To have been upset by this encounter today

As for the badges, I couldn't really say they're given too freely.
Perhaps we have more sympathetic assessors, but I have never known someone have to demonstrate what they can/can't do.

Frankly, who cares?
It's a shop, not a branch of the samaritans.

Miss A

Then the issue is that they are given too freely?

Who knows what happened for this person to get so mad, who was there to park first, if p&c spots are taken routinely by disability cars, had a hard day, etc...

I'm in Essex.
3 people immediately spring to mind who have a blue badge, as well as a bus pass.
I'll just say I know all three well, and have done for years, and I am surprised they qualify.

MissAdventure

That does sound a hard process.
I'm sure it is fairly simple here, as everyone over about 60 seems to have one, whether their mobility is bad or not.

Where do you live? My LA is Stockport but I live just on the edge of Cheshire in Bramhall. I used to live in Solihull, West Midlands where it seemed to be easier to get a badge, like you said, most older people had one.

That does sound a hard process.
I'm sure it is fairly simple here, as everyone over about 60 seems to have one, whether their mobility is bad or not.

It is very difficult to get issued with a blue badge where I live, I think it might vary across different local authorities. Despite a supporting letter from my GP, my initial application was turned down and I had to go for an assessment - ironically at an office block in town with no parking! The first thing I had to do was go for a walk outside with the assessor. We set off, me using two walking sticks as both my knees are affected by arthritis, with the assessor asking me questions about my walking ability as we went. Fortunately she realised that I was struggling and out of breath very soon so she stopped and we went back to her office. There I was asked loads of questions about what I could and could not do while she input my answers into her computer. At the end, the scores were added up and I scored highly enough to be awarded a badge for three years when I have to reapply.

I am sure in other patty’s of the country the process is different, had I been able to walk any distance, my application would have been turned down. There was a total disregard of the new categories for hidden disabilities. I wonder if it’s so difficult near me because we have an elderly population so disabled car parking spaces are in high demand?

Even with a badge, I cannot easily go shopping as I cannot always walk from the space to the shop door let alone walk around the shop. I think I need to consider borrowing one of the stores mobility scooters but I’m not mentally ready to do that yet. I wasn’t aware that I could use parent and child spaces, I need to think about that, I don’t think I’d like any confrontations!

I mainly use my blue badge to allow me to pop out to small local shops and park on single yellow lines or other restricted places. But I have never parked on double yellow lines, far too scared to break that law!

I just hope I get mine renewed in November this year, I won’t have had either of my knees replaced by then.

If she was my daughter I'd be ashamed of her behaviour.
I'd also be eternally grateful that she was able to get out and about.

P&C parking spots are such a life saver for parents - not for the convenience, but for the safety of the kids.

I have used them depending on how my kids were doing that day and how much energy I had patience I had left.
Having a kid who loves to run to the parking lot and he/she is too young to understand the danger of cars - it is a situation that parents deal with everyday

The lack of empathy in some posters is very discouraging.

I also have a disability parking permit and I respect the rules of the parking spots - parents with kids, parents with infants, pregnant women, veteran parking, 30 min parking, electric cars, etc- they exist for a reason and their needs do not trump mine.

That young woman was somebody's daughter - what would you think if she was yours?

If all the blue badge places are taken then someone who is disabled are allowed to park in a parent and child space . The reverse is not true . P/c spaces are a courtesy only , shops don’t have to provide them at all if they don’t want to . They do have to provide blue badge spaces for the use of DISABLED people.

Beswitched

Yes both of my parents needed disabled spaces in their later years. I don't think some people realise how essential they are, and how much more necessary than p&c spaces. The latter are helpful of course, but not the lifeline that disabled spaces are.

No parent should ever use a disabled space as a substitute for a p&c space. The other way around is perfectly justified.

Disagree. They other way round isn’t justified. If you park in mine, I will park in yours. Crack down on fake users of blue badges and there will be enough spaces for the genuinely disabled. Should be no reason for the disabled to encroach on parent and child and vice versa.

I think, by law, facilities and access must be provided for disabled people, but whether that applies to having children I wouldn't know.
I would think the parent spaces are more of a courtesy thing.

Milest0ne, as suzie20 says in her post about Asda, some supermarkets do specify an age for their P&C spaces. Whether they enforce such criteria, I have no idea.

