Parent and child parking

[Bellissima7]

Hi, I'm a new mum, currently my baby is 2 months old. Over the past few weeks I've been getting increasingly frustrated with the parent and child parking situation out and about and am wondering if anyone has links to any campaigning that has been done by mumsnet over the past few years to try and improve this situation because it's high time we tried to change the law on it for a better deal for parents and also heavily pregnant women come to think of it, we need better access to parking...

get so frustrated when I see people with no children or disabilities using the available spots,
What does a person with disabilities look like?

cantthinkstraighta - please read your post back to yourself and tell me again you resent people with disabilities using p and c spaces. Just think about it for a few moments.

Why do oaps need be parked any closer than children?

Actually i take that right back! Im the one who needed to reread your post which I did!!! Huge apologies.

Hello op , don't agree ref disabled spaces as disability isn't a choice unlike being a parent.
However the amount of people without any children with them using parent and child spaces does annoy me. They are there to prevent cars getting damaged as getting car seats in Nd out takes room. The shops should ticket people who abuse spaces same as they should ticket people who use disabled bays without a blue badge.

Why are you bringing disabled spaces into it? They are a legal right, a necessity for many and have nothing to do with parent and child parking. And what kind of person complains about elderly people using a facility that might make their life a bit easier?

Being above the age of retirement doesn’t automatically make you less able to navigate a car park safely than a toddler.

Oh op, it’s your PFB and we have all been there.

Toddlers can be carried, or strapped into buggies or trolley seats. Some elderly people may have reduced mobility- OP talks about 'little old ladies' which whilst patronising indicates frailty rather than describing a fit and healthy 60 year old.

Frustrating when parents with older children who can clearly walk further are taking up the spaces

My DD is 8. She can clearly walk. She also suffers from Autism. I use a parent and child space if there is one available. It's hard enough taking her to the supermarket without people like you judging my life.

Take your frustration and ram it

Sometimes when I go to the supermarket at 9pm (after the gym, I'm tres sporty) the p&c are full. Clearly if they do have children they should be in bed so I think those spaces should flip into something else... and those who use them inappropriately should be fined.

It does annoy me when people without children park in parent and child spaces.

I would like to see them further away from the shop entrance. Most of the time they are right outside which is prime parking real estate and more likely to be abused. Like OP says, the reason they are so useful to parents in the extra space rather than proximity to the shops. I am quite happy to walk further if I get the extra space. And people will be less inclined to park in them just to be closer to the shops!

totally agree with this. They should make the P & C spaces larger ones as far away from the store entrace as possible. Then the CFs wouldnt be tempted to use themas there would be no percieved benefit (nearer) and the parents could get them out more easily and push them (pushchairs, trolleys with car seat area) over to tbe entrance. Disabled bays, for people with disbaled badges only, near store as they need to be nearer. Problems solved.

However, i guarantee most parents wouldn't bother with the extra walk, because its not really that necessary once you get over the PFB stage.