Parent and Child Spaces

c68zapdsm5i1ru

Just witnessed a big row outside Tesco between a woman with two young children and an elderly woman, because the elderly woman took the last P&C space. I was a bit gobsmacked as I didn't think people took those spaces that seriously. I've parked in them myself once or twice when the car park was full, or if I'm shopping late in the evening and they're mostly empty.

Just wondering how seriously posters on here take them?

Guy:Incognito

The shop owns the car park. They set the rules. If you dont want to follow their rules, go shop somewhere else.

I'm sure you expect people to follow your rules on your property.

Menas

I have lost the head a couple of times where people have wrongly parked in those spaces.
Now, I would not be losing it wiht an elderly person...but someone younger - yes.

The thing is that if you park in a normal parking spot and have a baby in one of those isofix removable seats...then there is not enough room in a normal parking spot to remove the baby without banging your door against the car beside you. So you end up having to remove the baby before you get in the spot. Put the seat in the buggy and then get back in the car and park it.
This is not a problem with the bigger 'parent and child' spots.

Now, for older kids who dont need prams - no need to be parking in those spots.

eviltwin

Put them down the end of the car park, see how many people want to use them then.

I understand that the argument for this is that it gives parents space to open a door fully to remove a car seat but I don't buy that. Unless car park spaces have shrunk in the past 20 years.

Joeseph Balls

Finn Vast Snot wrote: »

Just witnessed a big row outside Tesco between a woman with two young children and an elderly woman, because the elderly woman took the last P&C space. I was a bit gobsmacked as I didn't think people took those spaces that seriously. I've parked in them myself once or twice when the car park was full, or if I'm shopping late in the evening and they're mostly empty.

Just wondering how seriously posters on here take them?

I'm healthy so I don't use them unless the baby is with me. I've no problem if an older person or injured person uses them. What I do hate is some middle aged man, fag in mouth, pull up in his new BMW or similar but its not like its against the law or anything...

c68zapdsm5i1ru

I agree they should not be up at the door. You can provide extra wide spaces anywhere in the car park. In any event I have often seen elderly people have to open the door to it's full width in order to ease themselves out of the car.

Guy:Incognito

eviltwin wrote: »

Unless car park spaces have shrunk in the past 20 years.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4367498597_ec4f72e848_o.jpg

biko

Tbh, try go shopping with 2 small kids. It can be a nightmare and anything the shop can do to alleviate that is good imo.

AnonoBoy

eviltwin wrote: »

Unless car park spaces have shrunk in the past 20 years.

I think they have. But that might be like when you go to your grandparents house and you realise that the furniture that used to look huge is now tiny.

eviltwin

Finn Vast Snot wrote: »

I agree they should not be up at the door. You can provide extra wide spaces anywhere in the car park. In any event I have often seen elderly people have to open the door to it's full width in order to ease themselves out of the car.

In my local Tesco the spaces closest to the door are Parent and Child, the disabled spaces are behind them. I don't understand that but its all about getting people in the door to buy your products. They should be down the end of the car park though, the lazy sods who steal them wouldn't bother and that would leave them free for parents with small kids.

pippip

eviltwin wrote: »

Put them down the end of the car park, see how many people want to use them then.

I understand that the argument for this is that it gives parents space to open a door fully to remove a car seat but I don't buy that. Unless car park spaces have shrunk in the past 20 years.

No but cars have got bigger, alot bigger.

Uriel.

eviltwin wrote: »

Put them down the end of the car park, see how many people want to use them then.

I understand that the argument for this is that it gives parents space to open a door fully to remove a car seat but I don't buy that. Unless car park spaces have shrunk in the past 20 years.

