It’s a shopping centre gimmick and not a real necessity.

People with children or prams are not disabled and are in no way any different from anyone else. The idea that they are “special” and cannot walk the distance from a “normal” car space to a shopping centre doorway is ridiculous.

Get rid of these spaces and change them to disabled car spaces instead (at least then the people using them actually have a real need to park closer to doorways).

Brianna said :

Pitchka said :

Id like to know why fat people are entitled to disabled parking permits?

I’m a fat person with a disabled permit. Part of the reason I’m fat is due to my physical disability. Yes, part of it is that I don’t eat the right food all the time. Part of it is that I don’t exercise enough. (gee, maybe that’s because I’m physically disabled and it f*cking hurts heaps) but hey……I don’t have the disabled permit because I’m fat. I have it because I am disabled by other issues. If I need to use a parents with prams space because a disabled space isn’t available, then I will.

Try having a go at me and I will cut you down so hard and fast (verbally) you’ll be left wondering who hit you.l

The chances of us running into one another is slim, I park on the Corrina St side of Westfield, you no doubt park on the Police Station side, its closer to the food court.

Pitchka said :

Brianna said :

Pitchka said :

Id like to know why fat people are entitled to disabled parking permits?

I’m a fat person with a disabled permit. Part of the reason I’m fat is due to my physical disability. Yes, part of it is that I don’t eat the right food all the time. Part of it is that I don’t exercise enough. (gee, maybe that’s because I’m physically disabled and it f*cking hurts heaps) but hey……I don’t have the disabled permit because I’m fat. I have it because I am disabled by other issues. If I need to use a parents with prams space because a disabled space isn’t available, then I will.

Try having a go at me and I will cut you down so hard and fast (verbally) you’ll be left wondering who hit you.l

The chances of us running into one another is slim, I park on the Corrina St side of Westfield, you no doubt park on the Police Station side, its closer to the food court.

BOOOOOM!

sepi said :

People with prams are doing well to get out of the house some days. They need all the help they can get. And they do tend to also hang around malls spending money.

Person without pram: park at the back and stroll to shops and back. Noice.

Person with pram/kids/babies trying to get back to car with couple of small bags of shopping:
Move at snail’s pace thru carpark with screaming toddler trying to sit on the ground and preschooler pushing the pram – mostly not towards other people or fast moving cars. Drop some shopping – leave it there – no hands to pick it up. Open door and shove screaming toddler in without trapping flailing body parts, go around to other passenger door, find you can’t open it wide enough as too close to next car. Instruct preschooler to mind baby in pram, while traffic streams by – no room next to car for pram. Reef toddler out of car again, put him in front seat as can’t be trusted near cars, reach across length of back seat to dump yelling baby in to capsule. Get big one in telling her to get in her seat and put on her straps, shut door, go back around to see pram rolling gently towards row of car, retrieve and put in boot. Strap/buckle oldest in, realise toddler is still in front, grab him and put in third car seat. I’ve forgotten to do up big strap on little one’s rear facing seat, put back out reaching from front seat to tighten that, go back to big one to give her the drink she’s dropped/thrown on the floor and is yelling about, confiscate drink from toddler who is feeding it to dolly (all over car) go back to boot, go back to drivers seat, get in put own seatbelt on, start car, realise parking exit ticket is in boot, get out, go back to boot, give dirty look to twit waiting impatiently for car spot, pray we get out of carpark within designated time period after paying prior to exit. Vow never to shop again.

Interesting. My parents didn’t have these problems when my siblings and I were babies/tolders/children. They managed to go park a car, go shopping, pack the car, and leave the carpark without half the drama you are describing.

But then, we were raised in a time where parents taught their childrens different values – respect, manners, appropriate behaviour, etc.

Mysteryman said :

Interesting. My parents didn’t have these problems when my siblings and I were babies/tolders/children. They managed to go park a car, go shopping, pack the car, and leave the carpark without half the drama you are describing.

But then, we were raised in a time where parents taught their childrens different values – respect, manners, appropriate behaviour, etc.

The world was a bloody awful place for all sorts of reasons in the past. Just because not all of us died of something is no reason to keep doing it.

And older even than you are the writings of antiquity bemoaning the youth of their era.

johnboy said :

Mysteryman said :

Interesting. My parents didn’t have these problems when my siblings and I were babies/tolders/children. They managed to go park a car, go shopping, pack the car, and leave the carpark without half the drama you are describing.

But then, we were raised in a time where parents taught their childrens different values – respect, manners, appropriate behaviour, etc.

[b]The world was a bloody awful place for all sorts of reasons in the past. Just because not all of us died of something is no reason to keep doing it.[/b]

And older even than you are the writings of antiquity bemoaning the youth of their era.

