Do you use parent and child spaces without children?

[Vipers]

BrabusMog said:

This is the last time I can be bothered to respond to a comment on this thread. I have had my last three cars scratched in the same car park when I parked well out of the way. I don't have a huge out of town car park to use, it's a pokey little tesco in SW London. I use the parent and child spaces to stop it getting scratched because I care about my property but a lot of people don't.

As I see it, there are two types of drivers.

Those who are curteous and play the game, and those self centred me me me barstewards who don't give a rodents backside for anyone else, the rules don't apply to me, I am too important, and drive a nice car.

Your time will come, surprising how much damage a car door can do when a darling little child opens their door, forgetting your next to to them

[C.A.R.]

I've never undesrtood this. In 8 years of driving I've only ever had my car 'dinged' or scratched a handful of times. Surely, it goes hand-in-hand with car ownership? I guess some will be more unlucky than others of course.

A car lives outside, it's a mode of transport. It's made of metal for many reasons, but it is painted purely for aesthetics. Because cars 'live' outside, they will ocassionally get damaged by a rogue bit of debris or indeed a careless person and their car. I think a big part of this self-righteous attitude is that people are far too protective of their little metal box. If you're scared of the (in my experience) low chances that it will get damaged in a car park then simply don't park there. Walk. Get the bus. Leave your precious car in one of those air-bubbles designed for 'genuinely valuable' classic cars.

If I go out with the Mrs on the weekly shop (hateful experience) then I don't feel massively fortunate if we are able to park in the P&C spaces, it's just a lot easier to get a 2 month old out and into a massively oversized travel system and safer for our 2 year old to walk the shorter distance independantly but supervised.

It's inexcusable - you either park there because you have young children or you're quite simply a monumental c*nt.

[Mandalore]

jmorgan said:

BrabusMog said:

My point is that a lot of people say that it is "flash harrys" and "self important idiots" that park in these spaces, but it isn't. And I genuinely would still use them if they were at the back of a car park. I use it to prevent my car getting scratched.

I have noticed the precious being parked across two space more recently. Just call it bad parking then.

Actually, nobody is anywhere near that polite about them - they don't deserve it.


HTH.

[Devil2575]

C.A.R. said:

I've never undesrtood this. In 8 years of driving I've only ever had my car 'dinged' or scratched a handful of times. Surely, it goes hand-in-hand with car ownership? I guess some will be more unlucky than others of course.

A car lives outside, it's a mode of transport. It's made of metal for many reasons, but it is painted purely for aesthetics. Because cars 'live' outside, they will ocassionally get damaged by a rogue bit of debris or indeed a careless person and their car. I think a big part of this self-righteous attitude is that people are far too protective of their little metal box. If you're scared of the (in my experience) low chances that it will get damaged in a car park then simply don't park there. Walk. Get the bus. Leave your precious car in one of those air-bubbles designed for 'genuinely valuable' classic cars.

If I go out with the Mrs on the weekly shop (hateful experience) then I don't feel massively fortunate if we are able to park in the P&C spaces, it's just a lot easier to get a 2 month old out and into a massively oversized travel system and safer for our 2 year old to walk the shorter distance independantly but supervised.

It's inexcusable - you either park there because you have young children or you're quite simply a monumental c*nt.

A good post.

[Pooh]

Vipers said:

Posh cars! Up here in Aberdeen, we have Rollers, Ferraris, the odd Maserati who park with the rest of us at Sainsbury's, never seen one ever nick a P & C space just in case it's dinged.

Plus the odd Bentleys and Aston Martins, so what's the mentality elsewhere where some drivers abandon their vehicles where they shouldn't, I just don't understand the mentality.

I don't park my Maserati in parent and child spaces even when I have my 2 year old in the baby seat in the back, I did it once but got a load of abuse from somebody who didn't realise that the car has back seats. I tend to park as far away as possible, so far I have not had any parking dings and we have survived the slightly longer walk to the shop.
I do park in them if I am in the Alfa or Volvo, have my youngest with me and will be taking him out of the car. People who who park in parent and child spaces when they do not have a young child are just inconsiderate self centred tts.

[9mm]

Is it even a problem? I can't remember the last time I saw a struggling parent with kids in tow having to negotiate the length of a car park.

