Disabled spaces, and improper use of

Dades

causal wrote:

[RANT]But there is a need. With kids, toddlers, infants you need S P A C E to fully open the car door(s) so that you can lift them in (+ car(rier) seat if they're infants), and buckle them in.

I have a very low, old car with heavy doors that swing quite wide so you can climb out. Can I have a special parking space because of my lifestyle choice?

unkel

FranknFurter wrote:

they will be placed on the website (below)!

Fair play to ya - name & shame them!

I can't even start to imagine how frustrating it must be for a wheelchair bound person if someone is blocking an access ramp

Lord Nikon

Now I know I'm going to get slated for this.....but....
Alot of you speak of friends/relatives/or even yourself that have heart conditions and the like, that disallow or hinder walking long distances. To be all honest, if you have said illnesses, should you be really walking around shopping centres?
The lenght of Liffey Valley Centre is as long as the carpark itself.

On another note, the carpark security at LValley have a better interest in speeding about in their 4x4 than policing the carpark. Hell, to clamp people who park in the Disabled spaces(outside the cinema) alone, would surely pay the wages of someone to sit there watching for offenders. I'd love to be in charge of the carpark.

On another note... I'd put a big sticker on the drivers window of anyone who took up two spaces in the same carpark.

declanoneill

neuromancer wrote:

Now I know I'm going to get slated for this.....but....
Alot of you speak of friends/relatives/or even yourself that have heart conditions and the like, that disallow or hinder walking long distances. To be all honest, if you have said illnesses, should you be really walking around shopping centres?

If the person is going to be doing a long shopping trip then it really isn't much of an excuse, but in my dads case he got it because one day he started to feel quite off and decided a trip to hospital was in order. In that situation it would have been easier to be able to just walk outside the door and into the car rather then remember where you parked...etc

neuromancer wrote:

On another note... I'd put a big sticker on the drivers window of anyone who took up two spaces in the same carpark.

People who park arseways deserve to have their cars keyed (though I've never put this into practice).

Chalk

2 oe 3 mother and baby spaces in my local centre.
theyre exactly as wide as every other spot.

used to always be cars parked in the disbabled spot,
so i mentioned it to the manger whenever i was there,
they havent doen anything obvious to reduce it but theres definitely less people at it these days.

parsi

comanche wrote:

Hear the pain and think that the parent/children spaces are a good idea, but what baffles me is why do you often see both parents out shopping with their kids. Why don't they leave one parent at home to take care of children (for heaven sake bring em to the park/library/zoo/any where but the shopping center) and the other person go out and do the shopping hassle free? ...

Divide and conquer ! Split the load . Take away the baby to give some peace to the others.

Just some of the reasons. Its not as if any of us actually _want_ the hassle. Also if its quiet going shopping can be an ideal way of teaching the kid that not all food comes ready-made ...

Lord Nikon

declanoneill wrote:

If the person is going to be doing a long shopping trip then it really isn't much of an excuse, but in my dads case he got it because one day he started to feel quite off and decided a trip to hospital was in order. In that situation it would have been easier to be able to just walk outside the door and into the car rather then remember where you parked...etc

Of course, hospital cases are completely different, just shopping centres and the like...

Macy

neuromancer wrote:

Now I know I'm going to get slated for this.....but....
Alot of you speak of friends/relatives/or even yourself that have heart conditions and the like, that disallow or hinder walking long distances. To be all honest, if you have said illnesses, should you be really walking around shopping centres?
The lenght of Liffey Valley Centre is as long as the carpark itself.

Could be going the Cinema, or the restaurants or something down that end. Could be that the length of the car park + the length of Liffey Valley is too much.

Sure if someone in a wheel chair can go shopping the length of Liffey Valley, no reason why they can't park anywhere in the carpark either? Infact, but the disabled spaces out by the roundabouts :rolleyes:

Yes, you will get slated for making a judgement on who you think deserves a card. It's a medical decision, that should be enough.

jhegarty

Anyone have a few hours to spare and want to have some fun...

1) Drive to shopping centre
2) Find non-disabled car parked in disabled spot
3) Park outside him so he can't get out
4) Sit in your car for a few hours (after s/he came back to their car)
5) Drive off and laugh....

Dades

jhegarty wrote:

Anyone have a few hours to spare and want to have some fun...

1) Drive to shopping centre
2) Find non-disabled car parked in disabled spot
3) Park outside him so he can't get out
4) Sit in your car for a few hours (after s/he came back to their car)
5) Drive off and laugh....

Maybe they'll even get clamped while they can't move!

prospect

jhegarty wrote:

Anyone have a few hours to spare and want to have some fun...

1) Drive to shopping centre
2) Find non-disabled car parked in disabled spot
3) Park outside him so he can't get out
4) Sit in your car for a few hours (after s/he came back to their car)
5) Drive off and laugh....

Alternatively:
1) Drive to shopping centre
2) Find non-disabled car parked in disabled spot
3) Slash All four tyres
4) Ring the clampers
5) Sit in your car and wait for him/her came back to their car
6) Watch them plead with the clampers, and rant about their tyres
7) Drive off and laugh....

Lord Nikon

Macy wrote:

Macy wrote:

Could be going the Cinema, or the restaurants or something down that end. Could be that the length of the car park + the length of Liffey Valley is too much.

This is probably your only valid point.

Macy wrote:

Sure if someone in a wheel chair can go shopping the length of Liffey Valley, no reason why they can't park anywhere in the carpark either? Infact, but the disabled spaces out by the roundabouts :rolleyes:

If you read my post correctly, you'll notice that I didn't say a thing about wheelchairs. I actually mentioned about people WALKING long distances.