The world is a bloody awful place right now. What has that got to do with what I said? And how the does teaching manners and acceptable behaviour relate to all of us dying of something? Or are you just having at moan about the idea that the parenting of the current generation may leave a lot to be desired?

Mysteryman said :

The world is a bloody awful place right now. What has that got to do with what I said? And how the does teaching manners and acceptable behaviour relate to all of us dying of something? Or are you just having at moan about the idea that the parenting of the current generation may leave a lot to be desired?

You’re an idiot profoundly ignorant of history.

There are more people leading better lives now than at any time in recorded history.

There are issues, but solutions are achievable. That’s more than could ever have been said.

Your golden past was a blood horrible place and we’re well off out of it.

johnboy said :

Mysteryman said :

The world is a bloody awful place right now. What has that got to do with what I said? And how the does teaching manners and acceptable behaviour relate to all of us dying of something? Or are you just having at moan about the idea that the parenting of the current generation may leave a lot to be desired?

You’re an idiot profoundly ignorant of history.

There are more people leading better lives now than at any time in recorded history.

There are issues, but solutions are achievable. That’s more than could ever have been said.

Your golden past was a blood horrible place and we’re well off out of it.

QFT

Mysteryman said :

But then, we were raised in a time where parents taught their childrens different values – respect, manners, appropriate behaviour, etc.

Go f*** yourself!

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

But then, we were raised in a time where parents taught their childrens different values – respect, manners, appropriate behaviour, etc.

Go f*** yourself!

QFT

PWP spots aren’t a necessity, any more than queues are a necessity, or holding a door open for someone with their arms full is a necessity. It is a courtesy to make life easier, for people responsible for not just a baby, but often toddlers on the move with limited understanding and zero situational awareness.

Those who find such courtesies an imposition on society’s fittest and finest, well, you’ll probably feel that way right up to the point life rips you a new arsehole and renders you vulnerable, and then you’ll have a squeal and a whole new respect for compassion. And everyone will rendered vulnerable sooner or later, unless they have access to the fountain of youth.

And if we’re going to be proponents of economic rationalism when it comes to young families, we need to look to the other end of the spectrum, which everyone here is heading towards, and where there is a larger, more expensive, and growing problem – an ageing population. There’s a whole range of compassionate and dispassionate ways of dealing with old people who don’t have a family to support them. I guess it depends on what lessons the succeeding generations are taught as to what extent they decide to rationalise the solution.

Mysteryman said :

johnboy said :

Mysteryman said :

Interesting. My parents didn’t have these problems when my siblings and I were babies/tolders/children. They managed to go park a car, go shopping, pack the car, and leave the carpark without half the drama you are describing.

But then, we were raised in a time where parents taught their childrens different values – respect, manners, appropriate behaviour, etc.

[b]The world was a bloody awful place for all sorts of reasons in the past. Just because not all of us died of something is no reason to keep doing it.[/b]

And older even than you are the writings of antiquity bemoaning the youth of their era.

The world is a bloody awful place right now. What has that got to do with what I said? And how the does teaching manners and acceptable behaviour relate to all of us dying of something? Or are you just having at moan about the idea that the parenting of the current generation may leave a lot to be desired?

I think the world is a fantastic place right now. A bit too much whinging but that aside, I’m so glad I’m alive…cue Def Leppard

Postalgeek said :

PWP spots aren’t a necessity, any more than queues are a necessity, or holding a door open for someone with their arms full is a necessity. It is a courtesy to make life easier, for people responsible for not just a baby, but often toddlers on the move with limited understanding and zero situational awareness.

Those who find such courtesies an imposition on society’s fittest and finest, well, you’ll probably feel that way right up to the point life rips you a new arsehole and renders you vulnerable, and then you’ll have a squeal and a whole new respect for compassion.

And everyone will rendered vulnerable sooner or later, unless they have access to the fountain of youth.

And if we’re going to be proponents of economic rationalism when it comes to young families, we need to look to the other end of the spectrum, which everyone here is heading towards, and where there is a larger, more expensive, and growing problem – an ageing population. There’s a whole range of compassionate and dispassionate ways of dealing with old people who don’t have a family to support them. I guess it depends on what lessons the succeeding generations are taught as to what extent they decide to rationalise the solution.

I realise this has turned into a broader social debate, but to bring it back on topic:
a) if it’s really about the accessibility issues of a wider space, rather than the convenience of parking closer to the shops, then there’s a simple solution – put the wider spaces at the far end of the carpark, with a pedestrian walkway to the shops. If the accessibility issue is truly the important one – not the convenience – then this will result in no decrease in either utilisation or utility.
b) People drive too fast in carparks, this is true. But everyone is at risk from this, not just parents/children, so why should they get special treatment? Without having seen the accident stats in carparks, I understand that people suffer disutility from having the living s–t scared out of them (either on foot, or trying to reverse out of a spot). Solution to this is impose and policy a speed limit. I.e. address the problem itself, not just selectively reduce the harm.
I reckon a car travelling at 20kph in a carpark is more dangerous than a car doing 150kph on the parkway.

