Parent and child spaces or parent and carseat spaces??!!

[margobambino]

I am getting really angry with people who park on the designated parent and child spaces just because they have a kid's car seat in their car. I strongly believe that I am not being unreasonable but wanted to ask your opinion anyway.
A couple of weeks ago I was looking for a parent and baby park in a retail park and saw one next to boots. I have a very active toddler and it is very difficult to keep him on the route so it would have been wonderful to park next to boots but a woman, who did not have a baby or child with her but had a car seat fitted in her car, drove faster and parked there. If I had time I was going to have a word with her and even take this to the shop managers etc. This happens quite often unfortunately. Next time I am planning to express my anger and concerns.

[raffyandted]

Squatchette, I would have made sure I 'accidentally' scratched their precious car as I squeezed past with all that equipment and all those children.

[elvislives]

I can't understand why P&C parking threads always turn into a "disabled have priority" argument. The vast majority of people taking P&C spaces do not have disabled badges.

I don't know if our town is unusual but we have loads of supermarkets and every one has loads of disabled spaces. I have never ever seen all of the disabled spaces full. Never.

In the main the people racing you to the last P&C space are non disabled people with no children or with older children. TBH the people I get most annoyed with are the parents of older children who park there, when they must remember how frustrating it is not to be able to find a space big enough to get the car seat out.

I went to Sainsburys this week and parked in the middle of 6 empty spaces. In the row in front were another 6 empty spaces together, behind another 4 or 5 empty together- in short not very busy. A woman came in and parked within 1 inch of my passenger door and squeezed herself out. Just as I was wondering whether to get out and ask her why she felt the need to park right next to me another woman drove in and parked on my other side. That is where the "oh just go and park further away from the doors" argument falls down. This happens to me in every car park. It doesn't matter where I park, I always get people squeezed in next to me

[MadameCastafiore]

I think any of you who would say that it is not appropriate for people who are disabled or their carers to park in a P&C space really need to learn a lesson in humility and realise that society is up the creak because people like you have absolutely no scruples or morals.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

P&C spaces are for getting your child out of your car easily - if you cannot control your child yourself or strap them into a trolley or a pushchair and so need to be right next to the entrance you should think about leaving your child at home.

[squatchette]

LOL @ raffy it was a shed so probably wouldn't have had much impact !

[elvislives]

madamecastafiore I hope that comment wasn't aimed at me.. IME there would be no need in any of my local supermarkets for a blue badge holder to use a P&T because there are always plenty of disabled spaces available and they are always closer to the shop than the P&T, as they should be. I wanted to know whether that was unusual, as well as not 'getting' why someone always brings up disabled spaces, which aren't relevant to this discussion.

cyradis I agree with you, but I was thinking more of when I have taken the baby out of the car in the first stage seat and then can't open the car door wide enough to get it back in again.

[Stayingsunnygirl]

MadamCastafiore - my reading of this thread is that no-one objects to someone disabled or their carer using the parent and child parking spaces if they need to.

What we are objecting to is people who use them out of pure selfishness - the parent with older children who could get in and out of the car safely in an ordinary space, or the person misusing the blue badge, or the completely able and childfree adult.

[hocuspontas]

I think it's worth emailing Tesco/Sainsbury's whoever and suggest further away spaces. It would be interesting to see if it does solve most of the problems.

I'm sure there are times when it is unavoidable to take your children to the supermarket but why not leave them with your dp/mum etc? Or even better get dp to do the shopping. Or do it on-line.

[Thunderduck]

The OP seems to object to people with disabilities using P&C spaces.

[SparklyGothKat]

the OP said

I am sorry but Disabled person doesn't have a right to park on P&C anyway

The disabled bays here are often full up, so I will park in a P&C space. I have a huge motabilty van for DS1's wheelchair and parking it in a normal bay is possible, but can't get DS1 out easily. If I am on my own with Ds2 (22 months) I just park where I can, because I can park this wacking great big van in a normal bay and get him out

[Stayingsunnygirl]

I stand corrected, SparklyGothKat and Thunderduck. I don't think that that is an acceptable attitude, and I apologise for having forgotten that statement from her. I blame insufficient caffeine this morning.

[Thunderduck]

That's ok but you'd best remedy that situation and go and make yourself a huge mug of tea of coffee right now.

[Thunderduck]

Or.

[Stayingsunnygirl]

Yes Ma'am!!!

[margobambino]

Thank you elvislives and CyradisTheSeer. This is what exactly I meant. There is no point of turning this thread to disabled take priority debate.
I am not going to say anything else because I believe I am being attacked rudely by some people here by being called ridiculous, selfish, etc. I am going to report those.
I am also taking back my "disabled people don't have right to park on P&T bays" because it really wasn't what I wanted to discuss here. I just dared to respond an unnecessary and irrelevant post which at the end has turned my thread to a different discussion.
I just want to kindly remind you the beginning sentence of this thread
"Parent and child spaces or parent and car seat spaces"

[Thunderduck]

While you're in the kitchen I'll have a cup too please, tea, no sugar and just enough milk so that you can't see the bottom of the cup.
A chocolate digestive would be nice too.

[SoupDragon]

"The vast majority would be happy to have the wide spaces further away which would prevent abuse of the system. "

I meant the P&C wide spaces when I said this, not the disabled ones.

[Thunderduck]

You're going to report them?

If I reported every post that disagreed with me, or that I disagreed with I'd be there all day.
We're adults here are we not? You don't go running to the teacher because someone phrased a sentence in a way that you don't like.

[mosschops30]

Our local Sainburys has just introduced a £50 fine for parking in P&C spaces and Disabled space and I am

They have big posters and leaflets everywhere saying that disabled spaces are for disabled badge holders only and P&C spaces are for people with children under the age of 12 with them.

I get soo tired of seeing fat women in small cars parking P&C spaces who could clearly do with the exercise of walking a bit further to the shop.
And young fit men, with small penises and large cars that park in disabled spaces
Sometimes if I had a gun I'd get em all

Doesnt seem to be working though, saw 4 cars in 5 minutes pull away with no children

[Thunderduck]

That explains it. I read it twice just to be sure and it still seemed as though you say were saying that about disabled spaces.
We'll blame lack of chocolate.

Sunnygirl, best make that two chocolate digestives. Actually just bring me the whole pack.

[mosschops30]

why are people debating where disabled badge holders park? I thought you could park anywhere with a disabled badge?
Or am I just wandering into the minefield too late

[SoupDragon]

It was completely obvious what I meant and made perfect sense to me when I posted it... then I re read it after your comment and thought "Oh. That's not quite what I meant to say."

[Thunderduck]

I don't agree with the parking fines for P&C spaces as it makes it seem as though they are equivalent and as necessary as accessible spaces which they are not.

Sainsburys cannot legally enforce these fines anyway as they do not have the authority to do so.

I wouldn't park in a P&C space, or I should say my dp wouldn't as I don't drive, but neither do I agree with the fines.

[Thunderduck]

It's too early for me I'm afraid. My brain doesn't really begin to work until 6pm or so.

[mosschops30]

well I do because it pisses me off that they are usually taken by lazy pigs.
You just need the space when you have a baby or small toddler to get them out, and the way some people park next to you, you can barely get in and out yourself, never mind lifting out a car seat.