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Don't knock it, It can be suprisingly difficult for a heavily pregnant lass to get in and out of her car. A 4 week pregnant woman on the other hand.......
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>It can be suprisingly difficult for a heavily pregnant lass to get in and out of her car.
True. But on the other hand I know someone who rode in a 100 mile charity bike ride on the day her baby was due--she argued that with all those St John's ambulances around it was safer than sitting at home. She made it too: the baby was born a week (and a further 200 miles of cycling) later. How soft are most people?
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The problem is that most parking bays are too small for anyone wider than a Supermodel to climb out of any vehicle bigger than a Lupo.
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Had a good one over the festive period. Looking for a place in Tesco's Bangor, and all the disabled and children bays were taken. Saw a child slot and went to it to be beaten by a 50 year old man. The wife asked him why he was parking there without children and the reply was that no one took any notice of them at this time of the year
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Sorry but I always park in these if they're free. Yes, disabled people and people with buggies and things need more space, but I can't see why pregnant women should have it - in fact they should be walking further to strengthen those pelvic muscles!!
I'd like to be there when someone is challenged for using them - "are you actually pregnant, madam, or just a bit fat?"
Can I have a "it's raining and Polo doesn't like being left on his own for too long" space? ;-)
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Have commented on these reserved bays before and got chastised for it. For every argument there is a counter argument.
Disabled - need extra space especially if they have one of these contraptions to bring a wheelchair down from the roofrack etc. But the slightly disabled who can walk all round the shopping centre?
Parents and child - at what age do they stop being a child?
Pregnant - why do you need extra space?
Sounds to me to be a decision made in a head office and then left to the store management to take the flak for it!!
On a personal basis, I wish they just made all the spaces bigger! It is for that reason I always park as far away from the store entrance as possible to prevent dents to my bodywork. Park next to the entrance and you could have say, 5 cars come and go whilst you are in, 2 doors on your side = 10 possible attacks on your bodywork. Park further away and chances are you will have no-one either side of you!
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Exactly, I would like a "I care about my car and don't want twonks putting dents in it" parking space.
Actually, they usually already exist - they're the ones on the far side of the car park that nobody uses... :-)
Mike
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I'm a pretty big guy (not fat, just very tall and very broad). I find most cars a bit on the small side and UK parking bays are often so tight it is not possible to even half-open the door on a largish car - hence I often struggle to get in and out.
Having said the above, I would not dream of using a disabled space, parent-and-child space, pregnant woman space etc. The only people who would use these spaced are those with a lack of empathy for others who find 'getting around' rather difficult. I have seen perfectly able-bodied people drive into a disabled space and jump out, trot into the stores - very selfish and ignorant IMHO.
British people are on-the-whole very ill-mannered when it comes to dealing with the disabled or pregnant women. I remember quite a few years ago when my wife was 7 months pregnant and we were in Barcelona (I was there on business for a while) even in the rush hour people would make room for her and give up seats on trains and busses - you certainly wouldn't get that in most UK cities!
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I usually park at the far corner of a carpark, as walking to and from my car is the only exercise I get!!!!!
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I feel rather foolish - I only entered this thread because I was intrigued as to how they could make mums into parking bays.
Sorry :-)
Adam.
--
"Give Way"? Wait....I know this one...give me a minute
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I agree, a lot of us here are ignorant. We have a 15 month old and its almost imposible to get him in / out of the car without opening the door fully so these spaces are really useful for us, but are often full of no child people, but I would also like to say that because we have a baby dosent mean we need to park right by the door - we can still walk! I think shopping centres and supermarkets should consider putting specialist spaces further away from the door in order to stop everyone wanting to use them. My local Tesco has the parent and baby spaces right on the far side and this deters people without a genuine need to from using them.
Also we were in London a few weeks ago for the weekend and used the tube extensivley. My partner is 8.5 months pregnant and only once did anybody offer to give up their seat for her. Supprisingly it was a female teenager - so thanks to that person.
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Exactly, I would like a "I care about my car and don't want twonks putting dents in it" parking space. Actually, they usually already exist - they're the ones on the far side of the car park that nobody uses... :-) Mike
One of the reasons I prefer to shop at Costco - decent wide spaces!!!
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Actually, they usually already exist - they're the ones on the far side of the car park that nobody uses... :-)
That one doesn't seem to work for me, although luckily the Yaris seems remarkably resilient to dents. Twice recently when I've actually been in the car I've had doors opened on to it. The most recent was in an Aldi car park where a banged up old Renault 19 had parked beside me while I was in the shop. I'd got back in the car and was using the phone when the owners returned. Mother opens the door for her young kid to get in who promptly pushes it as far open as she can right in to the side of my car... By the time I'd finished on the phone and got out they'd scarpered but I did get the registration. However, no dent evident which is a surprise given the clang.
I find when I try and park in quiet areas of car parks it seems to attract people to park right next to me rather than the opposite. Once in B&Q I'd parked well away from the store as I knew I'd need to get the doors wide open as I was buying something big. I was rather narked when I got back to find that despite there being loads of spare space around me someone had parked leaving me less than a foot to open the door..
As for these spaces, well, disabled and pregnant I can understand, as long as they are policed. Mother and Child? Yes, if only to keep the ^%^£%s away from the rest of us (as above!), but I can't see why they need priority close to the store...
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It's not a problem for me, and I never take a disabled or child space (unless I have my child with me - and not always then). I simply park across two regular spaces. Problem solved.
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As for these spaces, well, disabled and pregnant I can understand, as long as they are policed. Mother and Child? Yes, if only to keep the ^%^£%s away from the rest of us (as above!), but I can't see why they need priority close to the store...
With the way most morons drive in shop car parks, would you want to try and get your offspring safely from the far reaches to the door? It's about safety, not mollycoddling.
For the avoidance of doubt this post comes to you courtesy of No Dosh the individual, not No Dosh the moderator. Replies to this post will be responded to as such so won't be deleted simply because they run contrary to my personal views.
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ND, surely you don't need to post a disclaimer every time you wish to express your opinion?
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With the way most morons drive in shop car parks, would you want to try and get your offspring safely from the far reaches to the door? It's about safety, not mollycoddling.
True about the driving standards, but the spaces don't need to be near the entrance to be safely accessible. Most stores have the door towards one corner - simply put the mother and child (parent and child to be PC?) spaces at the other corner so they just have to walk along the front of the store to get to them.
What it would be nice to see is the area by the door devoid of roadways so you don't get the idiots tearing past people going in and out or parking blocking the entrance just so Sharon and little Tracy don't need to walk more than 5 yards.
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With the way most morons drive in shop car parks, would you want to try and get your offspring safely from the far reaches to the door? It's about safety, not mollycoddling.
Hmm. Maybe another way to improve safety would be to provide no parking spaces for the worst drivers. No BMWs, no 4X4s, anywhere in the car park: that'd make things safer. Mind you, where I live, you'd also need to ban old red Nissans with fins on them, and in Essex maybe you'd have to ban old Fords with jacked-up wheels and blacked-out windows.
Might be a little difficult to enforce, though, and not entirely fair -- not all BMW drivers are wild (and when I've driven recently I have been surprised to find that Passat drivers now seemed to be the ones most likely to indulge in tailgating and barging and so on).
Whatever it takes, though, I think it's a really good idea to make things a bit easier for pregnant women and for those with young kids. Much as I'm tempted, I don't think I'd bother getting pregnant just to save a few minutes walk to the supermarket doors ...
Claire
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