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AIBU

To have been upset by this encounter today

(192 Posts)
Beswitched Sat 19-Mar-22 19:53:48

A young mum was having a go at an elderly man who had parked in a p&c space. He was trying to explain he had a blue badge and I could also see an elderly woman in the car beside him
He remained courteous throughout while she became shriller and shriller. I complained to customer services and they said they would sort it out.

But what makes people behave like this? It was so rude, aggressive and unkind.

As I was leaving the man's car was in the space and the self entitled young mother had presumably been told to park elsewhere.

Beswitched Tue 22-Mar-22 12:06:01

I agree Hithere. I was talking about the man in my situation who was both old and disabled and was being shouted down.

Hithere Tue 22-Mar-22 11:57:35

"Shouting about p&c spaces is at best rude and silly and at worst, totally lacking in empathy and compassion."

Totally agree! Empathy and compassion goes both ways
A situation is silly or not depending on the eye of the beholder- aka the OP vs the mother

"I get that sometimes people are having a bad day, but it takes a certain type of person to lash out at somebody who is old and disabled."

Age and disability are not two words that are implied together.
It can hit anybody anytime.

Beswitched Tue 22-Mar-22 11:45:38

Hithere

Who are we to judgementally prequalify in our minds who, how old, what conditions get the better parking spots?

Plenty of posters have shared their invisible disability and were screamed at.
Aren't they good enough?

VS parked in a P&C spot a work before giving birth - legitimately she had a child present - yet, that was not good enough
Sorry VS you had to go through it

How about a mother who is recovering from c section parking in a p&c spot with a child? Is she worthy of it?

The issue could be that there are not enough parking spots to accommodate special circumstances, so stores should make changes to accommodate that

What is going to be next? Blame the cars are too big? Families should be just content with X vs Y to make room for anybody else?

Where does this stop?

Well it should certainly stop at people shouting and making scenes about parent and child spaces. Nine times out of ten those spaces are full anyway and you just have to manage without them. Which most of us do, with a bit of minor inconvenience.

A blue badge holder who can't get a space doesn't have the option of just parking somewhere else and making do. They have to go home without their shopping, or miss their appointment or whatever. Therefore someone taking up a disabled space when they don't need it is a serious infringement on another person's right.

Shouting about p&c spaces is at best rude and silly and at worst, totally lacking in empathy and compassion. I get that sometimes people are having a bad day, but it takes a certain type of person to lash out at somebody who is old and disabled.

Hithere Tue 22-Mar-22 11:40:45

There is always somebody who believes he/she deserves something more than the next person

Hithere Tue 22-Mar-22 11:31:27

Entitlement instead if respect

JaneJudge Tue 22-Mar-22 11:29:34

The last time someone had an accident outside my house I made them something to eat/drink and let them use my loo confused

JaneJudge Tue 22-Mar-22 11:28:38

I live by a big A road and I have witnessed so many accidents between cars pulling onto said road. You would not believe the amount of people that get out of their cars and shout at one another following an accident. It is so dangerous on top of already heightened emptions/shock. I don't know what is the matter with people.

MissAdventure Tue 22-Mar-22 11:26:00

It stops when none of the groups mentioned feels entitled enough to shout at someone from another.
Because that is never acceptable.

JaneJudge Tue 22-Mar-22 11:25:03

someone has already posted blaming cars that are too big grin

Hithere Tue 22-Mar-22 11:23:52

Who are we to judgementally prequalify in our minds who, how old, what conditions get the better parking spots?

Plenty of posters have shared their invisible disability and were screamed at.
Aren't they good enough?

VS parked in a P&C spot a work before giving birth - legitimately she had a child present - yet, that was not good enough
Sorry VS you had to go through it

How about a mother who is recovering from c section parking in a p&c spot with a child? Is she worthy of it?

The issue could be that there are not enough parking spots to accommodate special circumstances, so stores should make changes to accommodate that

What is going to be next? Blame the cars are too big? Families should be just content with X vs Y to make room for anybody else?

Where does this stop?

Beswitched Tue 22-Mar-22 11:18:14

Granless

....... and what about the car that parks in a p & c space ... it has a child seat in but no child!!!

Or the parent that stays in the car with the children while the other parent goes into the shop.

I think just put them somewhere else in the car park and provide a walkway or footpath if necessary.

Iam64 Tue 22-Mar-22 11:06:15

And on it goes, divide the generations, that’s such a positive way to live

Granless Tue 22-Mar-22 09:13:58

....... and what about the car that parks in a p & c space ... it has a child seat in but no child!!!