[anonymous-user]

BrabusMog said:

I could be. Or I could just be a bit selfish and don't want my car to get scratched, so I use the parent and child spots. I don't think the world should revolve around me, I usually walk to my nearest tesco when I'm in the UK, but if I need to do a big shop then I will park in a parent and child spot.

I chose to comment when people started getting hysterical and making car parks sound more dangerous than a black run with kids jumping out here, there, and everywhere.

Total selfishness then. At least you're honest about it.

[Andy665]

9mm said:

Is it even a problem? I can't remember the last time I saw a struggling parent with kids in tow having to negotiate the length of a car park.

No. it probably isn't but neither is it a problem for allocated spaces being provided that require me to walk another few metres

[SteveSteveson]

9mm said:

Is it even a problem? I can't remember the last time I saw a struggling parent with kids in tow having to negotiate the length of a car park.

Not the length of the car park, but I have seen many parents struggle to get a child in to the car because the spaces are too small, or someone has parked to close. P&C spaces are not about proximity to the doors, but about the extra space to open the doors wide enough to buckle a toddler in or make it easy for a child to open the car door without bashing the person next to them.

Edited by SteveSteveson on Monday 27th July 13:42

[BlackST]

mikal83 said:

BlackST said:

At 0130, yes.
At 1530, no.

To save walking an extra ten feet....... really?

Probably 300ft
Parents aren't going to be taking their children shopping at 130 in the morning so it's more than ok to use them.
Like i've said during the day I don't use them and have to park probably 700ft away from the front door due to the unbelievable amount of disabled bays that come after the P&C bays.

[blindswelledrat]

9mm said:

Is it even a problem? I can't remember the last time I saw a struggling parent with kids in tow having to negotiate the length of a car park.

What do you mean? That you think that there are plenty of parent spaces so it doesn't matter? If so, definitely not. You are very lucky at a weekend if you get one.
If you mean that it's not a problem to walk kids across a busy car park, you are half right. The big problem, as you notice the minute you have kids, is that they tend to be shorter than the average persons rear view mirror vision. So a child walking along a line of parked cars is completely invisible to anyone reversing out of a space and dangers are completely invisible to children and cars parks become very dangerous places.

[HB2K]

Devil2575 said:

C.A.R. said:

I've never undesrtood this. In 8 years of driving I've only ever had my car 'dinged' or scratched a handful of times. Surely, it goes hand-in-hand with car ownership? I guess some will be more unlucky than others of course.

A car lives outside, it's a mode of transport. It's made of metal for many reasons, but it is painted purely for aesthetics. Because cars 'live' outside, they will ocassionally get damaged by a rogue bit of debris or indeed a careless person and their car. I think a big part of this self-righteous attitude is that people are far too protective of their little metal box. If you're scared of the (in my experience) low chances that it will get damaged in a car park then simply don't park there. Walk. Get the bus. Leave your precious car in one of those air-bubbles designed for 'genuinely valuable' classic cars.

If I go out with the Mrs on the weekly shop (hateful experience) then I don't feel massively fortunate if we are able to park in the P&C spaces, it's just a lot easier to get a 2 month old out and into a massively oversized travel system and safer for our 2 year old to walk the shorter distance independantly but supervised.

It's inexcusable - you either park there because you have young children or you're quite simply a monumental c*nt.

A good post.

Seconded. I don't think the people that do it care, though. Same mentality as leaving trolleys strewn across pedestrian areas.

[DonkeyApple]

BrabusMog said:

This is the last time I can be bothered to respond to a comment on this thread. I have had my last three cars scratched in the same car park when I parked well out of the way. I don't have a huge out of town car park to use, it's a pokey little tesco in SW London. I use the parent and child spaces to stop it getting scratched because I care about my property but a lot of people don't.

Tescos.

[0000]

I wouldn't care if they put the parent and child spaces at the back of the car park. Distance to the store was never a reason for me to use them.

Instead it was more about not coming back to find, despite having parked as far from anyone else as possible, that I couldn't get a baby in their seat into the car without either having to wait indefinitely or leaving the baby out of the car while I moved the car out of the space so I could open the doors wide enough.

Anyone parking in those spaces for the sake of avoiding dents deserves all the dents they get and then some.

[9mm]

blindswelledrat said:

9mm said:

Is it even a problem? I can't remember the last time I saw a struggling parent with kids in tow having to negotiate the length of a car park.

