Angry Note Highlights Car Park Problem

“Bit selfish parking in a family space when you[‘re] on your own. If you walked a bit you would not be so fat.”

A note which began a confrontation between two drivers all centred on the issue of using the parent and child parking facilities in a supermarket car park.

One in four of these spaces is misused by motorists, according to research by Confused.com. It highlighted a frustration that is felt across the country but rarely acted upon.

What happened?

As reported by Wales Online, the incident started when Gilly Patel parked his vehicle in a parent and child parking bay before heading into the shop, leaving his wife and one-year-old child in the back seat behind anti-glare windows.

Upon seeing what they thought was a flagrant misuse of the bays, another parked driver left the rude note on Patel’s windscreen. When the latter returned and spoke to his wife, they were able to identify who left it and confront them.

But why do people get so frustrated by it?

What are parent and child bays for?

Parent and child bays provide larger spaces either side of the vehicle to help with getting children in and out of vehicles, particularly if they are remaining in the car seat in which they travelled. A hugely helpful benefit for parents, it allows them to park closer to the shop entrance.

What frustrates motorists most about it?

The irritation doesn’t arise from parents being given these bays as an option for parking, but from those who ignore the rules behind them and use them anyway. Those who gain a priority parking space while the rest follow the rules of the car park.

Are the rules a law?

There is no law to discourage motorists from using parent and child parking bays, but, depending on the site, there may be private car park companies who ensure the rules and regulations of the car park are followed.

They can, according to their rules, impose fines on those found to be misusing the spots.

What can you do if you see a space being misused?

Nothing, in short. You can report it, on-site, to the organisation using the car park but they will often state that it is not a law and/or the car park is run and monitored by an independent parking company.

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