Pitchka said :

Before i was a parent with a pram, i never noticed how many dead s***s parked there purely for convenience, as these spots are very close to major entrances.

Im not know for being overly loud (insert sarcastic emotican here), and i have no issue telling anyone who has just parked their car in said spot, on the top of my lungs, so others in the area can hear just how inconsiderate these f**ks are. And if they are of the ‘larger size’, ill also advise them that parking away from the entrance may be of some benefit to them.

Its almost as bad as peope parking on surburban streets to save money on parking, slash their tyres i say!

Maybe you could just go about your day without shoving your opinion in everybody’s faces as loud as you possibly can? It just makes you look like a squawking idiot. Hopefully someone slashes *your* tyres for being a busy-body.

I don’t have children and I don’t park in those spots, but do I give a tinker’s cuss if someone does? No way. Disabled spots, are different, but to penalise someone for not breeding is a bit rich. Why don’t you find a hobby? And no, I don’t mean having more babies.

Monomyth said :

Pitchka said :

Before i was a parent with a pram, i never noticed how many dead s***s parked there purely for convenience, as these spots are very close to major entrances.

Im not know for being overly loud (insert sarcastic emotican here), and i have no issue telling anyone who has just parked their car in said spot, on the top of my lungs, so others in the area can hear just how inconsiderate these f**ks are. And if they are of the ‘larger size’, ill also advise them that parking away from the entrance may be of some benefit to them.

Its almost as bad as peope parking on surburban streets to save money on parking, slash their tyres i say!

Maybe you could just go about your day without shoving your opinion in everybody’s faces as loud as you possibly can? It just makes you look like a squawking idiot. Hopefully someone slashes *your* tyres for being a busy-body.

I don’t have children and I don’t park in those spots, but do I give a tinker’s cuss if someone does? No way. Disabled spots, are different, but to penalise someone for not breeding is a bit rich. Why don’t you find a hobby? And no, I don’t mean having more babies.

+1

If only we knew were loud mouth Pitchkas car was, we could sell tickets for such an event. Or better still let all the tyres down and leave behind a bicycle pump. After that he would be so out of breath to tell anybody anything “on the top of his lungs”.

aceofspades said :

Monomyth said :

Pitchka said :

Before i was a parent with a pram, i never noticed how many dead s***s parked there purely for convenience, as these spots are very close to major entrances.

Im not know for being overly loud (insert sarcastic emotican here), and i have no issue telling anyone who has just parked their car in said spot, on the top of my lungs, so others in the area can hear just how inconsiderate these f**ks are. And if they are of the ‘larger size’, ill also advise them that parking away from the entrance may be of some benefit to them.

Its almost as bad as peope parking on surburban streets to save money on parking, slash their tyres i say!

Maybe you could just go about your day without shoving your opinion in everybody’s faces as loud as you possibly can? It just makes you look like a squawking idiot. Hopefully someone slashes *your* tyres for being a busy-body.

I don’t have children and I don’t park in those spots, but do I give a tinker’s cuss if someone does? No way. Disabled spots, are different, but to penalise someone for not breeding is a bit rich. Why don’t you find a hobby? And no, I don’t mean having more babies.

+1

If only we knew were loud mouth Pitchkas car was, we could sell tickets for such an event. Or better still let all the tyres down and leave behind a bicycle pump. After that he would be so out of breath to tell anybody anything “on the top of his lungs”.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-siP5m0712_Q/TXqLeD7WtnI/AAAAAAAAADI/whOqFeWcmWk/cry-baby.jpg

cripes, 105 responses to this topic? i saw a duck once. and i got charged five dollars for a pizza…

devils_advocate said :

Postalgeek said :

PWP spots aren’t a necessity, any more than queues are a necessity, or holding a door open for someone with their arms full is a necessity. It is a courtesy to make life easier, for people responsible for not just a baby, but often toddlers on the move with limited understanding and zero situational awareness.

Those who find such courtesies an imposition on society’s fittest and finest, well, you’ll probably feel that way right up to the point life rips you a new arsehole and renders you vulnerable, and then you’ll have a squeal and a whole new respect for compassion.

And everyone will rendered vulnerable sooner or later, unless they have access to the fountain of youth.

And if we’re going to be proponents of economic rationalism when it comes to young families, we need to look to the other end of the spectrum, which everyone here is heading towards, and where there is a larger, more expensive, and growing problem – an ageing population. There’s a whole range of compassionate and dispassionate ways of dealing with old people who don’t have a family to support them. I guess it depends on what lessons the succeeding generations are taught as to what extent they decide to rationalise the solution.

