Simply not enough ‘parent and infant’/ ‘mother and baby’ car parking spaces, and people without little ones parking their cars in them!!
- I’m sure this is something all mummys with babies and young children can relate to!
A couple of months ago, I was waiting in a multi storey car park with my 2 week old baby (who was crying at the time), by the parent and infant parking bays. As I sat there waiting, I watched in horror as a disabled lady, who was parked in a ‘parent and infant’ space, got her motorised mobile out of her car and drove off to do her shopping!!! I decided to be sympathetic and not voice my opinion to her, & I continued to wait for another space to become available.
I reversed back to get a better view of any available parent and infant spaces, as I did so, one became available behind me. Another car appeared from behind me, indicated and took the space. Disappointed at this I sat there, and then watched in shock as a little old lady got out of the car, got her shopping trolley out the back and went off shopping. OMG!!!!
These were 2 spaces taken by disabled and elderly – not parent and infant!!
With a travel system (carry round car seat) which needs space to be lifted out of the car to put onto the pushchair, you know its not easy to park in a standard space as they are too narrow to get your baby out!
So - When a ‘disabled’ space then became available, I took the view that maybe I could use this space, as I too am restricted as to where I can park, and the parent and infant spaces were being used by people other than parents with infants, so why shouldnt the disabled spaces also be shared!?! Fair? It is not something I usually do and, whilst it appears wrong to park where I did, It was the shock of what was happening in the spaces supposedly reserved for people like myself, that l felt l had no alternative other than to park in the disabled spaces opposite.
And guess what ………. I got a parking fine!! OMG That is sooooo unfair!
So, with this, I decided I would challenge my fine. I wrote an email explaining in detail what had happened and put the question to the issuer of my fine questioning – “Do those who park in a ‘parent and infant’ space when they are not a parent with an infant, get fined or challenged by authorities in any way?”
To my disappointment I received an email back informing me that after looking at my case, they were sympathetic and understood how I must feel, but that unfortunately they could not drop my fine as the disabled parking spaces are protected under the umbrella of the ’blue badge’!!
Is it just me or is this so unfair??!!
Why don’t we have a badge for when we have babies? Why are the disabled and elderly allowed to park in OUR spaces without being challenged at all?
I think this is something that should be looked into, what do you think?
Share your thoughts on this!!
Oh don’t get me started on this, it really annoys me when people who don’t have a baby with them park in the parent and baby spaces. Once in my local supermarket two young guys in their 20s pulled into a parent and baby space, got out, opened the back door and stuck a ‘baby on board’ sign in the back window before walking off. No baby in sight! I was fuming but didn’t say anything as I didn’t want to have a confrontation in front of my children. Another time I did (politely) say something when an elderly man did the same (thinking he might not have seen the parent and baby sign) only to be treated to a lecture about how hard life was in his day, with the war and rationing, and how mums today ‘don’t know how good we’ve got it’. He shouted so much that my eldest son nervously asked me several times if ‘the angry man knew where we lived’? I’ve also seen a (very able bodied – in fact she teaches fitness classes) mum at school pull into a disabled parking bay, brazenly stick a blue badge on the dashboard and walk off to collect her kids! None of these people got a parking ticket. As I said don’t get me started!