Parent and toddler parking

[mumbojumbo]

I completely lost the plot today at my local M&S / Tesco in Camberley. I had been hunting a parking space for some time when I spotted a parent and toddler space become vacant. Before I could get there, another car nicked the spot. I noticed pretty quickly that it was full of adults (senior citizens). I have nothing against seniors but being 39+1 weeks pregnant with a 23 month old toddler in tow, the red mist decended! I went over and had a word with the driver to the tune of.....did he realise that this was a space for parents with young children.....the reply from one of the passengers was that they had someone who couldn't walk very far and there were no disabled spaces (no disabled badge either). Normally I'm quite laid back about this, but I did point out that I'm 39 weeks pregnant and I can't walk that far either.......!

OMG, I've never taken it out on someone before, it must be those pregnancy hormones again .

What got me even more incensed was I spotted another car with adults in and no kids hogging a parent and toddler space on my way out!

There, rant over feel much better now.

Ah , I see, bloody cheek.

The supermarkets round here usually have the disabled trollies misdee, but I have a thing about the lack of appropriate highcahirs when out and about. We can't get ds into most types because of his legs, and he can't sit on a chair. We ended up buying our own portable chair to save the bother now. They looked at us like we were mad when we asked if they had anything more suitable.

My friend has put a suggestion in at our Asda that they move the p&t spaces to the far end of the car park to prevent people abusing them. Her argument is that its the space and appropriate trolleys you need - not proximity to the store.

Good idea, Bozza, but maybe halfway down the carpark would do? I used to work on a checkout at Sainsburys and always felt v sorry, watching mums with 2 or 3 children when it was pouring with rain and they were trying to get them all in the car without getting soaked, and that was in the spaces just outside the store.

Or else the stores could have staff standing by with big brollies on bad days...

They should invent some sort of rain canopy that clips onto the supermaket trolley to keep you all dry

If they just made all parking spaces wide enough to allow you to open your doors safely without whacking another car, we wouldn't need P&T space. Except in places like the Allders carpark in Croydon where you can only access the lifts from odd (or even, I can't remember which) numbered floors.

I don't agree that P&T spaces are necessarily less of a necessity than disabled spaces. Please don't think I'm belittling those who are entitled to a blue badge, but at 9 months pregnant with a 2yo in tow, I was certainly more disabled than my 93 yo grandmother with a replaced hip who has a blue badge!* It is also physically impossible to get out of the car in some carparks if you're pregnant or trying to extricate a toddler from a car seat, hence the reason I think all spaces should be wider. It's not a black and white subject.

• LOL - I remember having to send my dad to fetch the car once as I couldn't walk any further

soupy - I like your use of the asterisk - how learned you are - we cna have footnotes and refernces soon

I wasn't altogether sure I agreed with her Janh although I could see her point.

Wider spaces = fewer spaces though, learned Soupie.

Asda has brolly attendants who will escort you to your car when it's raining.

I reckon that most MNers with disabled children will think you are belittling those who are entitled to a blue badge. Being pregnant and having children is a lifestyle choice whereas my son's severe, lifelong autism, inability to speak or understand situations or danger is not. We MNers with disabled children have also made the lifestyle choice to have children and many of us have NT children as well as our disabled/SEN children so we do understand what its like to struggle when pregnant with toddlers and/or babies in tow, it doesn't compare in terms of level of "problem".

Yeah sorry I agree with davros. When I get my blue badge (must fill in mobility form- am hiding from it) it's a necessity to stop ds1 throwing himself in front of the nearest car- we need to be as close as possible to the store- I can't deal with dragging him across loads of roads etc as he gets older- its just too dangerous. I just don't have the same problems with ds2.

Blue badges seem to be easy to get where I live. My mum's neighbour said he got one with help from his uncle who's a GP. It is well known that there is corruption in the borough and because the system is abused the genuine holders get little sympathy which is sad. I was proud of myself the other day though when at Tescos. A large merc full of adults pulled up to the m&t spot and decided to reverse so pulled a little further on and put on the reverse lights - with superb road handing and power steering speedy gonzales got in first. I was ready for a fight but they saw my grinning mooey and drove off - I had 2 children in the car and a valid m&t badge so what could they have said.

