# Industry News -MILLIONS OF UK MOTORISTS EMBROILED IN PARKING WARS



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

•Parking tempers boiling over in supermarket car parks
•Frustration, misery and anger faced by UK motorists
•YourParkingSpace.co.uk research makes for difficult reading

Research by YourParkingSpace.co.uk reveals that parking problems are causing misery mixed with anger for millions of people in the UK.

Whether it is wanting to fine misusers of parent-and-child parking spaces, or being involved in parking disputes themselves, the British public are enduring a parking battleground fraught with raw emotion.

While an estimated 12 million Brits have been involved in, or witnessed a parking dispute, others were more concerned with misusers of parent-and-child parking bays, with over half of those surveyed wanting a penalty fine slapped on those caught in the act.

Harrison Woods, managing director at YourParkingSpace.co.uk, said: "Our research suggests a nation at war with itself when it comes to parking.

"Brits are getting angry and frustrated for all manner of reasons. Whether it is other motorists unfairly using parking spaces when they shouldn't be, simply finding coins for a parking meter, expensive car park charges, or people who take up too much space…the list goes on.

"Unfortunately, the result is that on many occasions tempers boil over, with the threat of physical violence never far away."

The YourParkingSpace.co.uk research estimates that almost a quarter of Brits had been involved in, or witnessed, a parking dispute, while nearly four million had been threatened with physical violence.

Meanwhile, supermarket car parks are a hotbed of parking deceit, with over a half wanting to fine motorists who misuse parent-and-child parking spaces. Even more shocking was that 1 in 10 of those surveyed were baying for a temporary supermarket ban for offenders.

Harrison added: "Drivers had all sorts of cheeky excuses for parking in parent-and-child bays when they shouldn't be.

"Some were simply feeling too lazy to park further away, others thought that being in a rush was a good enough reason, while several couldn't be bothered trying to park in a smaller space. A few even had the audacity to say it was the only space available!"

Motorists looking for stress free parking in cities and towns across the UK can visit www.yourparkingspace.co.uk


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

Most supermarket spaces are just too small for even an average car and my last car was ruined by door dings down both sides no matter how far away I parked it. This is just businesses being greedy and trying to cram in more spaces for more shoppers, Aldi and Lidl, it has to be said, are far more generous with their spaces, so it can be done. I also think that those same greedy supermarkets do go a bit overboard with disabled and parent spaces, even at the busiest times when people are circling the car park, those spaces are never full. 

I never, ever use disabled bays at any time but I will admit to using parent/child spaces, but only at very quiet times like late at night when there are plenty available and parents should not be dragging their children around the shops. If a disgruntled parent wants to have a go at me at 2am in Tesco car park when they have two kids in their pj’s running round with their faces covered in chocolate then I can guarantee them an interesting conversation.


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

Car parking spaces are getting that small it's ridiculous. Width is bad enough in my wife's megane where we have to get out before the kids to hold their doors as they open them to avoid touching cars either side. My insignia estate is a nightmare for length of space especially with Tow bar too!! 
The other thing is width between rows getting narrower, this added to narrower spaces makes it harder to swing into a space.


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## Tykebike (Mar 27, 2016)

I agree with both of the above members, the bays are too narrow and I have to extricate myself and hold on to the door with a death like grip if I ever have to park between cars or if someone rolls up alongside me; unfortunately not all people are so careful about other people's property. My wife used to chunter about me parking in the spot farthest away from the door but she's used to it now. I'm sure some people just come along and park next to you in the middle of nowhere for devilment.
I would never park in a disabled person's bay but have used the persons with young persons in tow bays.


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## Jack R (Dec 15, 2014)

This is one reason I like shopping at Costco, it has American sized parking spaces! I can open the door fully on my Passat and still have plenty of room. Some of the parking and driving for that matter is shocking around here, which doesn’t help.


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## olliewills (Feb 10, 2017)

My local Morrisons shares it's carpark with Caerphilly town centre, probably as a condition of them building there. The car park has a ridiculously small number of parent parking bays (maybe 12) but has a couple of entire rows of disabled bays. It also has really short and narrow regular bays. As a relatively new user of parent parking spots (15 month old) I get infuriated when I see:

- People with no children or even child car seats in the car use a parent space
- Parents parking in parent spaces with children who don't need car seats and are plainly old enough to open car doors and get themselves in/out without help
- Parents with no children in the car(just car seats) who use the parent parking just to nip to the shop for milk or to use the cash machine
- Disabled badge holders who use the parent spaces because they are maybe 20 feet closer to the shop entrance, even though there are plenty of disabled spaces free
- Kids in parent parking getting themselves out of the car and just wildly swinging their door open without a care for the cars parked next to them. All while the parents happily chat to each other or wave at people they know in the car park. (|This also happens in nursery car park and makes me equally annoyed!)

I would never dream of using a disabled space and I won't use the parent parking if it's just me in the car. It never used to bother me before having a baby as I would just park as far away as possible in the quiet part of the car park. Now though, I need the wider bay to be able to get my boy out of his car seat without ruining my already fragile back. Also, because the bays are so short, the wider gaps between spaces in parent parking mean i can pull the pushchair alongside the car and not leave it in the road causing a hazard.

/rant over.


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## SadlyDistracted (Jan 18, 2013)

Yep car parking spaces are simply too small.

One way round theparking wars is to simply get rid of all the special needs parking spaces :devil:

Debate commence...


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

SadlyDistracted said:


> Yep car parking spaces are simply too small.
> 
> One way round theparking wars is to simply get rid of all the special needs parking spaces :devil:
> 
> Debate commence...


Disabled spaces fine. Parent spaces I can see an argument for having wider spaces for getting car seats in and out but why do they have to be near to the shop. Parents/kids can walk so make them, help obesity at the same time😉 if parent spaces were further away it would reduce the arguments about others using them too.


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

Some of the problem is that people are often too lazy to walk a few extra yards. Most able bodied could walk from the furthest point of a supermarket car park to the store entrance in under two minutes. Is anyone really that time pressured ?


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

SadlyDistracted said:


> Yep car parking spaces are simply too small.
> 
> One way round theparking wars is to simply get rid of all the special needs parking spaces :devil:
> 
> Debate commence...


Perhaps not get rid of, but at least enforce. Surely the technology shouldn't be that complicated, if you park in a disabled bay without a blue badge it sets off a beacon, a simple communication between the badge and a receiver in the bay.


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

Darlofan said:


> Disabled spaces fine. Parent spaces I can see an argument for having wider spaces for getting car seats in and out but why do they have to be near to the shop. Parents/kids can walk so make them, help obesity at the same time😉 if parent spaces were further away it would reduce the arguments about others using them too.


Very good point, if you need a wider bay for pushchair access then why does the space need to be right next to the door?


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

Mcpx said:


> Perhaps not get rid of, but at least enforce. Surely the technology shouldn't be that complicated, if you park in a disabled bay without a blue badge it sets off a beacon, a simple communication between the badge and a receiver in the bay.


Funnily enough I heard last week that our local Tesco are using cameras and fining people without blue badges and those without kids using designated spaces. How true it is I don't know and the legal side would surely get debated as it's private land.

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