Parking Disabled Spaces

[babsanderson]

Do you ever park in disabled parking spaces?

My DH has a blue badge and it seems so common for non disabled people to do this, especially when waiting in their car for a child to leave an activity. He just winds down his window and asks them to leave - they usually do. But it is annoying.

What are you meant to do if your BB is registered to one car but you need to be taken out in another? (Such as it being registered to your partners car and you're going out with your friend)

Blue badges are not handed out like smarties. They are quite hard to get. How would you know who should not have one, by looking at them? The answer is, you don't.

They're not associated with a particular vehicle. You can carry it and use it in other vehicles you happen to be driving or are a passenger in.

I do find some of the rules around use of the BB confusing. My Mum has one. She has dementia and also can’t walk very far at all. I often drop her at the door of a shop or cafe and then go to park. I use the BB so that I can park as close as possible and can get back to her quickly. Apparently this isn’t allowed?

People are missing the point that there should always be empty disabled spaces, if they are full there aren’t enough.

if you have a disability and your space is full, there’s a high chance you won’t be able to do the shopping/catch the train whatever it is and just have to go home. If you’re not disabled and the shopping centre car park is full, you can park elsewhere, wait for one of say 600 spaces to come free, go to the park and ride. If you’re disabled you can go home or wait for one of say 20 spaces to come free. Basically to meet need there should always be a slight excess of disabled spaces.

Never.

DP does have a BB so if we are going somewhere together we park in a disabled bay and use his BB.
If I am alone I park in a normal space.
If DP is having a good day and there is a free regular space nearby he will park in that and not use the BB, so somebody who is not having a good day can use it.

Please name the car park where there are 100s of disabled spaces!

Exactly. It wouldn't work. I have a BB and don't drive

So disabled people should use bays even when they don’t need to, stupid statement!

My city has a well known shopping centre and I have noticed that a lot of the disabled bays have been used for EV charging points. Why do EV owners need spaces right outside the shops?

I have in the past.

My son has had several operations on one or both of his legs over the years. At one point he was in a wheelchair for 6 weeks. Normal spaces don't allow you to open car doors fully and getting a 7 year old with both legs in plaster in and out of the car isn't easy.

I'm sure some will argue that I shouldn't use the spaces as we don't have a blue badge.

You are allowed to use the space to collect or drop off a BB holder. That's not what the post is about.

Love this

I've never been anywhere where there are 'loads' of disabled bays,it seems to be something people who have no need of them moan about a lot whereas it's just a constant source of angst as to where to park when you actually need one.

@amusedbush bit he might be

a disabled driver who has returned to his car and was waiting for his passenger

a disabled driver who needs to pause on returning to his car before driving

the passenger of a disabled driver waiting for the driver to return.

im not sure misused of bb space is a given.

In my experience there are never enough BB spaces. There should be more.

They are registered to the person and have a photograph. There are penalties for misuse, including loss of the badge.

What do you mean? You can park in a disabled space, you don't need to faff about with dropping at the door and parking elsewhere. I don't have the handbook with me but I'm pretty sure it says in there that you can use it when dropping or collecting someone. It also says so here:

We have blue badge for our daughter only ever use it when she is in car, at our local hospital they allow cancer patients to use blue badge spaces and don't have badge shown as they wouldn't have one so anyone can essentially use them and they r always full which is tricky when take her but I understand why it's needed for cancer patients

Yes i have when i had to collect my ds from school suspected broken leg. It was as close as i could get to the school but otherwise no.

I’ve noticed this in our town. They took out a whole row of BB spaces for EV charging points. Apparently it is because the infrastructure needed being closer to the electric source. Councils heavily advise against it but can’t actually stop it. It maddens me.

I'd be happy to have to drive round a bit looking for a spot rather than needing the disabled spaces. Want to trade? Grab a sledgehammer, sure I can get a blue badge sorted for you.

Quite!

no i havent
who on here is going to admit to using a space

It is abused and really hacks me of same as pip/dla being abused goes hand in hand

now awaits the pip etc is hard to get etc etc

plenty of people are on t and know how to play the system same as the blue badge and yes im disabled to (not blue badge) just because some MN ers dont know people playing the system does not mean it does not go on

One day Winter you may get a funny feeling in your legs, then you go wobbly, piss yourself and fall over Ta Ra! You have M.S and get the much coveted BB and you can park in one of those lovely empty spaces, that's assuming the DVLA let you keep your licence.