I might get a flaming here but hey ho…

We should convert all parent and child spaces to disabled spaces.
That way, people like you and your good lady wife would be able to park conveniently and at the same we’ll remove some of the misplaced sense of entitlement that most parents seem to have
Win-win!

I’ve often thought that parent and child spaces shouldnt be near the front door of the store like disabled spaces. When they fill up, people seem to overspill into the disabled spaces, and idle people will park in them anyway. Move the parent and child spaces to the far end of the car park where nobody ever parks I reckon, that keeps idle people out of them. You have children and need space so you don’t ding other people’s cars, not a disability, so you can walk another 50 yards or so.

I totally get why someone with a child with autism or similar would need to use a disabled space though.

I also think (from experience) that there should be temporary disabled badges available. I’ve broken an ankle twice and that leaves you as much in need of a decent space near the door as someone with a permenant mobility problem. I’m also due to have surgery on my feet, probably both at the same time, which will put me in a wheelchair for a few weeks…… hopefully we’ll get away with using the parent and child spaces but I see no reason why I shouldn’t be allowed to use disabled spaces until I can walk again.
Just a thought…. 🙂

If they also give the blue badges out to Tourettess suffers it will certainly stop the number of people being challenged over their badges for fear of a tirade of foul-mouthed abuse coming back at them…

said sbob to the most antagonistic and disagreeable of mods.

I’ll take that as a win, thanks!

I’ve often thought that parent and child spaces shouldnt be near the front door of the store like disabled spaces.

Me too.

The argument is that walking across the car park is “dangerous.” My counter argument is a) design the car park with walkways so that it isn’t, and b) if a kid can’t be trusted in a car park with a parent supervising then it probably shouldn’t be out of the house.

Has some “most obnoxious poster” competition got under way? I missed the announcement.

There must be some sort of spectrum for someone who’d post such an unenlightened view of autism on STW and not expect to be attacked from all sides.

I’ll take that as a win, thanks!

I disagree.

if a kid can’t be trusted in a car park with a parent supervising then it probably shouldn’t be out of the house.

You don’t have kids do you?

Just collected my remaining not ill child from school and had to stop in the road after a small child (with parent supervising) ran into the road right in front of me (she got an almighty bollocking LOL). Kids are like this – this is why supermarkets plan for them and their parents.

slowoldman – Member

Has some “most obnoxious poster” competition got under way? I missed the announcement.

Me me me me – or do I have to try harder?

My son is autistic, you wouldn’t think it really unless you spent some time with him as he can come across quite ‘neurotypical’ at times.

But he’s got no common sense, he doesn’t learn from situations – he’s the living embodiment of the ‘doing the same thing and expecting a different result’ thing (its got a proper name but I can’t remember it now) and he get’s easily and totally distracted. He doesn’t have meltdowns very often any more, unless I tried to make him eat something with sauce on, which is a big plus, but the stress of just trying to keep him safe is exhausting.

Luckily for us he’s at the very high functioning end of autism, normal school, pretty much fully communicative now, but we used to take him to group swimming lessons and there were some much more severely disabled kids that would have needed a blue badge. Can’t talk, wheelchair bound most of the time limited vision.

Saying that no one with Autism deserves a blue badge is retarded in the extreme, one kid in the swimming group was far more disabled than a young person with one limb missing.

johndoh – Member

Just collected my remaining not ill child from school and had to stop in the road

Why were you walking in the road? 🙂

You don’t have kids do you?

Just collected my remaining not ill child from school and had to stop in the road after a small child (with parent supervising) ran into the road right in front of me (she got an almighty bollocking LOL). Kids are like this – this is why supermarkets plan for them and their parents.

I do – does that make my opinion more valid in your eyes?

FWIW, I agree that parent and child spaces should be further away from the supermarket, preferably with appropriate walkways to be able to get to the supermarket. There’s nothing stopping a child from running away from the parking space next to the supermarket into the carpark, so why is this safer than a parking space further away? In fact, those further away may be less dangerous as there’s likely to be less traffic trying to park there. Parent parking spaces are (IMO) more about having enough room to manoeuvre your kids in and out of the car, and (if you have more than one child) having a relatively safe space for them to stand / sit in a trolley while dealing with the other children. Moving the spaces away from the shop would prevent the huge number of lazy gits without kids from using them for convenience.