I don't have any kids and I don't have experience of taking kids in and out of car seats etc, but there are a so many car parks around the place which seem to have very narrow parking spaces that I would not be at all surprised if this was a genuine problem for parents or carers of small children.

kylith

eviltwin wrote: »

In my local Tesco the spaces closest to the door are Parent and Child, the disabled spaces are behind them. I don't understand that but its all about getting people in the door to buy your products. They should be down the end of the car park though, the lazy sods who steal them wouldn't bother and that would leave them free for parents with small kids.

Whatever about the wheelchair bound, I wouldn't like to hop all the way across a carpark on crutches, or to try shepherd two children across a busy one.

Gatling

The mother was an idiot in this case .
Wonder if it was entitlement vs need that caused the problem

Patser

Having p&c parking in front of shop usually means there's also a footpath kids and buggies can safely be put on while getting whatever paraphernalia you need out of the car. And you'll be amazed the crap you end up carrying.

Putting them on far side of car park means having Toddlers possibly wandering into roadways. Doesn't look good for a shopping centre to be in news for kiddie death rates.

MarkR

Might give out to someone parking without a badge in a disabled spot. Wouldn't bother with a parent and child spot. And i've a kid with special needs who can be a handful sometimes! I prefer when they put the parent / child spots away from the door. The worst I've seen are lidl and tesco. People not even in spots, but parked on double yellow lines right outside the door.

Gatling

Patser wrote: »

Doesn't look good for a shopping centre to be in news for kiddie death rates.

Are you for real

c68zapdsm5i1ru

I would actually see elderly people as having an equal, if not greater, need of spaces beside the door, and extra wide spaces. Maybe supermarkets should just have a bay of extra wide spaces without specifying that they're for people with children. I know you'd still get some thoughtless people using them who don't need them, but they'd be available for old people who struggle to get out of a car or for people who have to put awkward or large parcels in and out of the car and other shoppers who might occasionally need an extra wide space.

Riverireland

kylith wrote: »

Whatever about the wheelchair bound, I wouldn't like to hop all the way across a carpark on crutches, or to try shepherd two children across a busy one.

My neighbours, mother and daughter both have wheelchair parking stickers on their cars. The mother did have an accident about 15 years ago but they have never used a wheelchair. No need for them to be taking up disabled parking.

c68zapdsm5i1ru

Riverireland wrote: »

My neighbours, mother and daughter both have wheelchair parking stickers on their cars. The mother did have an accident about 15 years ago but they have never used a wheelchair. No need for them to be taking up disabled parking.

My father had a disabled sticker and never used a wheelchair in his life. He did, however, have severe lung problems which made it difficult to walk very far. Disabilities aren't always immediately obvious and don't always involve needing a wheelchair. It's actually very difficult to get a blue badge.

Patser

Gatling wrote: »

Are you for real

Why? Because putting parents with multiple kids on furthest side of car park isn't the safest option. Imagine having 3 kids under 6 (I don't) but trying to keep them.all together across a car park (let's say Liffey valleys car park) on a busy day. You have to see the inherent risk there, or at least the annoyance to the parent.

As opposed to p&c parking near the entrance with a footpath immediately beside the car -
again Liffeyvalley as example. Kids immediately out of traffic.

kylith

Riverireland wrote: »

My neighbours, mother and daughter both have wheelchair parking stickers on their cars. The mother did have an accident about 15 years ago but they have never used a wheelchair. No need for them to be taking up disabled parking.

Finn Vast Snot wrote: »

My father had a disabled sticker and never used a wheelchair in his life. He did, however, have severe lung problems which made it difficult to walk very far. Disabilities aren't always immediately obvious and don't always involve needing a wheelchair. It's actually very difficult to get a blue badge.

And my cousin has a prosthetic leg. You wouldn't notice anything more than a limp if you saw her, but she certainly finds the handicapped spaces a help.

freshpopcorn

Riverireland wrote: »

My neighbours, mother and daughter both have wheelchair parking stickers on their cars. The mother did have an accident about 15 years ago but they have never used a wheelchair. No need for them to be taking up disabled parking.

