Do you use parent and child spaces without children?

[bodhi]

Depends. If it's at a time of night when the kids should really be in bed I reckon they are fair game, if it's during the day, I leave them for people who need them. Never park in disabled bays either. I have been known to leave my car in the drop off point if I'm popping in for cash or cigarettes, but I don't really see that as too much of an issue.

[jmorgan]

Mave said:

shirt said:

again, can't see why it needs two people/whole family to go food shopping.

Do you think kids should grow up thinking that food magically arrives in the cupboard?

Yeah, it grows in supermarkets in magic freezer boxes, in boxes....

[oyster]

Lost soul said:

I use them why not

If you had no children with you (or car seat for collecting one) I'd have no qualms about parking next to you and letting my child loose with a trolley, his only brief being not to damage our car.

Good luck trying to get me into trouble for it!!

[DE15 CAT]

walm said:

DE15 CAT said:

Just reading through these comments, a few questions for debate.

1) People who think they are above others ? Does this not equally apply to parents who think they should get pref. treatment because they chose to breed. or deprive more 'needy' parents just because they still have 'children' with them.

2) Supermarkets rights to restrict on their property. But as this is for financial advantage not genuine parent consideration. Do you think people without livestock A)boycott these places. B)write complaint letters. Do both. C)use anyway.

3) In these arguments why do posters always spout 'would you park in a disabled bay' clearly one is choice other is unchosen.
3a) moral compass would you not park in disabled bay because of permanent 'problems' & park in parent bays because of chosen 'problems'.

4) What would you think of a disabled person parking in parent bay because all disabled bays are in use.

I am still going to offer my seat on the tube to a pregnant lady.
The fact she made a choice to have kids doesn't mean courtesy doesn't apply.

Fair play to you, your moral compass is commendable. It would be interesting then to assess as in this thread, parking & leaving a car etiquette would compare in the same person in a face to face situation, ie. not seeing the 'needy' time involved parking elsewhere compared to seeing the 'needy' & simply standing. I think this will be an interesting exchange of view & principles, until the keyboard warriors join on mass with name calling each other, & threatening 'if I saw that' or 'if you did that to me I would'.

[sleep envy]

Mave said:

shirt said:

again, can't see why it needs two people/whole family to go food shopping.

Do you think kids should grow up thinking that food magically arrives in the cupboard?

No, it gets shoved through the slot in the door to the cupboard under the stairs.

[hotchy]

nah dont want the mothers buggy srapping down the side of my car. best bet is the far corner, and 4 cones for the space next to you (not that i ever bring cones lol)

[Snowboy]

DE15 CAT said:

Just reading through these comments, a few questions for debate.

1) People who think they are above others ? Does this not equally apply to parents who think they should get pref. treatment because they chose to breed. or deprive more 'needy' parents just because they still have 'children' with them.

-snip-

Some people are self entitled ranty dick heads.
I'm not talking about those.
I'm talking about decent everyday people.

A decent person with a kid won't demand special treatment; but they will be grateful if someone offers a bit of kindness.
Holding a door, stepping out the way for a pram, offering a seat.
Just basic human kindness and manners.

But imagine how you'd feel if you stood up to let a tired mum (or dad) have your seat, and someone else sat in the seat first.
That's what happening.
The supermarket is offering a bit of kindness to mums and dads and you are taking it instead.

It's not about laws and rules or entitlement.
It's just about not acting like a dick.

[cheesesliceking]

shirt said:

again, can't see why it needs two people/whole family to go food shopping.

So you suggest i get a babysitter over so i can pop to the shops?

[walm]

DE15 CAT said:

It would be interesting then to assess as in this thread, parking & leaving a car etiquette would compare in the same person in a face to face situation, ie. not seeing the 'needy' time involved parking elsewhere compared to seeing the 'needy' & simply standing.

My view is that depending on the time of day, whether or not you can see the "needy" is irrelevant.
You know people have kids, and some of them have to go shopping.
i.e. the "need" is always there. (Perhaps at 10pm less so...)

And yes, it is clearly more hassle to park further from the shop door than to simply stand up.
But - not much more hassle, really.

What about the "sunshine test"... would you be happy to have your face on the front of the BBC news website saying "Walm caught using P&C space without child - clearly a selfish tw@t."
I would be ashamed of my selfishness. I wouldn't want it publicised.
Therefore, don't do it.

[jbsportstech]

Dr Murdoch said:

I think the pram/buggy symbol is a clue.

Annoys me when people with kids over 4 use them, if they can get out of the car themselves, walk to the store then you don't need to use them, you're just being selfish (but have justified to yourself its ok 'cos I have kids'...) having got two kids under the age of two I appreciate the extra space they give. Not bothered about getting close to the store, its just about the 'manoeuvring room'.

And you really wouldn't want my missus trying to do this next to your car.

Varies from store to store asda up to 13 years on their sign.

I would say anyone who's child is in a car seat.

Trust me a 7 seater with 4 kids is not fun in a normal sized bay.

[mygoldfishbowl]

Pkh72 said:

mygoldfishbowl said:

Urban Sports said:

I got called an inconsiderate tw@t yesterday for parking in what seemingly was the last parent and child space at a supermarket by some bloke in a people carrier who admittedly did have kids with him.

