Parking Etiquette

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What's interesting here is the clear division and anger caused by what the PC camp term "positive discrimination".

Providing quality-of-life enhancing parking facilities for those who are blighted with mobility problems is only offensive to the most rabidly selfish in society, but "parent & child" parking bays? What's that all about?

Consider your likely response if, instead of "parent & child", the bays were marked "White's Only" or "'Black's Only" (or, for that matter, "Any Nationality You Can Think of Only"). Would you be arguing that it was reasonable and that there were clear merits to such a policy or would you consider it to be discriminatory?

Somewhere along the line, the plot was lost long ago :mad:
They are put there by the supermarkets to make life a bit easier if you have children.
That's it.

There's no conspiracy against the 'childless' or the over 40 'we are all doomed' brigade
 
My 2p worth, if you cannot park a car that you drive in an adequate parking space then you should not drive it.

I think that that is the problem, you can park the cars in the bays, but most other drivers simply cant open their doors without banging into your car, or perhaps they simply don't give a dam about their cars, let alone yours.
 
There's no conspiracy against the 'childless' or the over 40 'we are all doomed' brigade
I concur.

The issue - for me, anyway - is that so many people are so intent on asserting their rights (often aided and abetted by the well intentioned, but ultimately stupid) that they forget that (a) with "rights" come responsibilities, and (b) showing tolerance and humanity may not reap a direct reward today, but ultimately leads to a better life for all.

As Bader said, "Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men".
 
The way to handle this was to cradle your bloomer,make baby talk spend 10mins pretending to fit "baby" into baby seat and drive away with a cheery wave.Then don't do it again!
 
I concur.

The issue - for me, anyway - is that so many people are so intent on asserting their rights (often aided and abetted by the well intentioned, but ultimately stupid) that they forget that (a) with "rights" come responsibilities, and (b) showing tolerance and humanity may not reap a direct reward today, but ultimately leads to a better life for all.

As Bader said, "Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men".

I agree on many points, it's just that I think that these parking spaces are feeling your wrath because you are fed up of short sighted selfish people.
 
What if :

There are ten spaces for Parent and Child and they are all occupied. The blue zones are empty and the other spaces are at 50% occupancy.

An eleventh car enters the carpark, containing a parent and child.

Where do they park ? In the 50% zone surely.....

So the carpark duly fills up and the P&C spaces clear but the other areas fill. There are now more P&C cars in the 'general' zone.

Now comes the dilemma.

Should the P&C cars have waited or left the carpark when the dedicated area was full knowing that they would be otherwise taking up the space that a single occupancy car could be using ?

I know, it's late .........
 
Oh I love discussions like this.

My 2p worth is that I would never and have never parked in a Disabled space, but with regards to P&C spaces they are a different matter altogether.
As I love cars I have always driven to the furthest point of any car park to get away from any car that could dent my lovely doors. However, there are some car parks which are too small and therefore I often park in the P&C spaces to avoid my doors being dented by mindless and careless people.
I have two children who are now in their late teens and as a parent I was always able to get the children in and out with all of their required equipment without needing wider bays.
I have had people express their outrage and the like in the past (not very often to be honest as I am on the tall and large side of life) and dependant upon their demeaner and gender I have explained why or have mirrored their outburst.
I agree with st13phil in that "Somewhere along the line, the plot was lost long ago"
 
I would only challenge someone ( as I once did ) if they were taking the last P&C space when not entitled , and I legitimately needed it myself .

If I did not get a favorable response , I would ask why you think your car is more important than everyone else's , then report the matter to the store manager - in the hope that he would have a large sticky notice put on your window .
 
I would only challenge someone ( as I once did ) if they were taking the last P&C space when not entitled , and I legitimately needed it myself .

If I did not get a favorable response , I would ask why you think your car is more important than everyone else's , then report the matter to the store manager - in the hope that he would have a large sticky notice put on your window .

Why did you "need" it? Surely it may have made your life easier but did you really "need" it? Could you not use another space ? Would it have been impossible for your son to exit your car safely?

So should you have said "wanted" instead of "needed"? Or was there a reason?
 
Two spaces left. One for Mother and Babies and the other for Handicapped drivers / X5 owners club.

I think if all the ordinary spaces are full then it should be fine to use the reserved spaces - after all, why should those users get priority and be able to drive straight into free spaces while other shoppers have to wait?

This happens at an out of town place near us - the car park can be packed but there will be loads of empty disabled spaces. Seems ridiculous to me.
 