As for the original topic: I’m 100% in favour of the issuing of blue badges to people with autism should there be a need for it. It’s a broad spectrum and not all sufferers will require a blue badge, and I’m sure the issuing criteria will be imperfect and there will be people that should be issued one that aren’t, and vice versa. However, if it goes a little way to making life easier for people that really struggle in day to day life then I’m more than happy to accept that a tiny minority of people might take advantage of it.

mattsccm – Member
I have taught more than a few autistic kids over the years and I can see some virtues for the very severe . However I see why people object. But equally I object to some use of normal badges. In many places parking is banned for quite sensible reason eg sharp bend, busy town, narrow streets, lots of traffic. It bemuses me and proves the stupidity of the system when the only people able to park there are those less able to deal with the hazards. Often infirm or elderly and not very fast thinking. A well meant but badly thought through system. As to child parking spaces, well, if its private land then its up to the owner but I personally would like to see the spaces given to the elderly instead who whilst not able to get a blue badge still struggle to walk across a large car park with loaded bags. If parents cannot keep their kids under control the little gits should be left at home. No different to dogs.

POSTED 2 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Crikey, I never knew autistic driving dogs could get blue badges! 😯

so why is this safer than a parking space further away?

Because the exposure to risk is minimised.

@prawny, intersting as our def. high functioning autism elder child is very food texture sensitive, soup and sauces bit no no, give him the right food and he’ll demolish it with seconds to follow…

Even a “simple” trip to get him clothing is a military operation.

Surely you mean it’s “literally a military operation”.

Moving the spaces away from the shop would prevent the huge number of lazy gits without kids from using them for convenience.

I don’t think non parents use them out of laziness…. I think its because they are wider and their car is less likely to get dinged isn’t it?

trailwagger – Member

I don’t think non parents use them out of laziness…. I think its because they are wider and their car is less likely to get dinged isn’t it?

It’s laziness at my local supermarket, otherwise they’d use the empty half of the car park.

Nah, ours hates food in all forms, wouldn’t eat at all if he didn’t have to.

It’s a bleeding nightmare because he gets distracted it takes him ages to eat when the TV is on, but we tried having the TV off and he focuses on the food too much and starts gagging.

We’re obviously just lazy parents though, autism is made up as an excuse innit. So lazy that Mrs P has to do 3 different dinners almost every night.

zippykona – Member
Smudge.No , feel free to enlighten me.
I still think the spaces should be for people who have reduced mobility.

Wow three pages. Think that’s enough enlightenment. Spotted your update on page 2 so,fair enough.

I have a perfectly able looking friend with a bowel condition that can make it really painful to walk, but you wouldn’t know it to look at them. The blue badge folk took account of this when giving her one. I park in the blue spots when she’s with me and has her badge. Get some funny looks occasionally.

johndoh – Member

Because the exposure to risk is minimised

Lessened old chap.
To minimise we’d all walk. 🙂

Not sure if it’s been mentioned but maybe it’s time for a rethink of the symbol for disabled spaces, toilets etc. As has been pointed out not all disabilities are physical but i personally think the current symbol enforces a misconception that these are for wheelchair users.

Some toilets show this sign now but I can see that as an instantly recogniseable symbol the blue badge is good.

It just needs more education as to why badges are issues. As the OP shows.

trailwagger – Member
I have an Autistic son (and a daughter with Tourette’s /adhd) shopping or going anywhere with them is extremely stressful and just plain hard work.

We don’t have a blue badge as he is at the bottom end of the spectrum but I can fully understand people getting blue badges for children higher up the spectrum.

I thought being or not being autistic was binary and the ‘spectrum’ referred to an array of symptoms and behaviours. Your post above sounds more like the ‘spectrum’ refers to the extent of someone’s autism, which I thought was a common misunderstanding. Happy to be told I’m wrong, you sound like you should know more than me after all!

