Parking- a new am I being unreasonable thread

[MPV]

OK, changed name to prevent embarrasment. I work in a office with a small car park. Spaces are allocated on a rota so you get to park one month in 6.

Last time I had a space it was under the building. You park 3 in a line between pillars with the first in at the back, so when they want to go you have 2 people moving their cars. I managed to scrape my MPV down one of these pillars on my last day parking (my own fault- I forgot I'd gone in on a different angle) & did £300 damage to my car.

I now have a new MPV which is a lot bigger than the last one & doesn't fit lengthwise or width in a space. My new space starts on Monday & I went to the people who do the rota who kindly allocated one outdoors on an end to give the extra width.

Late Friday someone came to me with the rota in their hand to say that my space would be ideal for a girl who is pregnant & would I swap for a space under the building!! She is very far gone & having trouble with her hip.. I felt like the biggest cad out, but I said no, explaining that my car was too big to fit under the building.

He went away to ask someone else, but in my head I can hear my mothers voice telling me I'm being selfish & thoughtless, while the other part of my brain says if she's having that much trouble moving around she should have started her Maternity leave (she's got less than 2 months to go till the baby comes).

He came back to say the person behind me has swapped & could I park in their space so she can be in front. (Apparently she COULD still get in behind if I didn't). This will mean reversing up to motorbikes & manouvering around her car when I leave. It's reversing I have most trouble with & it's worrying me sick but I felt so mean I said I would. DH says I should have said no or they'll keep expecting me to compromise. I'm usually really scathing of these girlies who can't reverse or park so I feel really stupid that I can't... Difficult to judge how close you are in a big MPV...

OK, am I being unreasonable?

I discussed this thread with DH tonight - he is nicer than me (and his index finger is longer than his ring finger!) - he had 3 pertinent comments:

1. pregnancy should take priority over parking difficulty
2. spouses' comments in this sort of situation are not always helpful
3. he wouldn't want to work above the 1st floor if he had mobility probs.

There. I've probably peed both sides off now.

The fire hazard comment reminded me of the fire drill in 'The Office' when they left the girl in the wheelchair on the stairs.

...star of bright. Let our headlights light up the night.
I am wondering, still am pondering,
Some cars are needed, it's not black and white.

star so bright? I've been singing it wrong all these years.

yeah- we all put our foot in our mouths at times- I think mine lives there permanently- and you have to accept that the fire hazard comment was one of those moments. This is a board chock full of disabled kids- and pregnant women so it was always going to offend- even if it did come from your dh.

Amyway glad you got to park ok.

ROFL soupy- wish I could be as creative.

oh hilarious Tinker! The whole disabled stuff in the office was a stroke of genius. We all know a David Brent (the way he kept moving the chair in the pub- didn't it make you cringe).

BRRRRRRRRAVO Soupy! Great post!

Yes MPV. What do you expect when you come out with comments like that?????

And I think if someone I was talking to face to face said that I would be a lot less polite than I have been here!

Some people have been remarkably polite!

We 3 Mums of Mumsnet are
We post our thoughts on this womans car
fights and tantrums
tears and angry Mums
Follow the crowd to the baaa-aar

Bar of yonder
Bar of light
Bar on Mumsnet
Stops the fight

etc

I have missed a scrap!

Coddy..... your soooooo ssssllloww.

KS -

MPV, I do think you're being a bit touchy! Your question was "am I unreasonable". Maybe you should've put "only reply if your answer is no" afterwards!

I have read it now.

I am the Queen of parking and once got a round of applause after a really deft parallel park....

I think that peole are sexist twds women in MPVs - m one would criticise a man in a big car and they often dont drive kids around

Oh little town of Bethlehem
How small thy spaces are.
I can not fit my vehicle in
I'm told to get a car.
Yet here on Mumsnet some people just don't see
How tough it just can be
When someone says I have to move
My pristine MPV

nah coddy I moan about all MPV's (especially ones with one man in- having 4 kids is a fair enough reason for having an MPV). Won't tell you what they're called in our house, we had to tone it down though i case one of our children ever decides to start talking.

This thread was supposed to be about this poor pg woman not whether it is morally acceptable to have an MPV!

I still maintain that if you can't reverse your car regardless of size you shouldn't be driving it! Road safety issue, I wouldn't like my dd to be run over by someone who is not capable of reversing their car properly. Or anyone else for that matter.

what? a deviation On mN shock?

Hmmm good point coddy!

ks, try to ignore the ones who drive up your arse while you're doing the speed limit - I find that now too, since getting my (ahem) 2 tickets. They will get theirs in due course (4, and a ban, with a bit of luck.)

KS - I wholeheartedly agree.

DP thinks he is a better driver than me because he is better at controlling the car at high speeds. I think I am a better driver because I don't drive at high speeds. Or not that high anyway

Being crap at reverse parking doesn't make you dangerous - thinking you are the king of the road does IMO. At least crap parkers know to check for pedestrians. Usually.

Jan did you drive much in Spain? There are nutters out there. AND the general standard of parking is slap-dash to say the least. Especially in those prettily painted parking spaces otherwise known as zebra crossings.

MPV - couldn't you give up one of your kids, then you could get a normal size car which would be within your driving skills.

Driving was one of the most fascinating parts of the holiday, Senora P! I particularly appreciated the ones who exit a roundabout from the inside lane, across your bows.

The English woman who came to clean our villa (before we were ready to leave - had a bit of a hitch in the power/water dept!) had brought a RHD car over so that she could drive really close to the edge of the road without falling off - in order to keep as far away as poss from the oncoming traffic, I think.

PS I really liked the covered parking at supermarkets though!

yes - great if you can find a space among all the BMWs parked accross two spaces.

Still, the weather's nice.