You know what really gets my goat?!? People who park (and misuse) parent and toddler parking places at supermarkets. The last few weekends, I’ve really struggled to find a place at my local WM Morrisons, and watched whilst people without children use these reserved spots.

“Enough is Enough”, I thought – especially when I saw a member of staff abusing the system, and decided to write the letter below to my local branch to their head office.

The only way we can get this enforced, is by customer action – I therefore urge you to write similar letters to your local supermarkets (some branches of major supermarkets do enforce – but not all), and contact their customer service desks.

Power to the people is what I say!...anyway here is the letter….

“I would like to complain, yet again about the blatant misuse of your toddler and parent parking places at your Sidcup branch.

I tend to do my weekly shop with my young son on Saturday morning, and without fail every time, I see people disregarding the signage and parking in places apparently reserved for those with young children.

I find the situation so frustrating that the other day I confronted a lone man just getting into his car parked there, to which he replied “It doesn’t apply to me, I’m the night manager just finishing my shift”. If staff and even managers are disregarding this, I can understand why customers ignore this…hardly a good example.

On another occasion, I reported a couple of customers to the customer service desk. The lady placed at a “Please do not park here” printed note on their windscreen, but explained that they have no further power. Apparently people can be fined for illegally parking in disabled bays but not parent and child bays?....What is the point of having them then?

I know issuing penalty notices is possible, as I have used a Sainsbury’s recently, which DO impose fines. I have also read that some Asda branches to this, so why not you. Parking in Sidcup with a young child is hard at the best of times, let along have to carry both child and shopping to the far corner of the car park. The situation is so bad, that my heavily pregnant wife refuses to use the store. That is just one person…potentially you could be losing a great deal of business.

I see three ways to resolve this:

1) Ticket and impose fines on cars without child seats by using proactive wardens

2) Use video footage from CCTV to impose fines for people leaving vehicles without
children in tow

3) Issue a free 12 month pass from the customer service desk for parents with young children. It should be non-transferable (has number plate number detailed on). Every year, parents have to request a new one and prove their children are still of toddler age.

People who do not display pass and park in the bays have fine imposed.

You could receive positive PR from the local press, as well as national (if one of the schemes goes nationwide), as well as generating another revenue stream in these difficult time.”

can you believe this! Approached a lone lady today parking in one of the bays - explained (not aggressively) that the bays were for parents and children. She replied that she had to as she was driving an expensive 2 door coupe and was unable to open the doors in a normal spot!

When I replied that perhaps she should consider getting a more practical car, she replied that perhaps I should think about not having children!!

FUMING!!

Hello Veedub! This issue is very close to our hearts, and we are currently running a Save Our Spaces campaign to try and persuade supermarkets to change their policy regarding parent and child parking spaces. Sign up to our petition (http://www.babyexpert.com/chatroom/topic/5815) and you will join the other 11,000 Babyexpert users who have expressed their frustration, so that we can take your comments direct to the supermarkets. As you are aware this kind of consumer comment has already resulted in Asda and (most recently) Sainsbury's introducing fines for misuse of the bays. You can read more here: http://www.babyexpert.com/Your-life/Save-Our-Spaces/v1

Good luck! Web Ed Alison

I think this is an issue that pisses everyone off. Id just say be careful if you're going to assume that just because you see a car without a car seat parked in one of the spaces, many of the car seats for small babies come out of the car and fit into pushchairs, so there will be occasions where you will see cars without car seats for this reason : )

Well I had a situation on Saturday.................we were pootling along to a parent and baby space in Asda and a bloody ambulance car went the wrong way in the car park, parked in the space and went in got a newspaper, a choccy bar then went back to his car and sat and ate it and read the paper...................WTF!!

So someone tell me why even the people we pay our council tax for to pay their wages are being unreasonable???
On duty yes, park there and go help the sick but he was obviously having a break but is that an excuse?????? I think not!

I went to our local tesco's at about 7.30 am it is a 24 hr store and the car park was empty so I parked in a parent & baby space got my daughter out and did the shopping when i got back to our car I saw a lady in her 50's with no children at all loading her shopping in to her car which parked in a parent and baby space. i said to her polietly that these spaces where for parents with young children and she replied back quite rudely that she had the right to park there as if i looked into the parking regulations she had the right to park where she likes.
Why can't people walk just a little further.

I think the reason people park in the spaces is that the standard size of parking spaces are so narrow. My suggestion is that car parks make them bigger as people are worried about their cars being pranged. Often the parent and toddler parking spaces are not nearer to the stores it is the size of space that people are after.

parents could do with a badge like disabled people have.

veedubu totaly agree with what u mean about the sidcup one as a fequent user of morrisons in sidcup the mother and toddler spaces are always full, there are only a few bays for a start for mothers and toddlers but loads for disabled which winds me up as disabled also use the mother and toddler bays there and is the same at sainsburys in eltham.

We should be issued with badges that u have to display or the should enforce penalties, Alot of cabies use the eltham mother and child parking spaces too.

Totally agree with you! I recently challenged a woman with her 12 year old who were parked in mother and baby. There were no spaces free, they were packing their shopping into the car, so I waited (and she saw me waiting) they got into the car and proceeded to have a picnic!! It was the end space so I parked next to her and asked if she'd be long. I got told not to be so funny as she had a child with her! Yes, a child of secondary school age who can competently walk, talk and help carry the shopping! I told her she was abusing the spaces and I was going to report her to security. She started screeching at me and following me to the store screeching and swearing. I remained calm and just told her she was setting a very poor example for her child. She fnally got back in her car and screeched off! It was a horrible experience. That said, I do try to challenge misuse of the spaces. I don't think it is too much to ask to have the extra space for getting in and out of a car with a baby frankly. A friend of mine suggested the mother and baby spaces were moved to the back of the car park - that would stop people parking there for "just a minute" and I wouldn't object to walking a bit further with the baby and trolley.

I like your suggestions on spaces. I also think it would be great if it were a nationalsed scheme of some sort.

Just wanted to second EmmaLou85 re cars without childseats and also to double check before confronting some small "unfamily looking" cars.

We have a 5mth old baby and 25mth toddler but as hubby drives a 2-door sports car people automatically assume we're abusing the P&B parking spaces. We've been shouted at on numerous occasions by other parents because they just assumed that since we're in a small sports car we can't possibly have kids. We've had a great deal of verbal abuse (even swearing) from people and on one occasion came back from our local Asda in Charlton with a big scratch mark down the side of one door and an angry note telling us we're not supposed to park there.

So if anyone know of any Parent and Child badges we can use, they're DEFINITELY a great idea.