Beswitched Tue 22-Mar-22 09:05:38

I wonder if the provided extra wide spaces for those lifting children out of a car, but put them elsewhere in the car park would it help? Having them right up at the door seems unfair on other groups who might also benefit from a space close to the shop eg elderly people, those recovering from surgery etc

Purplepoppies Tue 22-Mar-22 08:13:38

I always assumed blue badge spaces were a legal requirement and p&c spaces were a courtesy?
I think the need of the BB holder trumps p&c .
Nobody should be shouting at anyone in a carpark for goodness sake.

MissAdventure Tue 22-Mar-22 08:13:15

Mobility problems then, caused by pregnancy.
Well, mobility problems are generally why a disabled person needs extra room, so yes, no need for anyone to shout or scream at someone else.

VioletSky Tue 22-Mar-22 08:05:03

MissAdventure

So why did you park in a child/parent bay when you didn't have a child with you?
Are you excused from being one of those people who doesnt understand?
Was it because of your severe hip problems?

I already explained, out of habit.

I did ask if I could stay as I was heavily pregnant and struggling to get in an out of the car or walk but he continued to yell... As I moved it

I complained for the yelling and was told clearly, I had a baby on my person and could park there anyway. I didn't, it had been an hiest mistake

MissAdventure Tue 22-Mar-22 07:54:50

No, nobody ever lifted a baby before parent spaces..

dumdum Tue 22-Mar-22 07:52:53

Has anybody tried lifting a heavy baby out of a car seat with reduced space. It’s a terrible lift…can’t keep back straight,twisting motion. Tried to get a double buggy near a car?? Not excusing rudeness, never right or necessary at any time, but without knowing full story can never judge. You sure need the space though.

JaneJudge Tue 22-Mar-22 07:46:44

Blue badges really aren't that easy to get. You have to qualify for higher rate DLA/PIP or AA and you also have to have supporting evidence in our local authority, even in the case of terminal illness.

MissAdventure Tue 22-Mar-22 07:45:41

So why did you park in a child/parent bay when you didn't have a child with you?
Are you excused from being one of those people who doesnt understand?
Was it because of your severe hip problems?

VioletSky Tue 22-Mar-22 07:22:30

I was screamed at by an older security guard once for parking in a parent and child bay while heavily pregnant and having severe hip issues.

I had parked there out of habit as I usually had children with me.

"people like you ruin it for everyone"

"you aren't even pregnant"

It was awful. I walked past him the next week with my pram and said "oh look, I was pregnant"

Anyway there is no excuse to yell at people

But there is no excuse to take a parking bay that isn't yours either.

Doesn't matter if having children is a choice

Doesn't matter if how many children you have is a choice

Doesn't matter if parent bays are not law

They allow people to get their children in and out of the car safely. That is why they are there

If you haven't come back and found you can't get your baby and small children into the car seat because there is no room to do so then you probably wouldn't understand what a bad situation that can be

Treetops05 Tue 22-Mar-22 01:11:53

I have an 'invisible disability' and am frequently pulled up by older drivers literally ranting that at my age I can't be that disabled...

2ND week in December I met my daughter at a local Tesco superstore, which has disabled spaces but further from the store than the P&C spaces; and much fewer of them. My daughter got the last space with DGS. It was about 8ft from the door and one of over 30 such spaces.

There wasn't any type of parking for me apart from a tiny space in a rounded corner spot, which I had to take. It was as far as it was possible to get and still be in their carpark.

It took me 20 minutes to park, get across the parking to the door, while my daughter sat waiting snug in her car. As I walked down the disabled row of 12 BB spaces, I was amazed to see 7 cars, with no BB's, but baby on board stickers and baby seats.

I went indoors, joined the queue for Customer Service and complained. The girl basically said, she understood the problem of parking FOR PARENTS and would do nothing. I was livid, asked for the Duty Manager. He duly appeared, apologised, but pointed out 'that superstores were designed more for families, so he wouldn't enforce disabled regulations'.

My daughter asked if that meant he considered her budget shop more important than my probably more luxurious one? He blustered but had painted himself into a corner. My daughter then said she didn't want to shop if that was their ethos, asked for my Tesco club card, her own, handed them over and stated that we wouldn't shop there again. We left, she drove me to my car and we went to Sainsbury- where we both parked with relative ease. We've shopped there ever since.

MissAdventure Tue 22-Mar-22 00:02:38

Yes very possibly that was the case.
People often comment that where I live is a hotbed of mobility scooters, and they're not far wrong.

Hithere Tue 22-Mar-22 00:00:43

It matters because if too many blue passes are given unnecessarilyband they take over other parking spots - I can see it may annoy people, like perhaps the young mother in this case