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Original poster

Disabled parking - was I an utter cow?

84 replies

BadHair · 24/04/2006 23:44

Opinions please - be honest, I can take it.

My work base is in a university library. There is one disabled space right outside the front door. There are plenty of standard spaces within approx. 20 paces of front door.

On Saturday, when more or less the entire car park was empty, a car pulled up and parked in the one disabled space. Out got a pregnant woman, probably about 7 months, not huge but obviously showing. Standard policy is to discourage people from using this space unless they have a blue badge, due to recent complaints from disabled drivers. So, I nipped outside and politely told her that this was a disabled space, and did she have a valid blue badge.

To which she pointed at her bump and replied "HELLO, I'M PREGNANT". "Yes, but you're not actualy disabled, are you? This space is for people with mobility problems" was my reply. She snorted at me and charged inside (quite nimbly, it has to be said) to deposit her books and spend a good hour on a computer, all the while hogging the disabled space.

So, was I a cow, or was she just a lazy git? Need to know as I have to decide whether to report her if she does it again.

OP posts:
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eidsvold · 25/04/2006 10:23

lazy git - when is pregnancy in itself a disability.

jamsam · 25/04/2006 10:27

i got a fine for wrongly parking in a disabled space even though i had a badge and was escorting my dad to the day centre where he worked ( he was registered blind and had mobility problems) but when i contested it i was told " YOU are not disabled so why did YOU have the badge"
you just cant win...

RnB · 25/04/2006 10:28

she was certainly a stupid cow.

spacecadet · 25/04/2006 10:30

it is the car park owners to ensure disabled spaces arent abused-you did the right thing, at the endof the day, no blue badge= no parking in disabled space.

Original poster
BadHair · 25/04/2006 10:32

Oh wow, I've just come back to this and I'm really chuffed that you all think I did the right thing. Have been worried that I shouldn't have said anything.
Right, if she does it again this week not only will I report her but she'll get one of our special extra-super-sticky stickers put on her windscreen. It's like SoupDragon's one but with our logos all over it and DO NOT PARK HERE in humungous letters. I might just add "you selfish witch" to the end of it for good measure, but I think she might guess it was me.
Thanks for your replies - you've made my mind up.

OP posts:
fairyjay · 25/04/2006 10:35

Not only was she out of order in the way she spoke to you, but to hang around for an hour blocking the space made it twice as bad.

Report her - she's got to learn that the world doesn't revolve around her - although thinking about, she'll learn that in a couple of months anyway!!

fairyjay · 25/04/2006 10:37

Make sure you stick it on with super strong glue!

lucykate · 25/04/2006 10:37

stick one of those stickers on EVERY window on her car, and take a photo and put it in member profiles so we can all see Grin

lazy lazy woman!

SoupDragon · 25/04/2006 10:40

\link{http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39854000/jpg/_39854883_poster203.jpg\pmsl} :o

JoolsToo · 25/04/2006 10:41

Lazy AND rude

Earthymama · 25/04/2006 10:41

Maybe hijack but must tell you! was out with a friend who said they would never use a disabled space but regularly park in Mother and Child spaces cos 'how hard is it to get a kid out of a car?'!!!!
need I say she's childless!!!!
I think it's the attitude that's the problem, if she'd said 'baby's lying on a nerve, come and get me if anyone else with badge needsthe space' you'd probably feel more kindly. You were right!!

oliveoil · 25/04/2006 10:48

the amount of people that park in disabled bays without badges staggers me

at our local park, there are about 8 or so, then 2 M&B ones, surrounded by about 400 other parking spaces.

Guess which ones are full of lazy morons without badges, stuffing chips in their face whilst their offspring cause havoc unmonitored in the play area?

dh always walks past and says loudly 'hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm NO BADGE!!????'

I was a barrage balloon when pregnant but not disabled (although a major pita).

SoupDragon · 25/04/2006 10:48

\link{http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/images/baywatchscreen.pdf\this} was the poster I was remembering. It's rather more polite than my first link :o

expatinscotland · 25/04/2006 10:49

Why were you a cow? I just don't see it. Sorry, but this is another time when I think the UK needs to get tougher on - fine 'em, tow 'em away, boot 'em. Parking in a disabled space is illegal if you don't have a badge. End of. I'd see if the University could get a contract w/a tow company to remove vehicles like this OR I would have phoned security to get her to move her cow ass car.

Sorry, having been temporarily disabled myself, this makes me SEE RED when an able bodied person - ANY able bodied person - parks in a disabled space.

If your pregnancy has compromised your mobility, see about getting a temporary badge - I had one after leg surgeries.

End of.

oliveoil · 25/04/2006 10:51

I prefer the first one soupy

SoupDragon · 25/04/2006 10:51

Me too, Olive. Especially if printed on something super sticky :)

spacecadet · 25/04/2006 12:33

soupy when i clicked on your second link and saw the file title, i thought what the hell has david hasselhof got to do with disabled parking!Grin

SoupDragon · 25/04/2006 13:47

:o

Lottielou · 25/04/2006 14:27

As she was so nimble and obvioulsy had no problems in walking then i'd say go ahead and report the laxy git.
I'm 33 weeks pregnant and have spent about 4 months of my pregnancy on crutches, then i had no problems in using the disables spaces, Allthough even then i did make sure that there was more than one available.
I'm walking a lot better now so dont have to use them.
There is no excuse for her!

Twinkie1 · 25/04/2006 14:33

Get a marker pen and scrawl you have our space would you like our disability across her windscreen!!!

Lottielou · 25/04/2006 14:49

LOL Twinkie! I like that Grin

Twinkie1 · 25/04/2006 14:59

Don;t laugh when I was young and foolish I parked in a disabled space top run in M&S and get a loaf of bread - came out and someone had stuck a sticker all the way across windscreen saying that!!!

It was stuck on with this shitty gum stuff that you just couldn;t get off either - had to stay and wait for help to even be able to drive - never parked anywhere I shouldn;t of again!!

blobsmummy · 25/04/2006 16:01

I agree with all the above. If she's got a real mobility problem, then get a temporary badge, or at least have the courtesy to leave the space ASAP.

However, with no mobility problems and THEN sticking around for another hour - she's really pushing it. And there is never any excuse for rudeness. Tut tut.

(BadHair, i also work in a university library! I know perfectly how rude some students can be, and that's definitely a misdeamor worth reporting!)

mummypumpkin · 25/04/2006 21:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Blossomhill · 25/04/2006 22:01

I am sure you can clamped/get a ticket for parking in a disabled bay without a badge.

Disgusting IMO to use when you are not disabled. How can you do that knowing that someone with real problems with their mobility may not get a space????