Photo of 'selfish' driver parked in 'Parents with Prams' spot divides opinion

"I've had to crawl into the car through the boot to get home," one mum angrily wrote. Have you had a similar experience parking with kids?

Pram parks for parents with babies/toddlers have always been controversial.

Despite being designated for those caring for very young children, technically anyone is permitted to park in those spaces - unlike car parks for disabled people, where it's illegal to do so unless you have a permit.

Knowing this technicality, you often see people who are not with young kids taking up pram park spaces; sometimes because there's simply nowhere else to go, sometimes out of sheer laziness, and sometimes as an act rebellion to the 'dumb' rule. 

A photo this week of a motorcycle parked in a 'Parents with Prams' spot at a Sydney shopping centre appears to be an example of the latter- and it's attracted all the rage.

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The 'offending' motorcycle. Source: Reddit

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Parents with Prams

The incident was captured at a carpark in the suburb of Chatswood, on Sydney's Lower North Shore.

Within a clearly marked red square, which also features an outline of a pram, and a massive "parents with prams" sign directly above it, a motorcycle can be seen to occupy the entire space.

Naturally, the photo was uploaded to Reddit for heated discussion, with many venting frustrations about seeing similar incidents.

"It makes me angry that they can't see how helpful the parking spots are," wrote one mother.

"I have a two-year-old and I'm pregnant with twins. Yep. Try getting a toddler in/out of a car in a normal spot when you're the size of a freaking house.

"We bought a van with sliding doors for the rear seats but that doesn't help me get myself in, so I usually just try to park far away from other cars because the pram spots here are always taken by midlife crisis Ferraris. I still get trapped by other cars. I've had to crawl into the car through the boot to get home FFS.

She concluded, "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."

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Pram parking is still up for debate

Some commenters made the point of seeing larger SUVs such as Range Rovers taking up multiple motorbike spots, while others wondered whether the pram spaces in general are more trouble than they're worth.

"Parents with kids are not disabled (well, most)," read one comment. "Save these spaces for the mobility impaired."

And this, from a motorcycle rider: "I pay registration for my bike just like people do for their car and I have just as much right to park or drive my vehicle as anyone else. If there is motorcycle parking available and its clearly signed I use it but if not I will park wherever the hell I want to, with the same rights as any other vehicle owner."

But if you're still not convinced that pram parks are more helpful than annoying, the NRMA said this: "Children are more at risk of being involved in a crash due to their unpredictability around cars and they can also be hard for other drivers to see, so ensuring convenient parking close to entrances is available for parents with young children is really important."

Ultimately, it's up to the private owner of the property to decide whether to penalise drivers.

This story was first pubbed in November 2022 and was updated in December 2023.

Originally published as Photo of 'selfish' driver parked in 'Parents with Prams' spot divides opinion