Parking and the elderly

My 60 year old sister has a learning disability and reduced mobility. Her blue badge wasn't renewed. Numerous appeals but due to a change in the system her individual case doesn't tick enough "boxes" so it gets rejected every time. With her lifelong disability, she's obviously not disabled enough!
I have to park far away so we can open the door wide enough for her to get in and out. We then hobble along slowly to get to our destination.

That's a nasty comment - you know nothing about the OP.

Op - please tell us that you're not supporting a 93yo, with slow reactions and confusion, to drive?!

It’s very unusual for someone’s blue badge to be taken away and he certainly sounds as though he qualifies for one. Did something significant change? Have you considered appealing?

Ok il bite.

wtf are you doing encouraging a 93 year old with body issues and disabilities to still
drive

Our supermarket has parent spaces and separate senior spaces. It gets a bit silly. All are courtesy spaces that are not enforceable. People seem to forget that the space creation is a marketing strategy.

I don’t use the spaces. I prefer to park at the back and walk in unless the weather is truly awful.

forgot my point, to ahead and park there. He needs a close spot and the store wants his business.

This is not the case in every area, some areas they don’t take PIP into account at all. It varies quite a lot

Those who get enough points in the right area of PIP get one automatically. Otherwise you apply to the council and provide evidence and they decide if they are going to be accepted or not, some may be called for an assessment but not everyone.

interestingly DS has just moved to PIP and now gets too MANY points to automatically qualify for blue badge 🤦‍♀️

DH applied for his blue badge to be renewed and was told he had to go to an assessment in another town. He couldnt travel that far and the council told him there was no alternative so tough shit basically. So he just went without i This was about 13/14 years ago. He gave up driving at the beginning of 2020 He has COPD and ischemic heart disease as well as arthritis.

It’s very unusual for someone’s blue badge to be taken away and he certainly sounds as though he qualifies for one. Did something significant change? Have you considered appealing?

Im more shocked that council staff are making decisions on whether someone qualifies for a BB or not, at least thats how im reading the posts.

Ive Just been awarded a BB and although I applied to the council I had to go for a clinical assessment at a hospital, maybe its different in Scotland?

When my dad was alive and had a blue badge as a passenger, I used the parent and child space on occasions, placing the blue badge so visible.

Supermarkets have parent and child spaces as a planning sop, no intention of enforcing them, and if the OPs dad uses a walking stick I doubt anyone will mind.

I think the fact some people think fit and health adults need a closer parking space over a frail elderly person simply because they have a child with them says a lot about what is going wrong in society. Are people really that self centred?

You are not being unreasonable, your relative sounds like he could benefit from a wider space to allow you to open the door wide to allow him to get in and out.

What I am about to say will no doubt get me flamed. My understanding of disabled spaces in supermarket car parks is that they are not just for blue badge holders - unless it specifically says so - as it's private land.

A lot of supermarkets use blue branding and signage, but unless it clearly says blue badge holders only then you don't need one to park there. I have used them in the past when my husband broke his knee and was in a leg brace /on crutches for a month or so. No-one said anything, and from my point of view it might only have been a temporary condition, but the wider spaces were needed at that time. Once he was mobile again we parked in the wider car park

I can't imagine anyone would bat an eyelid about an obviously frail older person, using walking aids making use of the spaces. Your relative sounds to me like the person they were designed to assist.

Those who get enough points in the right area of PIP get one automatically. Otherwise you apply to the council and provide evidence and they decide if they are going to be accepted or not, some may be called for an assessment but not everyone.

interestingly DS has just moved to PIP and now gets too MANY points to automatically qualify for blue badge 🤦‍♀️

You can let him out at the entrance, park anywhere and pick him up again at the entrance or collection point if he's not driving. Parents with children can't do this safely with small kids or babies! You are being incredibly selfish.

There is so much abuse of blue badge spaces. You get a booklet with a blue badge that very clearly says not to park on the hashed lines between spaces as they're there for access and doing this is an abuse that can mean your blue badge can be cancelled.

Old people in small cars are the worst for parking way over the hashed lines. I use a wheelchair; there is no squeezing through a smaller gap. I have had to give up and go home from shops when there's been nowhere safe and accessible to park.