What do you mean? That you think that there are plenty of parent spaces so it doesn't matter? If so, definitely not. You are very lucky at a weekend if you get one.
If you mean that it's not a problem to walk kids across a busy car park, you are half right. The big problem, as you notice the minute you have kids, is that they tend to be shorter than the average persons rear view mirror vision. So a child walking along a line of parked cars is completely invisible to anyone reversing out of a space and dangers are completely invisible to children and cars parks become very dangerous places.

Yes, my impression was that there is no shortage of these spaces. I guess it depends where you live then but even if there are a few miscreants, it sounds as if the parking is inadequate anyway.

[Mave]

BrabusMog said:

I could be. Or I could just be a bit selfish and don't want my car to get scratched, so I use the parent and child spots. I don't think the world should revolve around me, I usually walk to my nearest tesco when I'm in the UK, but if I need to do a big shop then I will park in a parent and child spot.

I chose to comment when people started getting hysterical and making car parks sound more dangerous than a black run with kids jumping out here, there, and everywhere.

You don't want your car scratched. Parents don't want their children run over.
Which of those scenarios is more important to protect against?

Car parks aren't more dangerous than a black run. Likewise, irritating as it is, your car won't break just because someone opened a door against it.

[oyster]

jbsportstech said:

St John Smythe said:

That's what they tell you. I think the real reason behind it is financial. Who on average spends more in a supermarket, a Mum with kids doing the weekly shop or one of the angry PHers on this thread nipping in to get some fags and booze? Of course they want to make it easier for families to shop.

Alot of families have tighter budgets than coupleless children.

My other half and her mum often go shopping together they spend about the same except my other half gets a full trolley load and her mum has half a trolley for her and her husband.

On average that isn't the case though.

Having worked for big FTSE100 retailers, the highest sales revenue comes from those with children.

[Mave]

BrabusMog said:

Vipers said:

BrabusMog said:

That wasn't my question. I also think the spaces are a good thing, but maybe their positioning isn't necessary. I'd say it's perfectly sensible to ask a question about toddler deaths in car parks when people make statements along the lines of "dodging toddlers walking around in car parks".

OK. You mention positioning, my thoughts are that the shortest distance drivers with children have to go from the vehicle to the front door of the shop is safer.

So maybe that's why some supermarkets put them nearer to the shop door than other spaces. If you want a straight answer to the question, I have absolutely no ide?

That's a fair enough response, it's a shame most posters on this thread aren't as balanced as you but appear to be more like this lady...

So how many cars get scratched or dinged every year as a result of people opening doors or pushing trolleys into them, and how does that statistic vary between P&C spaces and non- P&C spaces?

[oyster]

BrabusMog said:

I always have the baby seat set up in the back.

Interesting. Is it ok to claim child benefit without having children?

[Devil2575]

HB2K said:

Devil2575 said:

C.A.R. said:

I've never undesrtood this. In 8 years of driving I've only ever had my car 'dinged' or scratched a handful of times. Surely, it goes hand-in-hand with car ownership? I guess some will be more unlucky than others of course.

A car lives outside, it's a mode of transport. It's made of metal for many reasons, but it is painted purely for aesthetics. Because cars 'live' outside, they will ocassionally get damaged by a rogue bit of debris or indeed a careless person and their car. I think a big part of this self-righteous attitude is that people are far too protective of their little metal box. If you're scared of the (in my experience) low chances that it will get damaged in a car park then simply don't park there. Walk. Get the bus. Leave your precious car in one of those air-bubbles designed for 'genuinely valuable' classic cars.

If I go out with the Mrs on the weekly shop (hateful experience) then I don't feel massively fortunate if we are able to park in the P&C spaces, it's just a lot easier to get a 2 month old out and into a massively oversized travel system and safer for our 2 year old to walk the shorter distance independantly but supervised.

It's inexcusable - you either park there because you have young children or you're quite simply a monumental c*nt.

A good post.

Seconded. I don't think the people that do it care, though. Same mentality as leaving trolleys strewn across pedestrian areas.

Or the same mentality I saw on saturday where a bloke had parked his car in the road rather than a space, so he could just jump out and go straight into the shop. The fact that it was very busy at the time and now one side of the road was blocked clearly didn't concern him.