Disabled Parking

It's NOT totally obvious why OP has asked the question in the way that she has.

Is she complaining about other people's illegal use of disabled (blue badge) parking bays or is she trying to elicit validation for her own wrongful use of them? That is the question that came into my mind straight away. Otherwise, why not fully explain yourself?

If it's the former then good, there's plenty of misuse of the system as we all know. If it's the latter then she quite rightly hasn't got that validation.

I park in disabled bays because I have a blue badge. I have an incurable chronic illness which affects my mobility.

I am only 33, and I get some really funny looks (usually from elderly people) when they see me get out of my car. I haven’t had any comments … yet.

I have misused a BB in the past.

Our council gives free parking in all pay and display and residents bays in CPZ areas. I was minding my sisters flat while she worked abroad, and went in once a week for 10-20 mins and used another relatives BB to avoid paying for parking. My sister had paid for a permit but had left her car out of town for the duration. I never used an actual BB bay, and there were plenty of other spaces all over the street. I was defrauding the council rather than disadvantaging disabled people. And do realise I was risking confiscation of the badge had the council had a surveillance operation in place.
A London council - £12 ph in some places.

Mums and babies shouldn't be using disabled spaces, unless the mum or child is disabled.

Yes if I am driving my 98 yo mobility restricted relative somewhere -they have a BB

Otherwise no of course not.

I have ended up in a slanging match with a man who said I was adding to the queue for spaces at our park and gym by not using one of the vacant BB spaces -he was telling me to go there and I calmly declined. He shouted some obscenities and went round and used one of the spaces. He was a dog walker. And did not have a BB. It's disgraceful - loads of the PTs use the BB spaces and the gym / parking co do nothing about it.

Because most arent disabled, and if they are they’ll have a blue badge anyway.

Why would you expect any of the responses to say about mums and babies being an exception? They are disabled bays for blue badge users, not anyone who deems they should get to use them. They are not for mums with babies.

What were you looking for with this post? Disabled bays are for those who are disabled, hence the name.

Why not? It’s anonymous so they can be honest and explain why they do the thing they do that is so against society norms.

Nope, really didn't. You think reams of people who are not disabled are going to pop up and say 'yes yes, I do'...?

I could not agree more. Unless you have wrangled a wheelchair out your boot, you will never understand/care how frustrating it is to see the able of body using them. There are so many people who use these absolutely neccessary spaces, who really don't give a shit about the genuinly disabled.
I have to grit my teeth nearly every day. I could have an argument all the time but there is nk point.
People are just so entitled these days

I remember years ago in the 80s Dad hand an orange sticker instead of blue badge. A lovely member of the public (also disabled) screamed and yelled at dad that he shouldn't be parked there as he couldn't be disabled because he had a child. I was 18 months before he became disabled not quite sure what they wanted him to do with me. The same person is local and very much alive and now has five kids of his own whilst dad has been dead 30 odd years.

They don't have any right to use a Disabled space unless they also have a Blue Badge.

No, I never have, unless driving relatives with BB.
The entitled type who do without a BB are not the type to admit to it on MN.

Yes. But I do have a blue badge.

As my disability is not immediately visible (dural ectasia among other things) I an often challenged.

I had this issue the other week. My mum is now wheelchair bound but we haven’t applied yet. I used and Parent and Baby and still felt guilty!

Only when I driving my disabled relative in their wheelchair adapted vehicle (with their blue badges). Even then, in lots of places the disabled spaces aren't long enough to unload the wheelchair or have enough space to lower the ramp. Sometimes we need to park on yellow lines.

Don’t worry OP. It was obvious.

Honestly? You can’t understand? The OP has clearly noticed people that do not have a blue badge parking in disabled spaces and is asking for those people that do that to explain why.

Come on you clearly know what she meant.

I think it's obvious what the op meant. Not do you park in a disabled bay if you have a bb. Obviously yes you would .

Rather, do you park in bb bays for convenience if you don't have a bb and sadly op many do. I doubt they'll dare admit it here though.

No, although I do have a hidden disability I don’t have a blue badge so I can’t park in the disabled bays. I don’t qualify for a blue badge under my council’s rules, plus when I’m in too much pain to walk the length of the car park I’m in too much pain to drive, generally.

Never. My parents struggled enough to find a space when they needed one. If they were with me and I dropped them at the entrance, even thought technically with me and I had their blue badge, i stilled parked in a normal space. Keep them free for those who need them. Plus I am afraid I’ll jinx myself if I parked in one when it’s not needed

Nope, wasn't obvious then and 4 pages in, still not obvious.

It did read to me as if you had assumed no one on Mumsnet could also be disabled so you thought you were asking a group of 100% able bodied people this question, but surely no one is that dim?

You still haven't clarified why you are asking, or indeed who it is you think you're asking.

I park in them when I have DH with me who has a blue badge and can't walk without pain . I can't stand the people with no badge who use the spaces as "nip in to the shop" spaces and leave the driver sitting in the vehicle while someone else runs in.

DS doesn’t look disabled. So when he isn’t using his wheelchair people may assume he doesn’t need to space. The truth is when he isn’t using his wheelchair he probably needs the space a lot more than when we try to do a trip on foot!