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Life is simply too short to overly worry about the rights, wrongs and grey areas afforded to us by our insanely complex society. The blue badge system... child seat in car... both can and are abused in spite of their well meaning intentions. I haven't abused these systems, but I haven't always complied with them either: at 1am at the 24 hour ASDA no-one gives a damn where you park. And the chances of 30 disabled / mother and baby shoppers deciding to do the weekly run at 1.01am are very small indeed.
 
If anyone complains about me parking in parent and child I just tell them (this has been censored)
 
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Why did you "need" it? Surely it may have made your life easier but did you really "need" it? Could you not use another space ? Would it have been impossible for your son to exit your car safely?

So should you have said "wanted" instead of "needed"? Or was there a reason?

Well , I would argue that I do 'need' it so as to be able to open the door wide enough to reach in and strap/unstrap 'junior' into/from the child seat without danger of denting an adjacent car ; I really do need to open my back door fully to do this and it is just not possible within the confines of a standard Tesco space . Coupe owners will need just as much room as I dowith the SEL .

While I can park next to an empty space and get my son out easily , there is no guarantee that there won't be a car next to me on return , or indeed on both sides . There is no way that I would leave a two year old standing on his own while I bring the car out of the space either .

If all ten or so P&C spaces are occupied at my local Tesco , which would be unusual ) I generally will wait for one .

However , should I see someone with no entitlement trying to take the last space , I would react as described above .
 
We try to use the parent/child spaces whenever possible as the Vito is somewhat tight in the normal ones!
 
Well , I would argue that I do 'need' it so as to be able to open the door wide enough to reach in and strap/unstrap 'junior' into/from the child seat without danger of denting an adjacent car ; I really do need to open my back door fully to do this and it is just not possible within the confines of a standard Tesco space . Coupe owners will need just as much room as I dowith the SEL .

While I can park next to an empty space and get my son out easily , there is no guarantee that there won't be a car next to me on return , or indeed on both sides . There is no way that I would leave a two year old standing on his own while I bring the car out of the space either .

If all ten or so P&C spaces are occupied at my local Tesco , which would be unusual ) I generally will wait for one .

However , should I see someone with no entitlement trying to take the last space , I would react as described above .

Hi - no offense was meant - it's just sometimes people with children who are capable of opening a door themselves grab those spaces - and as you didn't specify your child was of the age that he needs assistance in and out I just asked the question. :thumb:
 
Well , I would argue that I do 'need' it so as to be able to open the door wide enough to reach in and strap/unstrap 'junior' into/from the child seat without danger of denting an adjacent car ; ....

While I can park next to an empty space and get my son out easily , there is no guarantee that there won't be a car next to me on return

Having had two children before parent and child spaces where invented, I have never had any problems ensuring I didn't damage other peoples cars or getting either of them in/out.

Hence I fail to see what the fuss is about (cars may have got wider - but parking spaces have as well).
 
We use them to help get the wee man out (he's only 2) but for me, its not so much about the extra space it is that they are usually:

1. By the pavement so no need to try to get a toddler through a potentially busy and dangerous car park.

2. Near the parent/baby trolleys with the extra seating in so that's a big help as well.

As for those saying they park in them to protect their car. Don't 'kid' yourselves, you are simply too idle to walk to the door. I would challenge you and depending on your response I may or may not block you in the space. I have done in the past.

m.
 
Costco bays are ace :)


As for the comment above, I'm pretty sorted at getting the bus in almost any gap, with just me = not an issue, its just when you have to open the door wide to get the baby seat in :)

A210AMG Just a clarification please. Why do you need to get a child seat in/out at a supermarket? Don't you just take the child out of the seat? :confused:Genuine questions, I'm not being sarcastic.:dk:
 
Someone on here once stated that he felt the P&C bays should be at the other end of the supermarket so that the kids could get the exercise walking to the store.
I just wonder if they were how many would actually be used?

That would've been me! :D:thumb:
 
We use them to help get the wee man out (he's only 2) but for me, its not so much about the extra space it is that they are usually:

1. By the pavement so no need to try to get a toddler through a potentially busy and dangerous car park.

2. Near the parent/baby trolleys with the extra seating in so that's a big help as well.

As for those saying they park in them to protect their car. Don't 'kid' yourselves, you are simply too idle to walk to the door. I would challenge you and depending on your response I may or may not block you in the space. I have done in the past.

m.

I'd be careful with the blocking people in if I were you.
A/ It could be illegal (parking in a M&C bay isn't)

B/ You could end up with some 1/2wit reversing into your cars side to try get out.

C/ Unless you know who you are blocking in they could be a big, black belt owner who wants to tear you limb from limb when you come out!
 

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