Women only parking spaces

[GodAtum]

• A car park in Bolton is said to have introduced the 'ladies only' bays in 2002
• Twitter user Josh Woogs posted online saying he 'couldn't believe' the bays
• But dozens have leapt to the defence of the spaces saying they provide safety

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-media-storm-mocking-female-parking-bays.html

I have to get on my soapbox with this one. Why cant frail, elderly people get their own safer parking spaces? Why cant disabled people have their spaces more secure?

 

[furnessvale]

I have to get on my soapbox with this one. Why cant frail, elderly people get their own safer parking spaces? Why cant disabled people have their spaces more secure?

Aren't people allowed to self declare gender these days. I think my beard may be a give away!

 

[trash80]

Why can't women/the elderly/disabled/anyone go about their lives without being subjected to harassment and violence from scum?

 

[Ianno87]

Ah Bow Street car park... Has never been a pleasant or secure place. Poorly lit, bad sightlines, dark corners.

Entirely sensible to have these for security.

There's probably a reality of the car park being used by employees of the nearby nightlife on Bradshawgate, who probably are quite vulnerable when heading home.... moreso than elderly shoppers in daytime (who probably won't park there anyway as it's got a tiny lift that reeked of piss last time I went there...)

 

[Mag_seven]

Why can't women/the elderly/disabled/anyone go about their lives without being subjected to harassment and violence from scum?

Why can't anyone?

 

[AlterEgo]

The eternal conundrum of women being equal to men but constantly needing protection from them.

Which is it?

 

[najaB]

Which is it?

Too often: both.

 

[GB]

If there are problems with the car park then the owners of said car park should do something about it for the safety and security of everyone using it. I appreciate sexual assault is more prevalent against females but crime happens against males too....woman don't like to be stereotyped, perhaps we should not be stereotyping men by assuming they are all big and brawly and can always defend themselves.

In anycase, surly this just highlights the vehicles belong to women so if there was someone up to no good they know where to look?

 

[Clip]

I have to get on my soapbox with this one. Why cant frail, elderly people get their own safer parking spaces? Why cant disabled people have their spaces more secure?

They probably can but they would more than likely have to ask. I dont get why people get so upset by these sorts of things.

Does it impact you? No

Does it cause you any pain? No

 

[Ianno87]

If there are problems with the car park then the owners of said car park should do something about it for the safety and security of everyone using it. I appreciate sexual assault is more prevalent against females but crime happens against males too....woman don't like to be stereotyped, perhaps we should not be stereotyping men by assuming they are all big and brawly and can always defend themselves.

In anycase, surly this just highlights the vehicles belong to women so if there was someone up to no good they know where to look?

I think the only proper fix for this car park is to demolish it and try again...

 

[RichmondCommu]

The eternal conundrum of women being equal to men but constantly needing protection from them.

Which is it?

Women with young children who need a push chair because their legs are not strong enough to walk long distances?

 

[infobleep]

I think the only proper fix for this car park is to demolish it and try again...

I was think that.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Sounds like this is a reaction to a particular location-specific situation, but has been seized upon by the media in order to cash in on the ongoing (mostly internet-based) clash between "social justice warriors" and the "anti-PC" lot. Funny thing about both those groups is that the loudest voices often seem either delusional; disingenuous; or plain idiotic.

 

[Groningen]

Such spaces in Europe exist only in Germany, Austria and Swizerland. Not so (if i am correctly) not in the Netherlands.

From Wikipedia:

 

[Bletchleyite]

​

Women with young children who need a push chair because their legs are not strong enough to walk long distances?

That should be a "with young children" parking space, as obviously it could be a father, mother, uncle, aunt, grandparent or indeed unrelated childcarer who is in that position, and all of them have the same need.

 

[RichmondCommu]

That should be a "with young children" parking space, as obviously it could be a father, mother, uncle, aunt, grandparent or indeed unrelated childcarer who is in that position, and all of them have the same need.

Fair enough.

 

[AM9]

Such spaces in Europe exist only in Germany, Austria and Swizerland. Not so (if i am correctly) not in the Netherlands.

From Wikipedia:

Does that mean women driving a husband and two burly sons, or a man driving with a female and two male passengers? These sort of abuses are already common in the UK with accessible parking so why make life more difficult (for women as well as men?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Does that mean women driving a husband and two burly sons, or a man driving with a female and two male passengers? These sort of abuses are already common in the UK with accessible parking so why make life more difficult (for women as well as men?

The implication is of a lone female.

 

[bussnapperwm]

They have no legal basis and are actually unenforceable as there is no such parking contravention and it's not an approved sign/marking in the traffic and road signs general directions I believe.

 

[Groningen]

Yes; a lone woman. Often after dark.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Certain stations in the Chilterns used to have security staff for the purpose of accompanying lone travellers to car parks at evening times. Not sure if that still applies.

 

[paddington]

They have no legal basis and are actually unenforceable as there is no such parking contravention and it's not an approved sign/marking in the traffic and road signs general directions I believe.

If it is private land, this would be enforceable as a civil contract providing the signage is clear and there is a sound commercial basis for whatever deterrent is imposed, for example you could put up a sign saying that it is free for a female driver to park but a male driver needs to pay £50. However, I am not sure if charging men and women differently is legal (though it is not uncommon)

 

[al78]

If the car park is such a blackspot for attacks on vulnerable people, surely the answer is for it to be patrolled by a suitable authority.

