they are provided, most offer more space and safety in which to put young children straight into the trolley etc.

I agree they are not a right (heaven knows i never get chance to use them where i shop as they are always taken) but if they are there then people without children should not use them, simple as that.

If it says parent and child, arguably I could take my Mum shopping and park there . I'm her child.