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Disabled bay versus parent/child

(16 Posts)
jordana Mon 22-Jan-18 14:14:04

My husband has the blue badge to use disabled bays. However we have noticed at shopping malls, the parent and child bays are nearer to the entrance than the disabled spaces. We are both thinking this is a bit unfair as surely the younger mothers are fit enough to push a pram and do not need to be so close to the entrances. Do others feel the same or are we ourselves being unfair?

MissAdventure Mon 22-Jan-18 14:15:39

My daughter and I used to think it was a strange thing too.

paddyann Mon 22-Jan-18 14:21:27

To be honest other than having wider mother and child bays to allow easy access for car seats and prams I dont think there needs to be consessions .If the mother and child bay is at the far end of the carpark and the disabled ones are close to the door it would make more sense ,But hey I'm old fashioned I used to walk several miles a day with a pram so the length of a carpark is nothing.

Cherrytree59 Mon 22-Jan-18 14:29:07

Not so at any supermarkets or B&Q near to us.
Yellow bays are across the front of the shops whereas the parent and children bays are along the same line as other parking bays.
Just that the p&c bays are wider than other bays

I'm sure p&c bays are also used by grandparents who are not so young and fit.

Cherrytree59 Mon 22-Jan-18 14:30:52

PS meant grandparents and grand child(ren)smile

Jalima1108 Mon 22-Jan-18 14:35:49

Yes, it does seem odd and something I have noticed too.

I remember going shopping with my friend years ago, it was proving impossible to find anywhere to park but there were about three or four parent and child spaces free. So my extremely law-abiding friend parked in one and said 'well, I do have a child and I do have grandchildren but they're just not with me today'. She did have a child seat in the back

OldMeg Mon 22-Jan-18 14:51:16

Not here. The disabled parking is closest to our local Tesco entrance and the Parents and Child further away, which is how it should be. It also stops Disabled Badge Holders usurping the P&C bays,

MissAdventure Mon 22-Jan-18 14:52:59

I suppose we should write to the shops. It can make the difference to someone being able to use the shop, if their mobility is limited and they can't walk far.

Nonnie Mon 22-Jan-18 15:10:25

paddyann are you bugging my car? I have been discussing this with DH and a good friend and we totally agree with you.

Another benefit of moving the parent and child spaces further away would be that idle people would not use them! I have seen parents with a 'child' old enough to easily walk the length and breadth of the car park without needing to hold a parent's hand using the parent and child spaces!

NanaandGrampy Mon 22-Jan-18 15:16:50

If you use Ebbs fleet Station for the euros tar you'll notice the rental car fleet are nearest to the station and disabled bays further back .

By further back I do mean considerably not a line or two . I did query this but they were totally disinterested presumably because the rental companies rent those spaces .

silverlining48 Mon 22-Jan-18 15:47:55

I have noticed the same and often wonder the thinking behind parents bay often being closer than the disabled spaces and why would the parent child spaces be wider too?

Nonnie Mon 22-Jan-18 15:57:05

silver the spaces are wider so a parent can get the pushchair next to the door to put the child in. When a very young child the car seat is part of the pushchair.

Harking back to when I had mine they were strapped into their carry cot which was strapped into the car and had to be taken out and put on the wheels. All done without extra space at the side of the car. Young people have no idea of how hard work it all was grin

goldengirl Mon 22-Jan-18 16:02:09

I've had a minor mobility for a while now and parking is a nightmare as so many parking spaces are narrow and I can't open my car door wide enough to get out without being a contortionist. Unfortunately I'm not disabled enough to warrant blue badge parking but I do wish there was temporary blue badge parking for people with short term mobility problems. Collecting little people from school is currently out of the question as a result.

lemongrove Mon 22-Jan-18 16:43:08

I saw a woman parking in Waitrose a few weeks ago in the parent and child spaces, and a tall teenager got out of the passenger seat!He was about 16, and laughing, presumably at Mum for parking there.
Most supermarkets near me have disabled bays either nearer or just as near as the parent/child ones.

TerriBull Mon 22-Jan-18 16:47:02

There weren't any mother and baby spaces when I was a young mum and it could be quite a struggle getting them out of their seats at times if the next car was quite close. I would prioritise disabled parking bays over mother and baby ones though.

Alygran Mon 22-Jan-18 17:02:36

The parent and child spaces at our nearest Tesco are alongside the path and parents do not have to cross anywhere there are moving cars. Is this a consideration? The disabled bays are near too