Body & Soul7 mins ago
Why so many disabled parking bays?
15 Answers
Supermarkets and other public parking areas seem to have many more disabled parking bays these days. I never park in them but it does annoy me that, certainly in my local stores, many of them are empty a lot of the time whilst I have to search around for a non-disabled space. Is there some sort of regulation that says a percentage of bays have to be designated as disabled? E.g is it based on the percentage of disabled drivers in the UK?
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i dont know the actual answer to your question but i agree with you there are a lot of disabled bays that are left empty.imagine if all the disabled people went shopping at the same time they might use up loads of abled peoples spaces but would they get a fine or a wheel clamp? i sometimes park in a disabled bay and then limp to the shop. i know its awful but in a way its quite exciting but i always feel ever so guilty afterwards.
When you say 'many more' how many do actually mean as a percentage?
On average there are around 10 or so disabled spaces in a huge carpark for around 500 cars. Hardly taking over is it?
It makes me sick that people will park in disabled spaces just to save dragging themselves and their fat lazy @rses an extra couple of metres.
It is actually further to walk from the checkout to the far end of the store than it is to walk from their precious cars to the front door yet people persist in parking in spaces designed for disabled people.
If i had my way there would be a huge moat full of angry crocodiles at least 100yards wide between the car park and the front door of supermarkets so people would have to walk at least some distance from their cars. And if they parked in the disabled bay (or the parent and toddler bays come to that) i would throw them in the moat!
Lazy ignorant f***wits.
On average there are around 10 or so disabled spaces in a huge carpark for around 500 cars. Hardly taking over is it?
It makes me sick that people will park in disabled spaces just to save dragging themselves and their fat lazy @rses an extra couple of metres.
It is actually further to walk from the checkout to the far end of the store than it is to walk from their precious cars to the front door yet people persist in parking in spaces designed for disabled people.
If i had my way there would be a huge moat full of angry crocodiles at least 100yards wide between the car park and the front door of supermarkets so people would have to walk at least some distance from their cars. And if they parked in the disabled bay (or the parent and toddler bays come to that) i would throw them in the moat!
Lazy ignorant f***wits.
There are no specific rules on the number of spaces that need to be provided but there are recommendations:-
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_mobi lity/documents/page/dft_mobility_503282-05.hcs p
(Section 5.2)
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_mobi lity/documents/page/dft_mobility_503282-05.hcs p
(Section 5.2)
I don't think it is because the bay's are nearer, it's because they are bigger so there is far less chance of getting your car door dinged.
My pet hates for car parks are:
People who use disabled bays, who should not.
Careless motorist who Ding doors. (They should be hung).
People who just leave their trolley by their boot and drive off, instead of parking it in the trolley bay.
At my local B&Q the other day I watched with great pleasure when such an idle **** left his trolley a yard from his boot but before he could drive off, it rolled into the door of his nice new Volvo !!! Made my day.
My pet hates for car parks are:
People who use disabled bays, who should not.
Careless motorist who Ding doors. (They should be hung).
People who just leave their trolley by their boot and drive off, instead of parking it in the trolley bay.
At my local B&Q the other day I watched with great pleasure when such an idle **** left his trolley a yard from his boot but before he could drive off, it rolled into the door of his nice new Volvo !!! Made my day.
My partner is disabled and needs to use a disabled bay, she is able to walk to and from any space in the car park but the disabled bays leave a greater distance between the bays, this extra space is all that is required to enable her to open the door fully so she can actually get in and out of the car. Without these bays she would be unable to use many of the supermarkets, and frequently has to sit in the car for ages waiting for some selfish able bodied person to vacate a disabled parking bay, so tomtech I am so glad you find it so exciting to park in a disabled bay. The disabled really need more fools like you around!!
Gary Baldy, Ratter - thank you so much for being so supportive of disabled drivers. I have through no fault of my own (fractures in my back, then bone cancer followed by severe osteoarthritis) become disabled. Luckily for me, I have a loving partner who supports me and never lets me feel "disabled"! Nobody wants to be or likes being labeled disabled. I try to appear physically as "normal" as I can. Why? Because I don't want to stand out. I hate being the way I am.
Tomtech, have you any idea just how hard it is for people like me to walk to and through a shop or supermarket to do their shopping? Well if you want to know how I feel try this- try putting some large, razor sharp glass shards in you knee joints and lower back and have a walk around your local Sainsburys! Before you do that walk around though, put braces on your legs so that you can't fully bend your knees - now try getting out of your car in a normal parking space between two other cars. Oh, can't open your door wide enough? What a shame! Well I guess you will just have to wait until that inconsiderate p**t who thinks it funny to park in disabled bays when he doesn't need one finishes his shopping and gives you his disabled space then, won't you? There are approx. 65 mil people living in the UK of which 6.5 mil are disabled. And as Gary Baldy quite rightly says there are only about 10 disabled bays in a 500 space car park. Oh, and disabled bays are sometimes empty - the same way as normal spaces are. Still think there are too many disabled bays tomtech???
