Child/Parent car parking spaces.?

Question

Is it illegal to park your car in a parent/child bay on a public or supermarket car park? I am disabled and when there are no disabled spaces available, (which I know are illegal to park in if you do not have a blue badge), I park in a child/parent space because i have to get my door wide open to get in and out. I cannot take the risk of being parked to close to by others.

I am sick of the whining mothers, (and fathers), with little kids, who I feel only park in these spaces because of the great big Chelsea Tractors that they drive in - their chideren I feel are secondary to this and they would park there even if they hadn't got their kids with them. In the past if they have had a go at me I have told them that I am entitled to park anywhere provided I do not cause an obstruction or traffic violation that is not covered by my blue badge.

I know that the disabled spaces are legitimate and provided for by the Disability Act. I would like to know what Act legitimises the CPSs.

Answer 1

I am behind you 100%.I am 34 I have a a congenital heart condition and lung complications and although I no longer need to use a wheelchair, it is difficult sometimes to walk far without having to stop especially in cold weather. Countless times I have been approached by these people, many of whom do park in the spaces reserved for blue badge owners, disputing my right to park there or in the p&c spaces, when its fairly obvious their children are more than capable of walking to the stores themselves. I wonder sometimes if some of these younger mothers don't just have children to gain the rights to these spaces, because they seem to show such little regard for them once they are in the stores screaming and running around. Selfish, ignorant and just far too full of their own self importance! I'm not saying they are all like this, but it is rather scary how many of them are. I hope you find out the answer to your question about which act legitimises this ridiculous pandering to the uneducated masses

Answer 2

Our local supermarket Tesco has big signs up saying that a £70 ticket will be issued if you park where you shouldn't. We have a 5 month old baby and I once had so much trouble getting him into his child seat because of cars parking so close to the side of our car that I bumped his head so to teach the other driver a lesson I pushed our car door hard into the other car causing a dent. We can never get a space in the parent and child spaces because of prats like you who park there without a permit. So I suggest that if you cant get a disabled space you should wait until one becomes available, oh and while your waiting why don't you report all of the drivers who misuse their disability badges to the appropriate authority's.

Answer 3

It is not illegal to park in Child/Parent parking spaces.

They are provided out of courtesy by shops. They are wider than the average parking space to allow parents to open the doors wide enough to lift a child or baby seat from the car without causing injury or distress to the child.

I think you are perfectly entitled to park in these spaces when the disabled parking is full as you require the extra room.

My Nan was disabled and she struggled to walk and get out of her car. If there were no disabled spaces available she would have to wait for one to become available or go home and try again later.

I think that able bodied people who park in disabled spaces are incredibly rude, ignorant and lazy.

Also trying to fold an 18 month old child in half to squeeze them into the car through the tiny space left for you by the di**he*d who parked their 4 x 4 a centimetre away from your car and left a big dent in your door when they were getting out is bl**dy annoying.

Answer 4

The chelsea tractor drivers have as much right to park in parent & child as anybody, and if that group of people were to speak about your group, in the same way you have, then they would be blasted for disability discrimination.
You should not tar all 4x4 drivers with the same brush.

Answer 5

i would ask the particular place you are talking about,i am one of those parents who have a 6 seater car and one day I had to keep driving around a shop carpark as i couldn't find a place big enough! anyhow as there were about 50 spare disabled spaces through desperation i though i would park in one and go and ask the customer services if i could park there! The minute i got out of the car a man and his young son came passed me about to tell me i couldn't park there! however i interupted him telling him there was absoultely nowhere for me to park and i was going to complain and ask if i could park in the disabled! when i got to customer service, they said, that it was no problem and i had always been allowed to park in disabled spaces if i had kids
!
I must say i am discusted that someone has had a go at you, I often see people who park wrongly in parents places but i always look to see if they have a disabled badge!
check with the customer services where you go, at least that way you can tell them to put a sock in it!

Answer 6

Only disabled spaces are covered by the law all the others are just provided by the supermarkets not that they care where you park it,s just that families tend to spend more so the supers feel they haveto do something to please them.
I park in the parent spaces regardless as i agree with you i can park anywhere i like provided i dont cause a obstruction

Answer 7

I symphasise with you but the law doesn't cover spaces on private property, i.e supermarket car parks. They provide the spaces out of the goodness of their hearts and aren't forced to. As long as they make entry into the store disabled friendly then they've done their bit.

Answer 8

I have never ever seen all the disabled parking spaces full anywhere ever, however lazy arrogant disabled people habitually park anywhere no matter how dangerous or inconvenient to others. I have campaigned for Parent and Child spaces to replace Disabled spaces near Supermarket front doors because avoiding children having to cross traffic is more important than the Disabled, many of whom have no problem in moving rapidly when in their wheelchairs. Genuine disabled people a small minority of the blue badge brigade prefer their spaces to be away from the busy areas anyway.

My Dad was in a wheelchair yet could not get a blue badge.

I hope you get prosecuted and or banned from the car park for putting Childrens lives at risk.

Children are many times more important than sponging whinging Disabled.

Answer 9

as far as I`m concerned if you have a blue badge you can park anywhere you like,you can even have my space...I`ll move, as for the stereotypical blonde chav with one child driving a small tank, the sooner the government does something to get them off the road the better, I`m not the criminal type but I cant say I concentrate too hard when I squeeze by one with a trolley....oops.

Answer 10

these spaces are just a courtesy laid on by supermarkets, although our local sainsburys have carpark attendants dishing out tickets for parking in a disabled space without a badge,i dont think that applies to p&c places...my husband parked his wagon in one on a flying visit to a local shop, the carpark was virtually empty apart from one woman who had waited to tell him off for parking there...you should do what he did.. tell em to piss off