Farzanah. Taking your elderly mother shopping I would think it appropriate to park in P&C places. I saw recently a father and teenage boy parked in a P&C place. Is there amy age criteria for P&C places?

suzie20

Georgesgran, at my local Asda the notice says that spaces are for parents and children up to 12 years. Absolutely ridiculous!

Unfortunately, because young families tend to be the biggest money spinners for supermarkets they have put all sorts of marketing ploys into place to attract them, including special parking spaces.

I say 'unfortunately' because, while most shoppers have the sense to realise these spaces are a concession but not a need, there are some gullible and self entitled people who take this concession as an endorsement of some kind of 'special' status they've accorded themselves.

Very sad to read of people living with disabilities who've been convinced they shouldn't park in these spaces when blue badge spaces aren't available. Please rest assured that no decent or right thinking person would begrudge you those spaces.

Georgesgran, at my local Asda the notice says that spaces are for parents and children up to 12 years. Absolutely ridiculous!

I agree with 25Avalon. I don't expect to use a P&C when I can't find a disabled parking space. I either wait for a space to become available or park as close to the store as I can. In my experience, disabled spaces are poorly thought out. By the time I walk over to where the trolleys are, I have usually had to walk further than if I had parked in an ordinary space!

* also the car doors need opening to their fullest to get a toddler out a car seat so I have been annoyed if a blue badge person has parked in one and I have had to park in a smaller space however would not confront anyone*

This is probably why some blue badge holders will park in a P&C space if there are no blue badge spaces left - myself included. It’s very difficult to manoeuvre a wheelchair out of the car and get into it in a narrow space - and the same problem with needing space to open the doors fully.

Hetty58

Beswitched, yes, that's exactly how I understand it. Still, there's always the 'Me, me, me!' brigade with no manners and no respect. I would have waded straight in with my opinion, though, before informing the staff.

The arrogance and sense of entitlement of, predominently, mothers astounds me, as does their willingness to shrill harridans. I was loading the car, in a p and c space of a fairly empty car park, when one such started to screech at me, Was I blind or just stupid? Couldn't I read? Etc Etc, I carried on and ignored her, the more I ignored her the shriller and more hysterical she got, she actually kicked the tyre and as she was in sandals it had a rather amusing result. As my daughter and baby granddaughter joined me, having been for a nappy change, she eventually shut up and limped away.

Some people have consideration for others, some know that they come before all...

My main concern is when one person's rights begin to infringe on another's. If a disabled person needs a space close to the door but finds themselves expected to give way to a young mother then that is very wrong.
Also if the entire row of spaces by the door are designated for parents and children it means elderly people who don't qualify for a blue badge have to park further away and walk even if they're frail.
I think p&c spaces need to be treated with a bit of common sense and compassion, and most people do that.
But unfortunately there are always extremely self entitled people who take things too far.

Aveline

Parents of young children are far more able to 'struggle' than disabled people of any age.

I didn't suggest otherwise. I'm just saying that surely if we can make life easier for any group, then that's got to be a good thing. It seems on here that just because some people had to struggle when their children were young, they think today's parents ought to have it equally hard.

Parents of young children are far more able to 'struggle' than disabled people of any age.

Aveline

Blondiescot the young woman referred to by the OP was completely out of order. There is no need to pander to young mothers the way that seems to be the norm these days.
I well remember the palaver of folding up the pushchair while balancing child and bags to get on a bus. It never crossed my mind to complain. It was just the way it was. Nowadays on buses pushchairs can just be pushed on and have priority seating. There has been trouble when a mother with a pushchair refused to give way to a person in a wheelchair.
Do parents of young children have priority over disabled older people? Not in my book.

I've already said that there's no excuse for that kind of behaviour, and I'm not suggesting in any way that parents should be given priority over disabled people (of any age). Yes, we've all had to struggle when our children were young - but does that mean today's parents should also have to struggle? Shouldn't we want to make things easier for everyone - as far as can reasonably be done? As I said quite clearly, a bit of tolerance, compassion and understanding would go a long way on all sides.

It can be difficult to get a blue badge disabled parking space at times. I see it more and more at supermarkets these days where vans or 4x4s are parked in the disabled bays. Only last week I was looking at a youngish type man sitting in his car with a large food tray and his fork happily enjoying what I suppose was his lunch . There he sat without a blue disabled badge displayed and he obviously did not give a bugger I suppose he thought he had all the right in the world to park there. I have seen a few incidents about people being attacked or assaulted outside supermarkets recently it is no good telling people to move as you don't know how they will react.