To be annoyed that I get glared at for having a blue badge

You can see that without harassing people- either a badge is displayed or it isn’t.

Good for you.

Why do you think it's OK to be stared at and have your car checked every time you park somewhere with your friend? How on earth do you think that's OK?

Wtf else would she do?

People who can stride about can still have blue badges!

Wtf? No, I'm not going to smile at someone making me feel anxious and uncomfortable for doing something as simple and normal as parking my car.

They aren't looking out for us, by the way. If they were, they'd leave us the hell alone. ----

It would be nice if you could let disabled blue badge holders go about their days using the facilities provided without harassing them. What you are doing is similar to demanding to know if child who isn’t white is British in school incase they aren’t entitled to be there.

Love this! Will have to try and remember it for next time someone harrasses me, lol

If my paraplegic brother can’t park in a space that allows him to get his chair out, he might ask the space-user if they are entitled to be there because he needs the space himself

I have a friend with a blue badge. She regularly travels in my car. We regularly park in blue badge spaces. Always ALWAYS when parking someone passing will take a moment to look at the car and look for the blue badge displayed. Me and friend actually see this as a positive thing as these people are the ones who are watching that badge holders are parking in the spaces.

Yes, they could mind their own business and leave it to the parking warden to check. But what if there's no parking warden around? By the general public keeping an eye that only people entitled to park in these spaces are parking in them it means that these spaces are generally available to those who need them.

I acknowledge that others people's experiences might be more negative, but I suppose that depends on your perspective. Me and my friend are entitled to park there. So we don't feel attacked or targeted by anyone asking if we are entitled to park there. Once the person sees we are entitled to park there they move on. Only once someone "pointed out" to us that it was a BB space, when I said "Yes, we know thank you" and took my friends wheelchair out of the boot the person simply smiled and moved on.

Yes, and as long as you have the badge there is no issue. But the striding is what makes it more reasonable to ask the question, because people use the spaces without entitlement all the time and, like it or not, you can’t be distinguished by sight from a space misuser.

You’re not understanding.

The problem is people using relatives’ or stolen blue badges or using spaces without having any badge at all.

A disabled person pulling up in their car behind a car parked in a disabled space can’t see the badge displayed at the front.

If the occupant of the car gets out and is not visibly disabled, this means that they are more likely to not be entitled to use the space. It is obviously not conclusive proof.

Yes, many blue badge holders are not visibly disabled. However the vast majority of people who do not appear disabled are indeed not disabled. So it is perfectly fine to ask someone who does not appear disabled whether they have a blue badge, as long as it is done politely.

Believe me, the amount of “sorry mate I was just nipping in quickly, just let me move” responses he gets make it worthwhile.

Obviously the blue badge thieves/misusers will just say yes, and I am not suggesting that the questioner then check the badge in the manner of a traffic warden. But it might make them think twice about doing it again when they are challenged directly by someone who has a right to the space.

It speaks volumes, as far as I am concerned, that the posters encouraging disabled people to be gracious, smiling, and grateful for the BB police crusaders, have no idea of the lingering effects that being challenged repeatedly can do to them. Posters have said how it can affect them so much, that they curtail going out, or may wear clothes that show their disability, so that they can go about unhindered by these people. How depressing. Who do they think they are?, and the posters on here defending these people, is frankly disturbing.

Yep, and when they see the blue badge they then mind their own business. Only 1 man has ever questioned her.

Unless everybody pulling into a blue badge space should have everyone around them avert their eyes? Members of the public checking that the car is actually displaying a blue badge is what keeps most people out of these spaces if nobody checked, nobody would care and anybody would just park where they liked.

Jeez, everyone is so aggressive these days. When smiling at someone is seen as a problem!!

You need to start a new thread, this is the wrong place for that question.

Hi my friend is in High court and they have just offered her 15k to settle before the hearing. She is representing herself and we need to know how she refuses this and what would be a reasonable reply… think she is looking more for 100k +

Nah, not when it happens every day. Mind your own business. If there's a blue badge, that's enough for you as a MOP.

Patronising twaddle to tell people to smile and accept it gracefully.

I have two friends with blue badges.

One is a woman in her early 50s who looks just fine but can't actually walk unaided. You don't see it until she's taken more than 3 steps. She feels like you.

One is a man in his 30s who drives a white works van as he's a carpenter. He takes great delight in telling people to get fucked if they are arsey to him, but is polite back to polite enquiries. The moment he turns to the side in his seat to get out the van, they can see he's literally crippled. He has a benign tumour on his spine and it's a degenerative condition as it's inoperable but growing. He uses a mobility scooter for any walking further than our street.

People need to butt out.

Try reading the thread again, if you did in the first place. Posters clearly state why it is a problem for people to take it upon themselves to be the BB police. Are they not getting through, and being heard?

I can say what I like @CassandraWebb. It's not for you to police my language when my friend is happy with how I respond. Just like it's not for the busy bodies to police people with blue badges.

You're probably a bit sensitive to it but the people "checking" are checking to see if you have a badge and are entitled to park. Once they see the badge they then don't bother you anymore.
You met one crank. But you could have encountered him elsewhere for any other reason he took issue with.

I think people who check that people parking in disabled bays are entitled to use them are not doing any harm. Although I'm not sure I'd confront someone NOT entitled to park there. Because someone who pulls into a very obvious blue badge space and doesn't have a blue badge aren't going to GAF if some old dear tells them they shouldn't park there.

If someone "checks" that you have a badge then you should simply smile at them. After all, they're looking out for people like you and ensuring those parking in the spaces are entitled to be there.

Yes if they have a blue badge displayed.

I have high level needs, and that person with the same badge allowing them to park got there first and appears to be in much better shape than me. They may well be doing better than me, or may be silently dealing with a different set of struggles, or also may die soon still appearing to be doing better than me, because appearances can be deceiving, and yes it's also possible it just isn't their badge, but I'm not going to interfere with them to demand they prove themselves to me, because the chances are that it is their badge and I'm not going to be a dick on the off-chance it isn't.

My bil started wearing shorts due to all the abuse he was getting about his blue badge, you can't miss his prosthetic leg now!

We exit our car and “stride off” many times a day because it isn’t a “can’t stride off” badge.

Yes. What is so hard to understand? Why would they not be able to "stride off"? Does that make them not disabled, because they could? As long as they have a BB, that is the end of the matter. If they did not have a BB, I personally would not challenge them either.

TBF parking wardens, BB enforcement and police are literally the one set of people who are entitled to be suspicious and demand to inspect your badge regardless of if you're oozing glamour or less wonderful things. 😂

Can you show me where you said your brother is challenging people parking without a blue badge rather than whoever is parked in the space he wants?
Because it isn't what you have said, regardless of what you mean, and this thread and most of us here are talking about others challenging disabled people parking with our blue badges displayed, because of their perceptions of if we should be entitled to.