The big debate between disabled & parent spaces.We need more spaces & stop the abuse Let both sides unite!!?

Question

as a disabled parent I have experienced both parent & disabled "designated parking". The one thing that both sides would agree,

a there is a real need to develop more "designated parking" spaces, and

b the authorities should be doing more to eradicate the abuse of "designated parking"

The great advantage of uniting our campaigns is that we create a large voice rather than two smaller voices. I am involved with a disabled group in east lothian who are making the abuse of designated parking our number1 issue this year, as are other groups arround the country. The media seems to be portraying this as a contest between the disabled and parent and toddlers, when in point of view we are after the same thing.

We should also be allowing, tobe parents and the tempory disabled into the "designated parking" debate.

Lets get a solid voice and not be divided. Divide and rule would suit the powers that be, it would allow them to do nothing apart from talk. What do you think?

Answer 1

I half agree.

As a parent of two small children it frustrates me when I have to park in smaller spaces and struggle getting them in and out of the car, but the fact is that Parent & child spaces are abused by all - including the disabled. If there are no disabled spaces available, the tendency is to use the P&T spaces instead, whereas I on the other hand cannot use a disabled space if there are no P&T spaces.

Personally, I can't say that there aren't enough designated spaces in the supermarkets I use. Granted, sometimes I may have to wait for a suitable space, but that is the way for people who use regular parking spaces if they want a particular spot. Its life, sometimes we have to wait for things!

Again, for temporarily disabled people to have a designated space seems a tad excessive. Why can't they just wait for a normal parking space that is close to the entrance? Or get someone else to do their shopping? Its not really feasible for the authorities or GPs to be handing out 'temporary disability badges'!!

If anyone parks in a disabled space without an appropriate badge they should be fined. Parents with children under the age of 5 should also be given a type of badge to display in their car to validate the use of P&T parking spaces and anyone violating this should be fined. Supermarkets should be given the power to issue fines to customers abusing the designated parking spaces. In the same way that mothers to be are given a medical exemption certificate at 16 weeks pregnant, which is valid until the baby reaches its first birthday, they should be given a badge to display in their car which should be valid until the child reaches their 4th or 5th birthday. This type of solution would be no drain on authority finances and everyone would be happy.

Answer 2

What should happen is that the system should be sorted out so that ONLY those people with GENUINE and SERIOUS disabilities get issued with the "disabled" sticker.

Im sick of seeing millions of cars parked on double yellow lines, s******g up the normal road traffic, and when you see the drivers going to and from the cars, there is not even a "limp" to be seen.

IT's A BIG CON !!

Answer 3

I think that any able bodied person who parks in a disabled space without a pass should have their car towed away.  I do use the mother and toddler spaces if there are no disabled spaces available and I have a friend in a wheelchair with me - how else do I get the wheelchair next to the car to enable her to get out?

Parent's with toddlers do have needs but these are secondary to the disabled.  Not all disabled are in wheelchairs but cannot walk far or stand for long.  Just because someone hasn't got a wheelchair/stick etc. does not mean they are healthy.  It could be that they will not give into their disability (my mother has been told she should be using a wheelchair as she has no feeling in her feet so can't feel where she is walking although it is still very painful (diabetes) but she won't as she's scared she would never get out of it again!)

There are some stickers you can get to put on illegally parked cars "you've got my parking space, would you like my disability as well?' I must get hold of some.

My main annoyance is why is it that hospital car parks are so expensive and patient parking is usually a distance away whilst parking for able bodied consultants and pen pushers are right near the hospital entrance which is where the disabled parking should be.

Answer 4

Good point, I am a mother with a toddler and also have a disabled mother,  the abuse of these spaces is ridiculous because they are not enforced by anyone though on the other side of it one car park near me has over 20 disabled spaces which are rarely used and they also have a little clamping firm which rakes in untold money for people parking in these spaces (which is fair enough) they have a total of 3 parent/toddler spaces???

They could even the spaces out to half and half but would lose money so they don't.

Supermarkets are the worst for not enforcing the rules they set out!

Answer 5

It is good to see that Asda has taken the lead in the abuse of parking for the disabled. From today they are introducing £60 fines for people parking in the said ports. The money raised will go to charity.

The problem is that some people holding `Blue Badges` often abuse the system by loaning the badge to able-bodied family and friends. I have wittnessed this on many occasions. So it may be appropiate to do more to prevent this from happening.

As for childrens/baby parking slots, what classifies as a child? I hate it when I take my 2 year old to the store, and some snooty woman in a 4x4 is parking in a designated childrens slot with a 8 or 9 year old (sometime even older). So annoying! GRRRRR!

But where do we put the age limit?

Answer 6

I never park in disabled bays but as for parent and child spaces i fail to see why they have to be right at the front of the car park, people with children are not disabled, fair enough i understand the need for wider spaces for prams and whatnot but not the need for them to be right at the front door on the same parr as disabled spaces.

Answer 7

There isn't any "debate" because what it boils down to is that there are a few people who are prejudiced against persons with disabilities and dreamed up this "parent spaces" BS in order to harass persons with disabilities. There is no need for parent parking spaces--these people-and their kids--are quite able to walk a few steps further. They're just too lazy to do so.

Answer 8

I agree with disabled parking bays every time and will never park in them.But toddler and baby? Where do you draw the line?I will park in them if i cant find somewhere else.