Mother and Child parking.......

[IsawKIMIkissingSantaClaus]

Has there been a thread about the woman of 41 weeks pregnant who got a ticket for parking in the M+C space at Tesco?

Poor woman was huge, I think she should have been able to use it without penalty.

why did she get a ticket?? Tescos usually allow you to use spaces when pg as oyu do tend to need to open the door wider etc.

Tesco had a parking company running the car park and they gave the woman a ticket (tesco have since paid the £90 but the parking firm are saying they did nothing wrong!!!)

I think very pregnant women should be able to use the M+C spaces, and this poor woman is the size of a bus.

Poor woman, how humiliating

humiliating?

I fail to see anything humiliating in getting a parking ticket .. irritating maybe

I used to use the M&T spaces when I was pregnant.

I used them when expecting DS2 even if DS1 was not with us, as DS2 decided to do something weird to my pelvis and I could hardly walk.

I saw quote from the stupid company saying 'pregnancy is not a disability, it is a lifestyle choice. Idiots! And how many times, exactly, has the spokesman been pregnant?

edam - i can see that comment being valid if she had parked in a disabled bay, but if it was a M&C space, well, she has got a child with her, hasn't she!!?

She still has not had the baby, poor woman, 42 weeks now

She still has not had the baby, poor woman, 42 weeks now

I think they should scrap all mother and baby parking places and charge people to park in the bigger places. 99% of people who use them don't need them. Especially if they got rid of their giant gas guzzling 4X4s or people carriers and opted for something smaller. Or even shock horror! Walked!

However that comment is almost guarenteed to start a fight on mumsnet. Prehaps women who are having a particularly hellish pregnancy should be given a temporary disabled parking badge. (Ie. for women who are expecting triplets, or having an EXPECTIONALLY bad pregnancy)

here

Never heard of mother and child parking before I moved to England, but they have maternity parking outside of some stores like Babies R Us and Motherhood maternity in the US. However, for the most part, all parking spaces are larger in the US (yea, Reallytired....to have room for those huge SUVs) except in garages in NYC or Chicago so no problem.

I do NOT think pregnant women should park in these spaces simply because they are pregnant, but I do think they should be able to get a temp. disabled permit if there are medical reasons for doing so..triplets, diabetes, etc...leave this up to women to ask from their GPs.

I really disagree with Reallytired...you must get some rest...to think really pregnant women should WALK to the store. So I have an 18 mo. old, just tell me how we should walk 5 miles one way to the store? How do I get DD and all those groceries home...horse and buggy? Sorry , but I'm American and have a large frig, and shop every 2 wks. or so...we don't go to the store everyday of our lives...Also, most of my English friends don't shop everyday, so how do they get home with their kids and groceries ? BTW, I walk almost every day, and do walk to the corner to get bread and milk and walk to most places downtown, but I draw the line at dealing with 10-12 bags of groceries.

When I was super pregnant, I parked in the far reaches of the car park because it's good to walk when you are pregnant..assuming you do not have a specific medical concern...see above.

I also think mother and child parking should be for mother and toddler...I'd err on the conservative side, but say that no one should park there if they have kids that can walk on their own and DO NOT need to have their hand held to keep from walking out in traffic..don't know the exact age, but over 7 or so should not use this space. I know a very large women (not picking on anybody here) but she needs to walk, but parks in the mother and child spaces every Sat. am and her kids are 14 and 15. this is crazy, but according to the rules, she isn't breaking the rules.

Lastly,I'd fire that guy who gave her the ticket...sometimes rules are okay if they are broken. He should have given her a break, and the stupd comment...although correct for the most part..was insensitive.

We had a tesco babyclub parking voucher when I was pregnant with DS1 it was sent to us when we joined the babyclub ie when pregnant and we checked they said it was ok to use it before baby arrived. we just had to make sure the voucher was in the window when we parked in the M&T spots.

Sounds like a jobsworth!

