Parking in mother and child space

JC9297

I've never understand why parent and child places need to be near the shop, they have extra space to get the child out and into a pushchair or the trolley, then most parents are able to walk across the car park perfectly well.

Lum

Not all children are strapped safely into pushchairs, especially with a larger family, you may have the youngest in a pushchair demanding all the parent's attention, meanwhile a couple of older ones on foot may decide to run around unpredictably while the parent is distracted.

Not all people who drive around supermarket car parks do so at a sensible speed, while paying attention to pedestrians such as children. Often people are paying more attention to the rows of cars looking for a space and not looking at who is in the road (or on the zebra crossing) directly in front of them.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

emg

I'm surprised that anyone would have issues with a parent and child parking space being used by someone with a disability.

kingfisherblue

Lum wrote: »

And a wheelchair user who is unable to walk is basically prevented from accessing their car at all if they park in a regular sized space and someone parks next to them. Unless they have a carer with them to move the car, they would literally have to wait for the car next to them to move.

People who use other kind of mobility aids, such as walkers or in some cases even crutches, face the same problem.

In a worst case scenario, assuming you're able bodied, you could at least pull the car forward a couple of meters for loading.


If this sort of thing is a regular occurrence then really a word needs to be had with the management about the insufficient number of accessible spaces.

It can be a problem leaving the disabled person alone on the pavement, even if only for a moment. My son is disabled and I would not leave him in his wheelchair alone while I moved the car forward - he has no understanding of 'stranger danger', he can walk (very short distance and with pain and breathlessness) so he might get out of his chair. More importantly, he is likely to get upset if he sees me getting into the car and driving it away from him, even though it would only be a couple of feet - he has learning difficulties and this would be hard for him to understand. Fortunately, for us, I would be able to get him out of the wheelchair and into the car, as he doesn't need his chair bringing up to the car door.

I do park in disabled spaces when I have my son with me, but if none are available, I have parked in a parent and child space. He is still a child, but is 14, so not a young child (he looks about 10).

It really bugs me that Tesco in Prescot, near Liverpool, has parent and child spaces next to the store entrance, then a couple of rows of 'ordinary' spaces, then the disabled spaces :mad:. I have complained (locally and to head office), but to no avail. I no longer shop there. (They didn't have any wheelchairs for use in the store last time I went, either - they said that they keep being stolen, despite the invisible security line around the car park that is supposed to stop such thefts).

Lum

kingfisherblue wrote: »

It can be a problem leaving the disabled person alone on the pavement, even if only for a moment. My son is disabled and I would not leave him in his wheelchair alone while I moved the car forward - he has no understanding of 'stranger danger', he can walk (very short distance and with pain and breathlessness) so he might get out of his chair.

Sorry, I was posting from the position of where the disabled person is also the driver. Obviously every situation is different, and the solution I proposed does not apply to everybody.

When we go out, if my partner is having a good spoons day and I'm not then she will do the driving and I will just sort out the wheelchair at the destination, so as to share the use of spoons rather than having me do all the driving and sort out the chair. When she's out on her own then the chair lives on the passenger seat and she has no choice but to do it all herself.

kingfisherblue

Spoons? Am I missing something?

ETA: Sorry, I've just realised that you have included a link. I'll read it tomorrow as I'm off to bed now. I'll get aboutt an hour before my son's first feed of the night.

night everyone x

Lum

Have a read of: http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/

In fact anyone who thinks that disability = wheelchair should read that article.

It's basically a metaphor used by people with conditions that leave them so lacking in energy to perform day to day functions that they need to budget their energy use the same way someone in poverty may have to budget their spending on essentials

For example someone in poverty may ask: do I feed myself or my child? Someone with a serious "spoons" condition may have to choose between changing their pyjamas today vs sticking a ready meal in the microwave.

shegirl

Lum wrote: »

Not all children are strapped safely into pushchairs, especially with a larger family, you may have the youngest in a pushchair demanding all the parent's attention, meanwhile a couple of older ones on foot may decide to run around unpredictably while the parent is distracted.

Not all people who drive around supermarket car parks do so at a sensible speed, while paying attention to pedestrians such as children. Often people are paying more attention to the rows of cars looking for a space and not looking at who is in the road (or on the zebra crossing) directly in front of them.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Yeah,you're going into a situation completely within your control -you decide to have the children,are responsible for them and choose to take them all shopping with you.

None of that compares to having to park close to store or in wider spaces due to disability.

Aside from that,what do you think people did before these P&C spaces appeared?They didn't leave their kids at home to go shopping,they took them and lived!

Richie-from-the-Boro

C'mon folks, this area of the forum is to do with issues of disability, last time I checked people who gave birth to children, are ,not by cause of the act of childbirth, classed as disabled. A lobby group persuaded a marketing executive that his/her supermarketing group could up~the~sales by providing P&C parking. It might be conveniently worth you shopping there, it might be perceived safer but its no different to a BOGOFF or a two~for~one offer.

Any disabled BB individual should without compunction whatsoever use any available P&C place, and any BB space filled by anyone not displaying a valid BB should be reported and moved on by supermarket staff / security even if they are disabled.

The answer to the OP is .. .. .. yes of course you can park in a P&C place with a valid Blue Badge, and .. .. no one can legitimately park in a BB space without a Blue Badge.

DevilsAdvocate1

SailorSam wrote: »

Look at it the other way around, do you think it's fair that someone parked in 'your' disabled bay if all the mother and child places were full.

As the mother of 3 young children, I have never seen the need to use mother and baby spaces. I always found it too stressful trying to get one, so would park in the quieter area of the car park instead. Yes, this results in a longer walk, but I am lucky to be fit and able as are my children.

Even when I was a registered childminder, I didn't bother with these spaces and I sometimes had 6 children with me, 3 of which were under school age.