Blue badges are not easy to get! I'm afraid that is a fallacy! Believe me I've been having a nightmare trying to get one. I agree that most people think that blue badges are easy to get and therefore the disabled get little sympathy.

There is nothing wrong with this man - he works and drives a top of the range merc. He has admitted to my mum his uncle has piulled strings. Those are the facts and I think it stinks.

Well, they are certainly NOT easy to get where i live I assure you. My ds, aged 3, had 3 medical assessments before they eventually decided to issue one to him as he has cerebral palsy.

I would suggest people do not post on the subject of blue badges unless they have PERSONALLY been through the application procedure and had one issued that is not necessary.

well the GP is totally corrupt then- and should be prosecuted for fraud- as should the man. Everyone I have spoken to has had problems getting blue badges. Including people with physical difficulties. I spoke to a spinal patient the other day who was in a wheelchair and she was turned down. corrupt GP's excepted it is not easy to get a blue badge.

There will always be exceptions where people get something by fraud but IT IS NOT EASY TO GET A BLUE BADGE!!!!! YOu sould shop this man as he is taking the p#ss!

Issymum- I've found that as well. I now have the piece of court judgement that I need to quote in order to get the badge- so will do it. Just need to borrow my friend's successful application to see how she phrased everything (she got it and her dd is very similar to my ds) DLA forms arrived in the post today- I have to reapply for care as well. yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck. I HATE those sodding forms.

If you seriously think I was belittling blue badge holders than you clearly misunderstood what I said. You may note that I used a very specific example of my (then) 93 year old grandmother and my personal health/fitness at 9 months pregnant. Being unable to walk far when 9 months pregnant is not a lifestyle choice, just as being unable to walk far through advanced age isn't. If I was belitting blue badge holders than clearly I was belittling my grandmother too - rather unlikely!!

well forget the belittling bit- but I've done the 9 months pregnant bit twice, and I need a space close to the shops more now than I did then. When pregnant I didn't have to wrestle a thumping kicking 4 year old with absolutely zero understanding of road safety to the shops without being run over. I suspect for people in wheelchairs etc the need for space to move is greater than for your average pregant person as well. Disabled spaces just are more of a necessity than mums and toddlers or pregnancy spaces.

Agree that spaces are often too narrow - but suspect that's a problem for tall people/obese people/elderly people/rugby players etc etc.

Re the everyone gets turned down first time thing. My late father applied for some form of invalidaty benefit when he was dying of cancer and he was turned down first time. My brother and I re-applied for him and he got it for the last few months before he died. Sick world, isn't it?

yes and personally I believe these govt dept "helplines" should be held accountable when they give out incorrect information. it is ridiculous that you have to know the law and court cases before you are able to get the help you are entitled to. As if the disabled/terminally ill don't have enough to cope with anyway.

my dh has been turned down 3 times now for DLA. he has a serious heart condition, is facing the possibility of heart transplant, and altho he tries to keep up his pace of life is so much slower.
i have been in agony when pregnant, my pelvis was coming apart (dont know the correct term for this) was on high doses of codeine and paracetaol, not ideal when pregnant but had to sope with the pain somehow. parking was a major problem, walking to the end of the road was a problem, a temp badge for those 5 weeks would've been good, or even if i'd been able to use parent and toddler parking (had a 2yr old at the time) without people hogging them when they didnt need them.

actually misdee- I think a temp blue badge would be a very good idea. There must be people recovering from ops who are temporarily disabled- sometimes quite severely. If they were issued with a strict time limit they would be fair (although I suppose the admin needed would be huge so its probably unworkable.

personally I never mind elderly people with mobility problems using mother and toddler spaces as I reckin they need it as much as your average mother and toddler.