Tomtech, have you any idea just how hard it is for people like me to walk to and through a shop or supermarket to do their shopping? Well if you want to know how I feel try this- try putting some large, razor sharp glass shards in you knee joints and lower back and have a walk around your local Sainsburys! Before you do that walk around though, put braces on your legs so that you can't fully bend your knees - now try getting out of your car in a normal parking space between two other cars. Oh, can't open your door wide enough? What a shame! Well I guess you will just have to wait until that inconsiderate p**t who thinks it funny to park in disabled bays when he doesn't need one finishes his shopping and gives you his disabled space then, won't you? There are approx. 65 mil people living in the UK of which 6.5 mil are disabled. And as Gary Baldy quite rightly says there are only about 10 disabled bays in a 500 space car park. Oh, and disabled bays are sometimes empty - the same way as normal spaces are. Still think there are too many disabled bays tomtech???
i never said there were too many disabled bays, i said there was a lot left empty, i apologise to anyone offended by my remarks but it was sunday afternoon and i was pi**ed. i was only messing about. the only time i park in a disabled bay is with my disabled father, so i know what its like. i have parked in the family bays at tescos though.!
OK tomtech, maybe we all just misunderstood you. Sorry, no hard feelings. I am also guilty of having on the very rare occasion parked in the parent & children bays when I have not had my grandchildren with me. It was the only way I could get close enough to the shops though, as all the disabled bays were taken - many by cars with no disabled badges. I feel a bit guilty when that happens and have once been verbally attacked by a mother for doing so. Never easy is it?
Oh and Gary baldy and Ratter, can I help with the moat too? I could make the coffee while you dig ... always try to do my part, not one to give in. LOL :o)
Oh and Gary baldy and Ratter, can I help with the moat too? I could make the coffee while you dig ... always try to do my part, not one to give in. LOL :o)
Incredible that some people whinge about having to drive around looking for a parking spot due to there being some disabled spots vacant. Would they be happier if all the disabled spots were full,and disabled drivers had to search for parking places? Too many lazy, selfish people around these days. As Supermarket carparks are private,then should clamp anyone using a disabled spot without a badge. If it means losing a lazy slob,so what
I don't buy the width of the bay thing entirely because I find it remarkable how many disabled drivers there seem to be when it rains!
An interesting case is the fact that a lot of people who use these bays do not display a disabled badge but are of retirement age and I'd imagine that some have trouble walking longer distances.
If supermarkets are intending to cater for these customers too with disabled bays then you can see why they'd need quite a lot.
I'm not convinced most supermarkets are thinking about it that deeply though
An interesting case is the fact that a lot of people who use these bays do not display a disabled badge but are of retirement age and I'd imagine that some have trouble walking longer distances.
If supermarkets are intending to cater for these customers too with disabled bays then you can see why they'd need quite a lot.
I'm not convinced most supermarkets are thinking about it that deeply though
jake-the-peg, The width of the disabled bay is very important as if you cannot fully flex at the knees, as I can't, it is impossible to get out of a car door that is not fully opened. Back problems can add to that. You can't usually open the doors fully in a normal car parking space! Many disabled drivers also have wheelchairs (been there but not there anymore, thankfully) which they have to have next to the door for them to get in and out. Try doing that if you have only about a two foot gap between cars . It is impossible.
I don't quite get your link between rain and more disabled people being in the bays, maybe a bit of sarcasm there? LOL But I can assure you that far more able-bodied people use the disabled bays when it is raining as they want to be as close to the shop entrance so as not to get wet. When they do that and disabled drivers have to walk even further (remember, we can't run!) we don't just get wet ... we get soaked! Can be quite upsetting. I rarely say anything to people who misuse disabled bays though as nowadays one runs the risk of getting verbal or even physical abuse in return and I can't defend myself very well physically. So, there you go ...
I don't quite get your link between rain and more disabled people being in the bays, maybe a bit of sarcasm there? LOL But I can assure you that far more able-bodied people use the disabled bays when it is raining as they want to be as close to the shop entrance so as not to get wet. When they do that and disabled drivers have to walk even further (remember, we can't run!) we don't just get wet ... we get soaked! Can be quite upsetting. I rarely say anything to people who misuse disabled bays though as nowadays one runs the risk of getting verbal or even physical abuse in return and I can't defend myself very well physically. So, there you go ...
Seems my question opened a bit of a hornets' nest! I wasn't complaining about disabled bays and I do think the rules should be better enforced. I was simply observing that there seems a much higher proportion of these bays than, say, 5 or 10 years ago.
If there is a statutory minimum then fair enough, but some places, especially supermarkets, have an abundance of bays. One of my local stores has over 20 spaces. It's not a particulary large store and I can't see how they would have 20 disabled drivers turning up at even their busiest times,
Do you think they deliberately put in extra disabled bays because they know some tw*ts are going to misuse them?
If there is a statutory minimum then fair enough, but some places, especially supermarkets, have an abundance of bays. One of my local stores has over 20 spaces. It's not a particulary large store and I can't see how they would have 20 disabled drivers turning up at even their busiest times,
Do you think they deliberately put in extra disabled bays because they know some tw*ts are going to misuse them?
Carakeel
just being curious here..
.. but you said 6.5 mil out of 65 are disabled? so thats about 10 % right?
so how comes everywhere i go i don't see 10% disabled. are alot of these 10% able to walk fine without anybody knowing.
Do they give disabled badges to sombody with only one arm? or do you have to have a movement disability?
This is not a Dig, so please dont take it the wrong way.
just being curious here..
.. but you said 6.5 mil out of 65 are disabled? so thats about 10 % right?
so how comes everywhere i go i don't see 10% disabled. are alot of these 10% able to walk fine without anybody knowing.
Do they give disabled badges to sombody with only one arm? or do you have to have a movement disability?
This is not a Dig, so please dont take it the wrong way.
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