The use (or misuse) of parent parking spaces has been a bit of a hot topic in the past. Debate has ranged over whether pregnant women should be allowed to use the spaces, and whether parents who aren't using prams should still be entitled to use one.
It is probably fair to say that the majority of parents like the idea of parent parking spaces. The spaces are popular because they are a bit bigger than normal spaces, which give parents a bit more room to manoeuvre their little ones.
In practice, though, parent spaces can be hard to come by. New research from the UK found that 90 per cent of parents can't find a parent parking space when they need one. And when parking in an ordinary space, 93 per cent said they struggle to get their children out of the car safely because there isn't enough room.
A new parent led campaign is calling on the British government to introduce more parent friendly parking spaces. They claim that a lack of parent spaces is putting kids lives at risk and want to see new rules and regulations implemented along to help manage parent spaces.
The Give Me Space campaign is collecting stories from mums who have had difficult experiences while trying to find safe parking.
One post shows a photo of a car with a white van parked only centimetres away.
"There were no parent and child spaces available so I parked in a normal space. I had parked central to the lines and perfectly straight. I had taken my five-year-old daughter and 16 month old son, and was 8 months pregnant at the time (so you can imagine my bump!)," writes the mum.
She chose a parking space with free spaces on either side so she'd have room for everyone to get out – but when they came back, a van had parked ridiculously close to her car, essentially blocking her in.
"I waited a while for the driver to return but after a while I decided I had no other choice but to get my five-year-old to put her brother into his car seat from the other side of my car, then had to rely on her to strap him in properly, which isn't easy!
"I then had to climb over from the passenger side door to my drivers seat to get in! The strain and pressure on all of us, including my bump, was awful and so unnecessary," she explains.
Another mum shared her experience: "Us parents need to get our children in and out the car. Where I took my 10-month-old swimming they had no parent and child spaces at all so had to park in a normal space, which was tight. I couldn't get my son in the car so had to drive with him on my lap to pull out the space so I could then put him in his seat."
So far the campaign has launched a Change.org petition and has introduced a 'give me space' sticker for parents to display in their window. The idea is that other drivers will take note of the sticker and park more considerately.
Would a similar initiative be well received in Australia? Mother of two Lindsay says that she would definitely support a push for more parent spaces. "Getting out and about with a baby and toddler in tow is stressful enough without the extra hassle of where to park," she says.
"I would love to see more parent parking. Parents do need more space!"
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