I do have a little boy but he wasn't with me I did however have the child seat in the car which kind of gives me a bit of a ticket to park there.

I do use them if I see one as they're not really a right for people with children, bit harsh being called a tw@t though!

You're a cyclist as well aren't you? Parking in mother & child spaces is typical cyclist mentality. They don't pay road tax & think they own the roads.

1/10

I'm glad someone got it.

[Stenn]

Snowboy said:

It's not about laws and rules or entitlement.
It's just about not acting like a dick.

Very much this.

[bodhi]

oyster said:

If you had no children with you (or car seat for collecting one) I'd have no qualms about parking next to you and letting my child loose with a trolley, his only brief being not to damage our car.

Good luck trying to get me into trouble for it!!

Interesting response to someone being a dick. Be an even bigger dick! I'd say that makes you just as bad as the person who parked in your precious Parent and Child space.

[Sheepshanks]

jbsportstech said:

Varies from store to store asda up to 13 years on their sign.

I would say anyone who's child is in a car seat.

Trust me a 7 seater with 4 kids is not fun in a normal sized bay.

I had a brain fart and pulled into a P&C bay in an Asda. I thought I was going to be lynched by members of the public and was only saved by a trolley-lad!

I hadn't realised one side of an aisle was P&C - apart from not seeing the signs the other visual cue which was wrong is that the spaces were the same size as the non-P&C ones. Pointing this out to the mob didn't cut any ice though.

[DE15 CAT]

walm said:

DE15 CAT said:

It would be interesting then to assess as in this thread, parking & leaving a car etiquette would compare in the same person in a face to face situation, ie. not seeing the 'needy' time involved parking elsewhere compared to seeing the 'needy' & simply standing.

My view is that depending on the time of day, whether or not you can see the "needy" is irrelevant.
You know people have kids, and some of them have to go shopping.
i.e. the "need" is always there. (Perhaps at 10pm less so...)

And yes, it is clearly more hassle to park further from the shop door than to simply stand up.
But - not much more hassle, really.

What about the "sunshine test"... would you be happy to have your face on the front of the BBC news website saying "Walm caught using P&C space without child - clearly a selfish tw@t."
I would be ashamed of my selfishness. I wouldn't want it publicised.
Therefore, don't do it.

Yes your morals are consistent, problem is this modern world me, me, me mentality coupled with if it's not law I won't comply don't care about other people attitude, which leads to meekly rude people only change if embarrassed, aggressive rude only change if think they will lose a fight, & others need every conceivable cause & effect explained to them or they didn't realise, but then other people who genuinely don't agree who may rationally debate or revert or not.

[Lordglenmorangie]

I never park in mother and child spaces, I make an effort to park as far from the store entrance as possible, however when I get back my car is surrounded by cars, normally with baby seats fitted and always six inches from my steed

[Jonnas]

Yay! This old chestnut again....?

So without reading the last 5 pages let me guess how this thread has gone

Lots of people without kids trying to rationalise why they should park in a P&C space ignoring the fact that no rational argument actually exists?

The spaces are provided by the supermarket for the convenience of a certain set of their customers whom they have decided could use the extra space. Why does anyone think that it is anyone else's choice as to who parks in them other than the supermarkets?

[J4CKO]

What if there were "Pampered Car" spaces, you know, wider than average to avoid door dings and near enough to the supermarket so you can keep an eye on it, imagine the uproar on here if a mum with three kids dumped her battered 2004 Scenic in it

[Chr1sch]

I agree with the general sentiment that you're a bit of a dick if you park in one without child in tow

I'm a relatively new dad and had no appreciation for this kind of thing, now though, particularly with isofix seats you need hulk like arms and massive amounts of space to get a baby seat in/out of a car...

That said, time restrictions I.e between 8am and 7pm is P&C only would be reasonable in my eyes

[jbsportstech]

Sheepshanks said:

I had a brain fart and pulled into a P&C bay in an Asda. I thought I was going to be lynched by members of the public and was only saved by a trolley-lad!

I hadn't realised one side of an aisle was P&C - apart from not seeing the signs the other visual cue which was wrong is that the spaces were the same size as the non-P&C ones. Pointing this out to the mob didn't cut any ice though.

I remember I have that when I have returned to my car without the kids as they are still in with the other half.

I remember a documentary on parking a few years ago and they would confront people parked in disabled bays without a badge. The reaction by most was to try and escape or make up a silly excuses like my audi tt doors are big and heavy and i have dinged other cars in normal size bays before.

Like someone said if you don't want to be on tv doing it and don't want a confrontation why bother.

It suggest you are better than other people and that's what gets people going. There is an habitual user of p&c with a blue bad in 3 series coupe. I once saw a very large scratch down the side of his car he got from parking in that bay. When I saw the disabled girl with him I did feel a little sorry for him.


I stopped parking in the wrong bay the day I got a scratch down the side of my car in harvester car new years day this year. I had parked in disable as the carpark was full and I had my 4 kids in mpv. Came out to find someone had taken exception and done and I needed a full side respray on my company car.