Macy wrote:

Yes, you will get slated for making a judgement on who you think deserves a card. It's a medical decision, that should be enough.

I didn't make any judgment or even refer about "who I think deserves a card".

leeroybrown

The worst I've seen is someone who not only took a disabled spot beside a building but actually parked so badly that they blocked the door that allowed people in wheelchairs to enter the building.

As for people thinkingt hat you shouldn't be walking around a shopping centre if they're disabled - disabled people are entitled to shop too. Most people with the parking permits have a valid reason, although I sometimes wonder when I see someone jump out of their car and jog over to the gym...

Curran

declanoneill wrote:

People who park arseways deserve to have their cars keyed (though I've never put this into practice).

People that park their cars arseways really annoy me!
But some people do it so that their cars wont get scratched and park right in the middle of 2 spots!

IMO all the spots in a car park shoud be a lil wider than the current average! Kids dont understand and just lash the doors open and dent and scratch the cars next to them!
But spots should be that lil bit wider for everyones ease and comfort and to decrease the risk of damage to your own car and other peoples pride and joy!!

Capt'n Midnight

There was a Radio 4 suggestion about appropiate punishments for people who park in disabled spaces. Simply make them eligible.

DubTony

FranknFurter wrote:

Secondly, to answer somone earlier who said there were "too many" spaces? Tell me your kidding right? And perhaps less would actually be needed if they werent missused tbh.

As I was the person who stated I felt there were too many disabled places, I'll reply to this one. I use Liffey Valley shopping centre from time to time. I have never seen all the disabled spaces full. (Even with the "other people" parked in them. Blanchardstown SC is the same. The Square also has too many. But it does show that there is more than an adequate number of disabled parking spaces at that particular location. As I've already stated, I abhore the use of disabled parking spaces by able-bodied people, but the fact remains that there are simply too many of them.

My local shopping centre has about 100 spaces and 3 disabled parking spaces. I don't know the percentage of disabled people in the country, but you can be sure that they don't all go shopping at the same time.

I think that the reason many people feel it's ok to park in them is because there is generally adequate designated parking for disabled people and the attitude is "there's loads of space for them, and sure, there are none here anyway".

As for marking cars, albeit with lipstick, it's criminal damage, irresponsible and is actually a crime, whereas parking a car in a disabled space in a private car park (shopping centres etc.) is not.

Victor

DubTony wrote:

As for marking cars, albeit with lipstick, it's criminal damage, irresponsible and is actually a crime, whereas parking a car in a disabled space in a private car park (shopping centres etc.) is not.

Actually, if there are signs indicating its a wheelchair accessible space and you occupy it without being allowed, it's trespass. Fines up to €3,000.

causal

The Atheist wrote:

I have a very low, old car with heavy doors that swing quite wide so you can climb out. Can I have a special parking space because of my lifestyle choice?

Being a child, or being disabled, isn't a "lifestyle choice".

causal

Dades

causal wrote:

Being a child, or being disabled, isn't a "lifestyle choice".

Eh, no. But having children is.

DubTony

Victor wrote:

Actually, if there are signs indicating its a wheelchair accessible space and you occupy it without being allowed, it's trespass. Fines up to €3,000.

It would be up to the car park owner to have the offender charged as it's on private property. Then the Gardai have to process it, and the Super has to approve it and the DPP has to decide ... Jesus, Victor, FFS ... :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

causal

The Atheist wrote:

Eh, no. But having children is.

Having children isn't a lifestyle choice, but raising children certainly is.
And do you really expect parity of esteem between parents raising children and you buying a particular car?

Also, do you have an actual objection to 'parent & child' or disabled parking spaces, or are you trolling?

causal

RainyDay

kdevitt wrote:

One of my mates walked up to some guy who'd just parked in the disabled spot at my local tesco and informed him that the disabled spots were for physically handicapped, not mentally handicapped people, and that he wasn't in fact entitled to use it... don't think the guy was too impressed, but he moved out from the spot.

Great to see this happening. I think the embarrassment factor may well help in preventing this happening in the future. If the selfish parker keeps getting challenged by others every time they abuse the disabled parking spots, they may well think twice about doing it in future. And always be prepared for the 'sure I'm just going to be 2 minutes' excuse - I've found the 'well the just-here-for-2-minutes spaces are over there, these spaces are for those with disabled stickers only' to be quite effective, though the 'mentally handicapped' line is probably better still.

Dades

causal wrote:

And do you really expect parity of esteem between parents raising children and you buying a particular car?

Esteem? What a curious choice of word.

causal wrote:

Also, do you have an actual objection to 'parent & child' or disabled parking spaces, or are you trolling?

No I'm not trolling. I believe comparing disabled parking spots to parent and child spots is daft. One is a legal and social requirement, and the other is a marketing idea.

Frankly it's not something that matters to me. Just voicing thoughts, rather than adding another "aren't people who park in handicapped spaces terrible" post.

causal

The Atheist wrote:

Esteem? What a curious choice of word.

'parity of esteem' is a legal expression.

No I'm not trolling. I believe comparing disabled parking spots to parent and child spots is daft. One is a legal and social requirement, and the other is a marketing idea.

What is the 'social requirement'?
As I outlined above, Parent & Child spaces serve a very practical purpose, there may well be a marketing agenda too.

Just voicing thoughts, rather than adding another "aren't people who park in handicapped spaces terrible" post.

Fair enough


causal