Motorbike rider sparks outrage taking parent & child space…who’s in the wrong?

PARENTS are outraged over a viral photo of a motorcycle in a “Parents with Prams” parking space, sparking debate on the legality of abusing the spaces.

The photo, taken in a carpark in Sydney, was posted to Reddit, where many users expressed their anger at the selfishness of the cyclist.

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One mother commented on just how far these space stealers may go if no one intervenes:

“Tell me again how you’re selfish and have no empathy for others. If it weren’t illegal they’d park in disabled spots too, guarantee it,” the furious user wrote.

Other parents expressed their outrage at the motorcyclist and those defending them in the Reddit post:

“As a mum these comments truly makes me feel like people hate me and my baby. Sounds dramatic but so many of you sound super hateful,” one user said.

“The proximity isn’t just about convenience, it’s also about safety. It reduces the danger to the parents and children if they’re not having to cross a whole car park,” another commented.

In Australia, those who violate the “parents with prams” car spaces aren’t able to be pursued legally.

Most of the spaces reserved for parents and prams are put in by owners of private properties, including car park where the photo was taken.

It’s not illegal to park in these spaces in the UK, but you could end up with a fine from a private parking company.

Individual supermarkets including Lidl, Aldi, Sainsbury’s and Asda don’t have fines for those who misuse the spaces – but Tesco customers can be fined if they misuse the spots, according to My London.

One UK mother was slapped with an almost £300 fine after ‘misusing’ the space.

Mum Rachel had reportedly used the spot for 20 minutes to pop into the shop for her poorly son, but left her three children in the car.

The National Parking Enforcement, who managed the private car park, claimed Rachel shouldn’t have taken up the parents’ bay as she didn’t take her children out of the car.

A company spokesman said: “No children exited the vehicle and therefore the driver did not require the extra space provided and should have parked in a regular parking bay.”

Though many shops don’t have enforcement for misuse of parking spaces, some shoppers have taken these issues into their own hands.

After a shopper in Canberra parked their vehicle across two parking spaces, other shoppers cheekily got revenge on the selfish driver.

The annoyed shoppers chained together a series of trolleys behind the Jaguar, inconveniencing the driver.

“I love how petty Canberrans are,” the post said.

Questions of who can use the parent and child parking spots outside of stores are still being raised, after many incidents of selfish drivers abusing them have been reported.