That drives me absolutely mad. They don't have a wheel chair, so why do they have a disability badge.

Generic Dreadhead

Finn Vast Snot wrote: »

Just witnessed a big row outside Tesco between a woman with two young children and an elderly woman, because the elderly woman took the last P&C space.

Old people acting entitled? No Way :eek:

c68zapdsm5i1ru

Patser wrote: »

Why? Because putting parents with multiple kids on furthest side of car park isn't the safest option. Imagine having 3 kids under 6 (I don't) but trying to keep them.all together across a car park (let's say Liffey valleys car park) on a busy day. You have to see the inherent risk there, or at least the annoyance to the parent.

As opposed to p&c parking near the entrance with a footpath immediately beside the car -
again Liffeyvalley as example. Kids immediately out of traffic.

If you put a trolley bay and a pathway beside the spaces then there's no extra risk to the children, and spaces by the door are freed up so elderly people also have access to them.

cocker5

freshpopcorn wrote: »

That drives me absolutely mad. They don't have a wheel chair, so why do they have a disability badge.

A disability badge is NOT reserved for people in wheel chairs.. its for people with a disability.. hence the name.

My father had a major stroke 15 years ago, mobility is pretty bad, although he doesn't use a wheel chair he is very slow to move and unsteady on his feet - he has a badge.

c68zapdsm5i1ru

freshpopcorn wrote: »

That drives me absolutely mad. They don't have a wheel chair, so why do they have a disability badge.

As I said earlier, you don't need a wheelchair to be disabled and not able to walk very far. They're not 'wheelchair' spaces, they're 'disabled' spaces and are available to people with breathing problems, hip problems, parents with badly autistic children amongst others.

Cienciano

eviltwin wrote: »

Put them down the end of the car park, see how many people want to use them then.

I understand that the argument for this is that it gives parents space to open a door fully to remove a car seat but I don't buy that. Unless car park spaces have shrunk in the past 20 years.

Cars have gotten bigger. And the problem is the distance across the car park.

Finn Vast Snot wrote: »

I would actually see elderly people as having an equal, if not greater, need of spaces beside the door, and extra wide spaces. Maybe supermarkets should just have a bay of extra wide spaces without specifying that they're for people with children. I know you'd still get some thoughtless people using them who don't need them, but they'd be available for old people who struggle to get out of a car or for people who have to put awkward or large parcels in and out of the car and other shoppers who might occasionally need an extra wide space.

Thing is, they're just abused by everyone (the spaces, not the kids)
Shops near me have about 4 disabled spaces and they're always full. People are just unbelievably lazy when it comes to parking. The next row back, 10m away can be empty, but people will park in the disabled spaces.
People drive around car parks trying to get the closest space, when 2 or 3 rows back is completely empty. The idea of walking that extra 30m is unthinkable.

c68zapdsm5i1ru

Parking in a disabled space without a blue badge is despicable behaviour and not in any way comparable to parking in a P&C space.

LDN_Irish

Finn Vast Snot wrote: »

Parking in a disabled space without a blue badge is despicable behaviour and not in any way comparable to parking in a P&C space.

Disabled spaces are for disabled people. People without disabilities shouldn't park there.

P&C spaces are for people with children. People without children shouldn't park there.

So, really quite comparable but the latter isn't as serious as the former. Not that I really give a ****, I rarely park in P&C's even when I have the kids with me for some reason. Amazing to me how contentious they are.

anncoates

As opposed to disabled spaces, it's just a courtesy extended by the shop because it's handier to have more space to get baby seats and whatever out of a car especially considering the selfish way people often park plus they're often closer to the entrance presumably to facilitate buggies, kids whatever.

I tend to leave them free for others because my kids are older now but don't really think about it much beyond that.

It being Ireland though, some people without kids will be inflamed with a maniacal urge to park in them purely as a fervent expression of their human right to be 15 yards closer to a shop entrance in the summer.