Residential disabled bay and disabled kids - any experience?

[SinkGirl]

One of my twins has just been approved for a blue badge (they’d both be eligible but only need one!).

We only have on-street parking outside our house and it can be difficult to park because the house on one side has two cars, and the two houses on the other side have a car and a van each. Getting the boys into the house safely is very difficult and impossible alone unless we are right outside.

I’ve seen we can apply for a disabled bay to be put outside our house, but all the text talks about the badge holder needing to have a car registered in their name. Obviously he doesn’t because he’s 2 Can parents apply if it’s their child with the badge?

Has anyone been through this and had issues with their neighbours? I’m concerned about them objecting and it causing an issue. I don’t want to make life harder for anyone else, but if everyone parked their second vehicle on the side road (plenty of space) then there’d be no problem. It’s a very short distance for an adult to walk (four or five terraced houses). I really don’t want to cause a big issue.

Also, what happens if they refuse to renew it in three years - then we won’t be able to park outside our house until they remove it? He has a DLA award for six years from now so I suspect we’ll have that long at least. We may have moved by then.

Any advice gratefully received :)

You can have a disabled bay marked out but it won't say for use by your number only. Anyone else who has a disabled badge is legally entitled to park in it so that may be something to think about if neighbours or their regular visitors also have a badge.

I realise that - I don’t think any of our neighbours would be eligible to use it, but obviously I don’t know that for sure. It’s hard to know if it’s a good idea or not until you have one!

I would apply for it if I were you. I can't see that you have anything to lose. Surely it would be very useful.

worth applying but like other poster said anyone can park there with a BB which is really stupid! I live in 5min walk from a station there wasn’t even any point me getting a space. If I went out I’d never be able Park when got home.

Wasn't a problem for us that the car wasn't in our son's name - in fact our car is a Motability vehicle, through his DLA award. Council came and painted our disabled bay about six weeks after requesting it. They didn't actually tell us they were coming, and we were housebound with flu, so didn't even realise for two days - they'd painted it around the car!

The only problem we've experienced is with visitors, taxi drivers etc who think it's fine to sit and wait in the space when it's empty; a sharp toot of the horn and a wave gets them moving. None of our neighbours have tried to park in the space. If anything, I think it made the neighbours appreciate our issues (with our son's disability) a bit more.

It is a bit ridiculous when you can only get the bay if you have the badge! Oh well, those are the rules! I’m just so relieved to be getting the badge to be honest. DH have been sat here listing the things it’s going to make so much easier.

Our neighbour did this on our busy terraced street. I think as long as the household are blue badge holders then no one really has an issue with it.

Do both twins get DLA? Do you have one or two cars? I'm just thinking if you are a two car household, you might as well apply for badges for them both - just in case one of you has to drive just one of the twins somewhere for some reason.

Conversely, neighbours of ours had a bay outside their house, the badgeholder then passed away and the family continued to use the bay while they emptied the house for sale (actually so did my midwife when she came to deliver dd2...). When it was sold I contacted the council to see if it could be removed (nosy neighbour... house was then let, so the residents couldn't legally park outside their house) and it could, really easily (they contacted the residents to check it was no longer needed, then it was gone). So if you do find yourself without a blue badge in the future the bay can be easily removed.

Do make sure if you getone it has a pole with a sign, otherwise its not enforceable.

Seconding the advice to get BBs for both children. If they are in different places for any reason you don't want to not be able to park with the child who doesn’t have the badge in their name.

I don’t drive, but will apply for the other twin once I’ve scanned all his evidence in.

I know they’ll remove them but figured it might take a while!