To think there is not enough disabled bays for how many badge users there are

It states in the booklet that if you are driving a disabled person you are not entitled to use the space, you drop the person off and park as normal.

YADNBU! I have a physical disability along with other broken body issues 😂 and I only use a space if I am majorly struggling with my mobility that day. It annoys me when I make the effort to use a normal space and the disabled spaces are used up by people sitting in their cars waiting on either the driver or passenger to return. That's not what the spaces are for!

I agree with PPs about hospital parking

Our local hospital is awful for parking. It’s bad enough when you’re able bodied, I don’t know how people with disabilities cope if they haven’t got lots of people to help.

They've recently done lots of building work up there and the parking has halved, along with the already limited blue badge parking. There used to be a drop off point outside the main doors, but this has been removed so you can’t even drop someone off and then go and park. The taxi pick up/drop off is quite a distance away from the entrance

My daughter has had a lot of hospital appointments the last couple of years and if DH can’t drop us off or pick us up, we have to arrive an hour before the appointment to park and walk back to the hospital in time for our appointment.

My friend has a lot of appointments with her son who has quite severe and complex disabilities - getting him to appointments is a nightmare and involves a small army

The hospitals response to complaints is to suggest visitors use public transport - which is fine, if you can. The hospitals is slightly out of town so involves changing buses, a lot of this area is rural with 1 bus an hour that stops at 6pm and some areas have no bus service at all.

It’s just rubbish, people with disabilities are struggling to access it. I’m not entirely sure how the plans for the building work were passed

For the number the OP is referring to, probably not enough. Though I suspect the issue is the number being granted.

Exactly.

my father is oxygen dependent and I will often him drive him to the supermarket and wait in the car for him while he puts a lottery ticket on etc. it’s important for him to be near the entrance to lessen the walk.

Access is important so would it be an idea to allow blue badge holders who need wide or long access to the car to park across or over two non blue badge two parking spaces? Park over the space line that divides the parking spaces - longways or across. The car could have a sign up that says I need access. Put this in law - and this would increase parking availability right away.

Floranan I'm so sorry you've experienced such ignorance.
My ds refuses to use his current wheelchair while we wait for his active user one from wheelchair services for the very reason people can and do use the handles and push it.

His new one has a low back and he'll wear a backpack on him rather than the chair. Also has a fixed base so people don't think they have a right to just fold it up if he sits in a chair etc.

The ignorance of just why taking a space that's designed for someone with a disability affects them is disgusting at best.

Yes I think you're right, I googled it after I posted as was curious and it does seem to be about meeting the criteria of extreme difficulty completing journeys etc. That's how she herself describes it though, as for her PTSD but I wouldn't expect someone to go into precise detail like the gov.uk website does

I get back - we've provided enough by law.

My mum has a blue badge. If there are
limited disabled bays and lots of places in the ordinary bays, we will use one of those ordinary bays, so as to leave the disabled bays for those with worse mobility than mum.

Our local high street has just 2 disabled bays for the whole of the high street. (There are some more on the top floor of the shopping centre but the car park is expensive).

I’ve complained to the council but they said they can’t make more disabled bays on the streets.

@ridl14

We know someone who has one for PTSD

You don't really get a BB for a condition, it's about needs/ability.

Must be area dependent then. Shops near Welsh border have double the number of parent child ones and are 90% empty.

What! That is absolutely disgusting, I'm so sorry that happened to you!

I do think there could be some kind of review of who is able to access blue badges. We know someone who has one for PTSD. I know being able-bodied doesn't mean there isn't a disability there but she's been perfectly able to get herself to parties, weddings, around the country, around large crowds of people etc - makes me think if it's not affecting her ability to drive or socialise, should she really be taking up a space.

Regarding parking on double yellows, when all the BB spaces at our hospital are full (and I often arrive an hour before our appointment to try to park) I end up having to park out on double yellows on a (wide) road outside of the hospital grounds in order to make the appointment. I don't obstruct driveways, make it difficult for emergency vehicles to get past or park too close to junctions, if BB holders are having to park on double yellows we are still not allowed to cause an obstruction.

There are also car parks my vehicle won't fit into because of height restrictions, what should I do then? If I parallel park on the road side I can guarantee some numpty will ignore the large stickers that ask you not to park too close so I can still get to the ramp to get him in and out of the van, putting it on double yellows helps me to keep the rear door free of those who like to park up close and leave me no room for the ramp.

Not necessarily it could be they are waiting for that disabled person to return to the car and the pass isn't actually the drivers.

I've actually wrote to my local council about this many times.. and all l get back is.. we are looking into it.

Not really. Friend drives disabled person to where they want to go....

@Iwantmyoldnameback

Whenever I go past a lot of spaces seem to have the driver's sitting in them, isn't that an abuse too?

I sit in the car while DH goes for his appointments, the BB belongs to him and he is the one who needs the space. I'm allowed to wait in the car.

Our local supermarket closed their customer toilets during the covid lockdown and have never reopened them again...

@Pigeonqueen I am guessing yo uare aware of the 'just can't wait' card ?
Just Can’t Wait Cards from Bladder & Bowel UK – Bladder & Bowel UK

I think that there should be 2 classes of disabled spaces - 1 for the the people who require the extra room and closeness and another for those who need the closeness only. This would mean you could fit extra spaces in.

I think the poster upthread who posted about location had a really good point. Our local town has recently opened a new multi-story on the edge of town with a whole floor of disabled spaces, which are usually empty. Meanwhile, the small number of bays in the high street - that are actually useful - are almost fought over. And guess which spaces the I'll only be a minute cheeky non-BB fuckers grab?

It's not good enough to tick a box and say well we have given you 50 blue badge spaces. How many of these spaces are in locations where they are useful to people with disabilities?

I think it varies, in my small local village disabled bays are often the only ones free. Originally put in for elderly residents who have since died / moved on. Perhaps need is cyclical in smaller places.

Its shocking that hospitals don’t have enough bb parking. Although parking is a nightmare at my local hospital. There is a free car park if you have an appointment but always full. Buses don’t really seem to match up so although you could park and ride you’d have to take a bus to town then a bus to hospital. I feel like a more sensible approach would be run a bus service direct to hospital from park and ride (or at least on a loop) and make more spaces bb and for those with temporary mobility issues.

I agree it’s ridiculous that BB holders can park on double yellow lines - it’s dangerous. FWIW I also don’t think it’s right that BB spots should be free in pay and display either but I do think smaller car parks and multi storey carparks should have more spaces availabe- supermarkets and retail parks, no, they are never full. There’s never enough parent spots provided either - perhaps we should be pushing for places like supermarkets and new build parking facilities to have fewer spots altogether but far wider like in the US

I agree with this too.