Pregnant woman faces backlash after being fined £300 for using disabled parking spot
A pregnant woman, who was issued with a hefty fine for parking in a disabled spot when she wasn’t feeling very well, has received huge backlash online.
The Aussie woman claimed that she 'couldn’t find any pregnant parking' spaces at the time, and took to a local Facebook group to see whether or not people thought she should contest the fine.
In an anonymous post, she explained: “Eastgate Bondi Junction does not have a pregnant parking sign at level three.
“I needed to go one morning not feeling very well - around week 28 - without much time to buy some groceries and I couldn't find any pregnant parking so I thought I was allowed to park at the disabled ones."
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The woman continued: “I hope they don't expect a pregnant woman to be carrying her groceries to the end of the parking lot.
“It's something like $600 AUD (£301) which for me is a LOT of money considering all the things we are buying for the newborn.”
She received the fine at Bondi Junction’s Eastgate shopping centre in Sydney.
However, after reaching out to the people of Facebook, the pregnant woman received a lot of backlash.
One commented: “I can’t believe you’re even asking this, it’s so entitled.”
Many members of the group agreed and were unsympathetic to the woman’s situation, calling her 'selfish' and 'unreasonable'.
One disabled woman replied to her plea, writing: “This is pretty close to my heart.
“I am a disabled person and I have heard it all.
“I’m sorry that you are having a really hard time at the moment.
“Your situation will pass and you will get on with your life.
“Please don't park in our spots, it’s only a car spot but it means a lot to someone else, please be mindful."
Another commented: “Being pregnant doesn’t make you disabled.”
However, a few users were in support of the woman's reasoning, with one saying: “Pregnancy makes you very uncomfortable, so I think so.”
The woman stated that she wanted to fight the fine in court, however, was warned off by many saying that the rules are very strict.
One user suggested: "I don't fancy your chances and I think you have enough to deal with at the moment.
"Pay the fine, learn from it and then forget about it."
According to NRMA Insurance Australia, ‘parents with prams’ spots are provided by owners of car parks, and while someone can tell a user to move out of a spot, they are not obliged to.
Mia Williams