The problem with advertising such a place as "women only" is that you might as well erect a sign saying "rapists look here".

"Why can't women/the elderly/disabled/anyone go about their lives without being subjected to harassment and violence from scum?"

In a perfect world everyone would be able to do this, but the human population has a subset of scum. I could equally ask the question of why should I have to lock up my house when leaving, or why can't I cycle on the road without risk of being hit by a careless driver. The answer is because people are not perfect, and some people do not behave as a civiised society dictates they should.

 

[AM9]

The implication is of a lone female.

Or a trans with a GRC, - or a non-binary on one of their female days. The complications are endless and there would be no chance of any prosecution succeeding. As al78 says, a car park that is a blackspot for attacks should have security measures that address the risk.

 

[TheEdge]

Maybe this is an opinion shared only by me and I'm half ready to be shot down in flames for holding it but here goes.

I, as a white, straight, male and ok with being all of those things, appear to just be becoming the bogeyman for all the world's ills. Not a day seems to go past that another issue appears where the world and society needs to be protected from me. It seems the even the mention of males is a reason for companies or people to start throwing around the insulted cards, see today's examples of tissues or a sandwich. Personally I never plan to go raping anyone or assaulting anyone, and while I understand that some men do, just like some women do, as do some gay men, lesbian woman or transgenders, its becoming rather tedious when the implication is only men do anything bad and the world would be a utopia if it wasn't for men.

I also start to wonder if this movement in society is going to start negatively impacting young lads. We are constantly told young girls are being impacted by media but young boys are starting to grow up in a world where it sometimes feels like boys and men are being told that they are simply awful and going to grow up into uncontrollable rapists simply because they are male.

Feel free to tear me to pieces.

 

[bramling]

Maybe this is an opinion shared only by me and I'm half ready to be shot down in flames for holding it but here goes.

I, as a white, straight, male and ok with being all of those things, appear to just be becoming the bogeyman for all the world's ills. Not a day seems to go past that another issue appears where the world and society needs to be protected from me. It seems the even the mention of males is a reason for companies or people to start throwing around the insulted cards, see today's examples of tissues or a sandwich. Personally I never plan to go raping anyone or assaulting anyone, and while I understand that some men do, just like some women do, as do some gay men, lesbian woman or transgenders, its becoming rather tedious when the implication is only men do anything bad and the world would be a utopia if it wasn't for men.

I also start to wonder if this movement in society is going to start negatively impacting young lads. We are constantly told young girls are being impacted by media but young boys are starting to grow up in a world where it sometimes feels like boys and men are being told that they are simply awful and going to grow up into uncontrollable rapists simply because they are male.

Feel free to tear me to pieces.

No tearing to pieces from me. Whilst I think the above is perhaps a little pessimistic - or at least I hope it is - the gist is sound IMO.

FWIW I tend to agree that these sorts of things address the symptom not the cause, so in the case of the car park one should be asking why there is such a security issue that someone feels women-only spaces are necessary.

Many stereotypes don’t really tend to hold true anyway - a lot of people seem to think that paedophiles are lonely old single men, whilst others seem to think that most gay men are paedophiles. Funny (and not in the amusing sense) that during my working life I’ve known of three people convicted of sex offences involving children, and in all three cases they’re married men with their own children!

 

[TRAX]

Maybe this is an opinion shared only by me and I'm half ready to be shot down in flames for holding it but here goes.

I, as a white, straight, male and ok with being all of those things, appear to just be becoming the bogeyman for all the world's ills. Not a day seems to go past that another issue appears where the world and society needs to be protected from me. It seems the even the mention of males is a reason for companies or people to start throwing around the insulted cards, see today's examples of tissues or a sandwich. Personally I never plan to go raping anyone or assaulting anyone, and while I understand that some men do, just like some women do, as do some gay men, lesbian woman or transgenders, its becoming rather tedious when the implication is only men do anything bad and the world would be a utopia if it wasn't for men.

I also start to wonder if this movement in society is going to start negatively impacting young lads. We are constantly told young girls are being impacted by media but young boys are starting to grow up in a world where it sometimes feels like boys and men are being told that they are simply awful and going to grow up into uncontrollable rapists simply because they are male.

Feel free to tear me to pieces.

This.

 

[trash80]

Many stereotypes don’t really tend to hold true anyway - a lot of people seem to think that paedophiles are lonely old single men, whilst others seem to think that most gay men are paedophiles. Funny (and not in the amusing sense) that during my working life I’ve known of three people convicted of sex offences involving children, and in all three cases they’re married men with their own children!

Isn't it the case that a large majority of child abuse is by parents or other close family members? I wonder if the stereotype you mentioned is because people don't want to address the truth.

 

[bramling]

Isn't it the case that a large majority of child abuse is by parents or other close family members? I wonder if the stereotype you mentioned is because people don't want to address the truth.

You may well be right. A lot is probably down to ignorance though. My personal view is that *anyone* can be a wrong'un, and I do think some people find this reality uncomfortable for whatever reason.

 

[Bevan Price]

Plenty of groups (e.g. women, disabled, colour, sexual preference, etc.) campaign to get "equal treatment" for everybody. They need to learn that "equal" does not mean "preferential" treatment for them.

So - OK for some wider parking spaces for disabled drivers, but anything else should be off-limits.

So no special car parks, waiting rooms, free toilets, etc. just for one specific group of people.
Free for some - free for all; one pays - all to pay.
And as others comment - provide better security if there are problems with criminal misbehaviour.