Parking in disabled spots.

When I used to drive an adapted Transit I'd quite happily park across the back of three or four cars that were parked in disabled bays without a badge.

JumpShivers wrote: »

I know this has been mentioned before, but I think a thread to rant about it would be nice.

I see it on an almost daily basis with my OH. Parking spaces which are extra-wide and conveniently placed for the sole use of people with disabilities or reduced mobility are usually almost fully occupied by vehicles with not a pass in sight. Quite often sloppily parked too.

My OH often waits for an offender to come out and state at him / her but to no avail.

This is actually a persistent problem at his local supermarket (can I name it here?) whine he has contacted by email and phone and in person in several occasions.

The replies he gets are usually along the lines of "Well, the spaces are self-policing so we usually rely on the honesty of our customers". He also got a reply saying that the security man would throw an eye out and ask offenders to move but he has seen the security man standing there having a smoke at the spaces while people swan out if the cars clearly abusing the spaces.

Why are people such selfish dickheads? My OH cousin has also been seen using his fathers pass? When questioned, he just says, "well, I'm entitled to use it".

The card is for the person, not for the car! Why does the holders picture not feature on the card anymore? This would prevent abuse.

I'm sick of this and so is my bf. would the Irish Wheelchair Association lend a listening ear to this?

Sorry for the rant.

Anyone parking in a disabled space when they are not disabled have got a serious problem. I always park as far away from the supermarket entrance as I can as I don't want to risk getting door slammed anyway. I've now worked out that the biggest morons are too lazy to walk that extra 50 yards or so. I constantly see people parking in a disabled space without any badge on their car to indicate they are disabled. These people are idiots. No shame at all.

And it crosses all social divides. Plenty of fancy cars pulling up too important to think that someone less fortunate might actually need to use that space. I fell out with the wife of my best mate over this issue after seeing her park up in her fancy jeep. Her excuse of I was in a hurry didn't wash with me.

kneemos wrote: »

If they wonder around the supermarket for half an hour why can't they walk thirty yards to the door.
Not being provocative,just think people get way too precious about the about it.

Quite the opposite, I think repeat offenders are way too precious about their own laziness, self importance or pigheaded ignorance.

God forbid anyone suggest they do anything other than suit themselves.

timthumbni wrote: »

I would rather walk the 50 yards for a bit of free space in a car park rather than park in a disabled space. Call me old fashioned but whatever. Are you seriously advocating parking in disabled spaces just to avoid car door damage?

Where did I advocate that ? I wouldn't call you old fashioned, there was none if any disabled parking years ago.

timthumbni wrote: »

Yes. Years ago we hadn't Internet, colour TVs etc. I'm struggling with your take on the side of having disabled spaces? Do you agree with them being reserved for the use of those who are disabled or not?

Absolutely, I have an aunt living abroad who needs a wheelchair and it's grand to be able to pull up to the terminal and collect her.

I was simply saying that some people might park in them as they are extra wide and won't damage their car. Never said I agreed with them.

It's a very common occurance at any supermarket i frequent and at the local hospital. The hospital is the worst due to chronic parking issues there so people treat disabled spots as a free for all even if only visiting a patient. I am often late for treatment due to this inconsideration. On the oft chance that i actually find the driver in the car taking a space without a permit i will request they move and am usually meet with the same bewilderment that i would have the audacity to tell them to move so that i can attend my treatment. Usual excuses, i'll only be a couple of minutes, i'm visiting a patient etc. Some refuse to move so i therefore suggest they have 60 seconds to move before i park behind them blocking them in for a few hours while i undergo treatment and if they have a problem with that they can report it to the parking management and explain that they refused to move for the disabled driver.

Had a traveller take up 2 disabled spaces recently due to awful parking. His wife/partner was in the car and asked her to move as there was no parking elsewhere for me and i would be late for my treatment. I pointed out the lack of a permit for the car in question and the fact that two disabled spots were taken by this one car due to poor parking. I was promptly told to f-off and mind my own business and that the driver would be out in a few minutes so i could just f-off off and wait. I insisted i wouldn't wait and would have to block them in. I parked behind the car, pretended to fumble in the boot for 60 odd seconds to give time for the driver to be called on his phone and them began to hobble away on my crutches. I was only gone about 50 metres when the traveller came running out of the adjacent building roaring at me to move my f-ing car. I suggested he do the same and learn to park properly. He was actually seething at having to move his car and gave me abuse as i exited my now parked car and headed off for treatment. I'm fairly certain he waited until i was out of site and them just parked properly back into the adjacent disabled spot that he had no right being in.

