ThatT1Feeling

Sure - but my point is that this isn't your judgment to make. When you enter a private car park in the UK then you agree to abide by their Ts & Cs. If you don't like those rules then nobody is forcing you to shop there.

Allowing everyone to decide on which rules they chose to follow based on their personal whims (or feelings of perceived slight or unjustness of the rules) is a slippery slope.

IAMORGAN

Nanny knows best

I'm not suggesting not following the rules, just saying the rules are, in my view, unfair and biased.

Anyway, we're pushing back so I need to switch off!

Gaucho100K

Wirelessly posted (Nokia N97 / Palm TX: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/Palm-D050; Blazer/4.3) 16;320x448)

+1

Jenbel

But when you park there, you are jumping to the conclusion that your need is greater than for those for whom the space is designated. I don't think you are in any position to complain about someone jumping to unwarranted conclusions when you have done exactly the same. Your real complaint is that their conclusion is different from theirs. And you know that's the problem with making a personal judgement about whose need is greatest - not everyone will agree.

Personally, I hate to see people parking in either disabled or parent and child spaces who show no signs of meeting the requirements for using them. It's really the ultimate in laziness - is it really so hard to walk a bit extra in either direction when you are not encumbered by children or disability? Apparently, for those people, so

keefysher

The point of supermarkets putting 'parent with child' spaces near to the doors is to increase their sales through encouraging 'pester power' ie get parents in with the kids, the kids go shopping, sales go up, profits increase. Retailers are not silly. If it's awkward to take the kids shopping by having to walk further, then folks will not walk with their brood!!

If I go shopping on my own to my local supermarket, I park in the 'pick up' area immediately in front of the doors, much closer than the 'parent with child' places; but with great big posts that make it difficult to open the nearside car door!!! I am, afterall, picking up my groceries!!

There is a trial being undertaken in Brighton at present to fine abusers of Blue Badge and pwc areas £50. If people don't want the fine, go to another supermarket.

I was challenged only the other day when I parked my 2 seater roadster in a pwc bay, the woman in the next bay didn't see my 3 yo daughter sat in her booster seat through the plastic rear window. As I got out the car, I was challenged about parking in a pwc bay, 'aren't you able to walk to the supermarket?'. I then walked around my car to get my daughter out, at which point the challenging woman continued 'this area is for women with babies in carry cots'. Rather than get into an arguement with the harridan, I pointed upwards to the sign, some 4foot tall, illustrating the 'rules' for using that area. People with children under 12 years are allowed to park there! btw the pwc bays are further from the entrance than regular bays in this particular supermarket.

Another thing that gets my goat in car parks is the inconsiderate morons who have to ding your bodywork with their doors, rather than give considered thought to others, but that's a whole new thread topic.

I often feel that the plethora of rules and laws introduced in Nanny State UK have demeaned the individuals freedom of thought and action to such a degree that as history teaches us, repressed people rise up against them. The human condition is such that we inherrantly have an inbuilt mode to assist other humans, but if rules are put in place to dissuade us from helping, we will rebel or not bother. Sad state of affairs really, where common courtesy and respect for others is diminished in the name of a minority of intellectually challenged megalomaniacs.

onobond

May I recommend a method used by one of my collegues, in wheelchair for almost half a year after a car accident. He noticed that when shopping at th local mega-market, the 4 parking spaces right at the entrance, with signs clarly stating they were designated for disabled, always being used by people without disabilities. He printed flyers, and let his teenage son put them under the windscreen wiper, only on misplaced cars, without proper handicap parking permit. This didn't look suspicious, as kids make money putting promotional flyers that way. After 4 days there always was at least two out of four spaces available when he turned up.

The text on the flyers?

"Dear Car Owner/Driver,

Noticing Your Car beeing parked here leeds us to think there is a misunderstanding. This area is designated for shoppers with a physical handicap. Customer with other disabilities are requested to use regular parking area"

I just wished he had told me about this ploy, as I would have liked to see the faces of those reading that flyer.

speedbird182

When I worked at my local mega-mart, we used to have this type of leaflet available to stick on the windscreens of mis-parked cars. Sadly most of the staff didn't know about them or if they did didn't use them. As my department had stock outside that needed checked, I used to carry a supply and use them, but I don't think that it made much of an impact. At least I tried.

Anyway, I think that this thread has done the BA forum usual of driving off at an extreme tangent

ajax

It's more than just laziness; it's selfish, rude and borderline theft (of services). At least in the case of able-bodied people using disabled bays, you are depriving someone less able than yourself of the right to use them. I have no time for this action.

henry999

Regarding a 'sad state of affairs', how about this? A long time ago already -- 1986, in fact -- on a visit to America I saw a sign at the Chicago railway station that (figuratively) made me weep for humanity. It said 'DO NOT ACCEPT HELP FROM STRANGERS'.

cheers,

Henry

onobond

On the other hand, the security mantra at check-in used to be:
"Have you recieved a gift from any unknown person"

Now it's only about any gift.

Transitting in many airports, I'm still waiting for anyone to give me a gift

But I was gifted already before starting to fly.

hammythehammer

I think with your first paragraph you've joined the same people who get your goat.
For pity's sake it is so bl**dy easy to join in with a civilised society.

1. Disabled spaces are for people who hold a blue badge who in some way utilise the space, ergo they need to be there .
2. The parent and child places are for people who are 'wheeling', or at a push, carrying their child.
3. The 'pick up' spaces are there for picking up people who are waiting to load their shopping in ....think in terms of a taxi . You pull up and someone gets in. It's not there for using the cashpoint or as a convenient parking space for lazy so and so's.

While we're at it with cars.
There's 3 lanes on a motorway ..not just a middle one.
If you are on a dual-carriageway, you don't need to sit in the outside lane because you are turning right in 5 miles.
You aren't big and clever because you drive round with your side and fog lights on.
The rear fog lights you've got on are causing everyone to slam on their brakes on the motorway. (and it isn't even foggy).
Driving around in twilight hours with no lights on is extremely dangerous and saves miniscule amounts of power.
The zig-zag lines you park on outside your childs school have been put there to protect yours and every other child.
Indicators were put on cars because they indicated what you might be about to do ...again non-use results in negligible cost savings.

signed
Grumpy oldish man

hammythehammer

Because those strangers would have been potentially criminals / undesirable. Scams and travellers are quite common.

hammythehammer

I would love to have the job that consisted purely of enforcing this.

speedbird182

If you could carry through this bag of sugar for me that would be great (I';ve already put it into little sachets wraped in clingfilm and then into the bag that MAN forced on us earlier this year). My liquid allowance is taken up by the coffee that the sugar goes in.

Globaliser

I'm starting to feel very guilty now.

Is it really so wrong to park in the "parent and child" spaces if I'm shopping between midnight and 6 am?