Why aren’t all these people with disability/illness using there E-bikes to get around?

Zippykona didn’t mean to post the op on here. It was supposed to be part of his application to be a Work Capability Assessor with ATOS

My sister had a blue badge for terminal melanoma. Some days she was fine, others she could barely walk (and at the end she was not allowed to drive). One day she parked in a disabled spot, and the inevitable looks from the “she doesn’t look disabled enough” brigade. So my other sister decides to challenge the scornful onlooker. Let’s just say if he could have shrivelled up into the pavement it would have been a mercy!

She hasn’t needed it for two years 🙁 , but when we had it, it was an absolute godsend.

i personally think the current symbol enforces a misconception that these are for wheelchair users.

Yup I’m not sure what spacehoppers have to do with disabilities.

TiRed – Member
She hasn’t needed it for two years

Was sorry to read this, T-

Our lad who has learning difficulties had a blue badge up until a couple of years ago, when we were asked whether he could walk more than a certain distance, so he lost it.
He’s not as bad as he was regarding being unsteady on his feet but he will still wander away unless you are next to him. Not always easy with three other kids getting out of the car. Plus the wife. 🙂
He’s 12 now and try as I might he couldn’t get the hang of riding a bike until he turned 11. Imagine that. 😯

I have a feeling that this is a publicity piece, I don’t think we need to worry about disabled people getting away with too much yet.

gordimhor – Member
Zippykona didn’t mean to post the op on here. It was supposed to be part of his application to be a Work Capability Assessor with ATOS

This was being discussed on the radio when I went out at lunchtime. The short section I heard consisted of disabled badge holders calling in to say “my disability is more deserving than your disability”

I switched it off as soon as I heard Jeremy Vine announce it.

He later had a piece on the menace of bell-ringing injuries to our teenagers.

I don’t usually listen, is it always that Partridge-esque?

You don’t have kids do you?
Just collected my remaining not ill child from school and had to stop in the road after a small child (with parent supervising) ran into the road right in front of me

Do these supervisors and their children not have hands?

When I was of an age to run into traffic my folks had me wearing reins. Couldn’t run into the road even if I’d wanted to.

I’m still not sure how someone having a blue badge would affect the OP or indeed anyone else. Surely the only affect would be to other people with blue badges as slightly higher chance of their not being a designated space, so in general rule #1 all the way.

Do these supervisors and their children not have hands?

Two small kids in a car park isn’t all that easy when you also have to manage the shopping. Have you tried it?

No. I didn’t want the responsibility so chose not to reproduce.

I was replying to the “running in the road” comment rather than talking about supermarkets. However: Small kids in trolley, bigger kids “helping to push”? Secure kids in car, then worry about shopping? Reins, like I said in the other half of my post?

Anyway, as I said in the first place, the solution is better infrastructure. It’d be a piece of piss to fence off a walkway to a safe area away from the entrance, and it’d stop P&C spaces being attractive to the self-entitled in 4x4s who have lost the functionality of their knees.

the solution is better infrastructure.

No, the problem has already been solved – parent and child spaces aren’t going away (and they’re mostly used as intended anyway).

The outrage you feel when you see some **** without kids in a Range Rover use them is regrettable, but not really causing the supermarkets any problem.

I was replying to the “running in the road” comment rather than talking about supermarkets. However: Small kids in trolley, bigger kids “helping to push”? Secure kids in car, then worry about shopping? Reins, like I said in the other half of my post?

All doable, certainly, but all it takes is a tiny moment of inattention. Young children don’t really appreciate risk, often don’t want to hold your hand, and good luck trying to get a four year old to use reins.

ranso – reins are something imposed by the parents not a childs choice. My nephew was not allowed out of the house without them as he would run into traffic.

Interesting thread. When I first heard the news driving up M40 yesterday, I was initially against the idea and in favour of restricting to physical difficulties. However my mind has been changed by thoughtful and well argued points here. But having said that and given limited supply of parking places there will always be some form of hierarchy of needs applied l