People who park in disabled spots whilst in perfect health are scumbags. People who are challenged on this by disabled people and react as if they are in the right are something beyond scum which i cannot say here for fear of an infraction.

The example above highlights the sense of entitlement people have and the fact there are those in the world that value there own comfort at the expense of everyone else. Then there are morons in this thread who actually have the balls to try and justify this sort of thing because it does take balls to show utter contempt towards those of us with major debilitating struggles in life.

There are also those ars3hol3s who think they are clever enough to just tread the line by parking perpendicular to the disabled spot just beyond the parking lines. Yes, they are technically not parked in the spot, but they are still blocking it. I see this all the time at the local tesco and dunnes where people treat the disabled parking area as a drop off and waiting point and then act all frustrated when i indicate to move in and wave them to move on from blocking the space.

The spots are simply not policed and as stated earlier in this thread, people are expected to self police so therefore i urge my fellow disabled drivers to start blocking these ignorami in or at least threatening such action if they happen to be present. Only if these culprits experience inconvenience will their experience shape their atitudes and change their practises. Expecting lazy, entitled, selfish people to act with compassion towards those less fortunate is a futile exercise.

zarquon wrote: »

It's a very common occurance at any supermarket i frequent and at the local hospital. The hospital is the worst due to chronic parking issues there so people treat disabled spots as a free for all even if only visiting a patient. I am often late for treatment due to this inconsideration. On the oft chance that i actually find the driver in the car taking a space without a permit i will request they move and am usually meet with the same bewilderment that i would have the audacity to tell them to move so that i can attend my treatment. Usual excuses, i'll only be a couple of minutes, i'm visiting a patient etc. Some refuse to move so i therefore suggest they have 60 seconds to move before i park behind them blocking them in for a few hours while i undergo treatment and if they have a problem with that they can report it to the parking management and explain that they refused to move for the disabled driver.

Had a traveller take up 2 disabled spaces recently due to awful parking. His wife/partner was in the car and asked her to move as there was no parking elsewhere for me and i would be late for my treatment. I pointed out the lack of a permit for the car in question and the fact that two disabled spots were taken by this one car due to poor parking. I was promptly told to f-off and mind my own business and that the driver would be out in a few minutes so i could just f-off off and wait. I insisted i wouldn't wait and would have to block them in. I parked behind the car, pretended to fumble in the boot for 60 odd seconds to give time for the driver to be called on his phone and them began to hobble away on my crutches. I was only gone about 50 metres when the traveller came running out of the adjacent building roaring at me to move my f-ing car. I suggested he do the same and learn to park properly. He was actually seething at having to move his car and gave me abuse as i exited my now parked car and headed off for treatment. I'm fairly certain he waited until i was out of site and them just parked properly back into the adjacent disabled spot that he had no right being in.

People who park in disabled spots whilst in perfect health are scumbags. People who are challenged on this by disabled people and react as if they are in the right are something beyond scum which i cannot say here for fear of an infraction.

The example above highlights the sense of entitlement people have and the fact there are those in the world that value there own comfort at the expense of everyone else. Then there are morons in this thread who actually have the balls to try and justify this sort of thing because it does take balls to show utter contempt towards those of us with major debilitating struggles in life.

There are also those ars3hol3s who think they are clever enough to just tread the line by parking perpendicular to the disabled spot just beyond the parking lines. Yes, they are technically not parked in the spot, but they are still blocking it. I see this all the time at the local tesco and dunnes where people treat the disabled parking area as a drop off and waiting point and then act all frustrated when i indicate to move in and wave them to move on from blocking the space.

The spots are simply not policed and as stated earlier in this thread, people are expected to self police so therefore i urge my fellow disabled drivers to start blocking these ignorami in or at least threatening such action if they happen to be present. Only if these culprits experience inconvenience will their experience shape their atitudes and change their practises. Expecting lazy, entitled, selfish people to act with compassion towards those less fortunate is a futile exercise.

Personally speaking; if my child was in need of urgent medical help and the only parking space available in the hospital was a disabled one, I'd probably be taking it.

However; people who take this space for no reason other than laziness are indeed assholes.

No, just those 2.
But then a lot of them.

Maybe a loading/discharging area here or there.

a wise old tosser once said to me: if you don't understand why disabled people need parking spaces how about we break your fcuking spine and see if your view on the topic changes.