I realise this has turned into a broader social debate, but to bring it back on topic:
a) if it’s really about the accessibility issues of a wider space, rather than the convenience of parking closer to the shops, then there’s a simple solution – put the wider spaces at the far end of the carpark, with a pedestrian walkway to the shops. If the accessibility issue is truly the important one – not the convenience – then this will result in no decrease in either utilisation or utility.
b) People drive too fast in carparks, this is true. But everyone is at risk from this, not just parents/children, so why should they get special treatment? Without having seen the accident stats in carparks, I understand that people suffer disutility from having the living s–t scared out of them (either on foot, or trying to reverse out of a spot). Solution to this is impose and policy a speed limit. I.e. address the problem itself, not just selectively reduce the harm.
I reckon a car travelling at 20kph in a carpark is more dangerous than a car doing 150kph on the parkway.

That’s an incredibly ornate way of arguing that it’s completely acceptable for people to park in carparks specifically designated for others.

I’m really proud of your “why should children be spared the threat of being run over in carparks; that’s really unfair” angle (good job!)

But wouldn’t it have been so much simpler just to say “I’m a self-absorbed, self-entitled jerkwad and everyone else can go get stuffed”?

astrojax said :

cripes, 105 responses to this topic? i saw a duck once. and i got charged five dollars for a pizza…

What was the bill for the duck?

poetix said :

astrojax said :

cripes, 105 responses to this topic? i saw a duck once. and i got charged five dollars for a pizza…

What was the bill for the duck?

Thank you thank you, I’m here till thursday, try the veal

btw, this thread should be mully-barred – he’d have never parked illegally…

Last I checked, becoming a parent was not only a choice, but also not a disability.

One of my friends recently broke her leg and has to use crutches. Now, THAT’S a disability.

When they create special, widened, designated parking spaces near the door for people without children, then I’ll stop complaining about the ones for people with children/prams.

poetix said :

astrojax said :

cripes, 105 responses to this topic? i saw a duck once. and i got charged five dollars for a pizza…

What was the bill for the duck?

Ever tried putting a duck into pizza? talk about getting into a flap!

devils_advocate said :

b) People drive too fast in carparks, this is true. But everyone is at risk from this, not just parents/children, so why should they get special treatment?

Children would be at more risk, as they are generally smaller and often less predictable than grown-ups.

Jim Jones said :

But wouldn’t it have been so much simpler just to say “I’m a self-absorbed, self-entitled jerkwad and everyone else can go get stuffed”?

What a great description of a growing number of parents. Fantastic stuff.

Reading through the replies on here makes me wonder what RA readers take on ‘women and children first’ given a sinking ship scenario…

I’m sure in line with many responses an adequate take on this is that why should these women and children be given beneficial treatment over me, given that I pay taxes and they probably sit around breeding/beeing bred to hoard child benefit payments. I mean how dare they reserve a few parking spaces for these breeders, the exercise i get from parking an extra 10m from the shops hinders my qualification for a disabled space.

Personally as a non breeding tax paying male who obtains no benefits I have no issue with these spaces if they make someones life that little bit easier, its very simple for me to park up and walk into the shops without stressing over the injusticises that are perpetuated by these folk with underlings. Seriously this annoys people? How do you make it to the shops without having a breakdown?

“Reading through the replies on here makes me wonder what RA readers take on ‘women and children first’ given a sinking ship scenario…”

Whoever gets to the life boats first gets saved. I’m a woman, but I think men deserve to live to.

Angelite said :

Last I checked, becoming a parent was not only a choice, but also not a disability.

One of my friends recently broke her leg and has to use crutches. Now, THAT’S a disability.

When they create special, widened, designated parking spaces near the door for people without children, then I’ll stop complaining about the ones for people with children/prams.

I’m guessing you’ve never seen the surprisingly forceful way a young child can push open a car door, given you want them mixing it up with you in confined spaces.

Personally, I would encourage families to dent each other’s doors, but that’s just me.

Angelite said :

“Reading through the replies on here makes me wonder what RA readers take on %u2018women and children first%u2019 given a sinking ship scenario%u2026″

Whoever gets to the life boats first gets saved. I’m a woman, but I think men deserve to live to.

Um, you do realise that if it was a kind of rugby game, very few women and no children would get a seat in the lifeboats? And no physically disabled people either. Or old people. Or shorties for that matter.

The idea that the worth of someone’s life is based on their ability to fight for themselves is profoundly offensive. But I’d better shut up or I’ll go all Christian on you.

chewy14 said :

People with kids are selfish

HA! Genius. Satiric gold. Seriously dude, send that material in to The Onion, they’ll go crazy for you.