I reckon all parking tickets are a tax on pregnant women, new mothers and anyone else who has good reason to be a tiny bit disorganised or easily waylaid - I speak as someone who's had a few in her time (and in the past few months) and is very ANNOYED. I know this is a tangent from the OP (sorry) as not talking about the parental bays (which I love by the way) but in general, I'm happy to pay to park but not to pay £60 because a) I've fallen over while lifting my baby from car and been too shocked to notice my pay and display sticker has blown away b) I'm back to the car two minutes late because the baby has been crying and I've had to feed her c) I've been held up in some clinic or other, etc etc etc. I think there should be a way you can clock in and out so you pay your dues but avoid these fines all the time. Rant over, sorry for hijack and for copious post partum parking fines...

It's a subject done to death on here, but today I managed to get a P&T space at Tesco by going at school pickup time and the woman next to me had a babyseat in her car but no child.

To my mind that is worse than any number of other people taking the space with no children, because she should know better.

Tescos limit is the day before the childs 5th birthday.

really tired
i have a 4x4
with 7 seats for my 5 children
we lives approx 8 miles from our nearest shop
i have a horsebox
and a cattle trailer
(and horses and cows obviously)
sorry that offends you!

and I don't want to argue with anyone - just pointing out that some people need them
don't you think i would like something smaller and cheaper?

Honestly some women have given to birth to their brains as well as the placenta and baby. Just because you have a baby does not mean that you have the right to flout the law.

In other countries people cope without mother and toddler spaces. Its not as if mother and toddlers are banned from a carpark. Our nearest tescos carpark is not that big or full.

Unless a child has problems with physical development they should be either light enough to be carried to a trolley or able to walk the short distance.

I think that there should be harsher penalties for people who park in disabled places. (Ie. losing your driving licence for repeat offenders)

cazboldy...laughing hysterically here...oh goodness...maybe really tired thinks you should ride the horse to the store with a buggy

the lady I know parks with the 14 and 15 yr old at Tescos all the time..that's the only place she shops...she should get a ticket if the rule says have to be under 5...I didn't know that.

What makes me mad is all the old folks who park in the mother and child spaces..I see this all the time, and I ask them about it and they say..well all the handicapped spaces were taken,but most of the time this isn't true...they just park in the closest one available..they think cause they're old they can do whatever they want..also seems like old people in general hate the mother and baby spaces

really tired...I can't resist asking you this.hope you come back and honestly answer this question.

Although there are some people who generally believe everybody should drive small cars or cars should be banned from the planet...most people ...if they had the chance to win a FREE SUV....would take it. So if you won a loaded Range Rover, would you decline it?

This is just a rhetorical question, but honestly think of the answer. So many people I know complain about SUVs because they can't afford one or don't have a place to park it..but then when they get older, or if circumstances change for the better...they THEY get a SUV. I know somebody who used to love getting arrested at the Earth First gatherings and now they've graduated from univ. and they have an SUV.

Think about it.

Also, why are large cars a problem just because they're large? Why not strive for cleaner cars that use less energy or do away with petrol?

Lastly, if you think cars are so bad, I'd argue it you want to go back into the dark ages, why do you have electricity or inside heat or modern applicances? (Assuming you do have these items.) Why not build a fire outside and wash clothes by hand or whatever?

I used M&T spaces when pg with dts after returning to my car (parked in a normal space) one time and not being able to get in it and the cars either side had parked too close and I was the size of a whale from early on.

Was reading upwards and about to say almost exactly what Oooggs said.

I drive a golf (quite small really) but twice when pregnant with DS I came back to find someone had parked so close to the driver's side I had to climb across the gearstick etc from the passenger side just so I could go home. Not easy when pregnant.

I am now 7 months pregnant with twins and had to do a huge shop on Monday as had not been for ages. DS was at nursery but I parked in the P&T space as one was free and it was so close to the shop and I was feeling like shit and could not have physically got myself over the bloody gearstick if I had found myself in that situation.

Was reading upwards and about to say almost exactly what Oooggs said.

I drive a golf (quite small really) but twice when pregnant with DS I came back to find someone had parked so close to the driver's side I had to climb across the gearstick etc from the passenger side just so I could go home. Not easy when pregnant.

I am now 7 months pregnant with twins and had to do a huge shop on Monday as had not been for ages. DS was at nursery but I parked in the P&T space as one was free and it was so close to the shop and I was feeling like shit and could not have physically got myself over the bloody gearstick if I had found myself in that situation.