Are there now too many disabled parking spaces?

[Ladywithabagonherhead]

I know I will sound like an entitled cow, but I wonder if I am alone with this. I am all for helping people who have disabilities in any way we can, that is decent - and if you are disabled yourself reading this, this is not against you at all.

I more and more think that we are overdoing the whole disabled parking slot deal. It's been happening these last few months everywhere I go, shops, high streets, supermakets, vet, etc.. Everyone is struggling to find a space, while there is a whole row reserved for blue badge holders, with one maybe two parked there. Meanwhile, there are fewer spots for family cars with small children, for example. Surely... surely there are way more families with kids than disabled parking needs (and I don't even have kids, just an observation). Not to mention the rest of us. Again, yes, we need dedicated parking spots, but aren't we overdoing it? As in, it's not really balanced. This is what I experience where I live, at least.

You can sainburys as an example.

Mine has 2 rows of BB and 2 row for P and C.

If I go on the way home from work neither are occupied to any level that would indicate the need for 4 rows of reserved spaces for those need.

However if you go weekdays during the day or Saturday they are always full.

But the same applies for AB spaces. Sometimes I can pull in pretty much wherever I fancy and other times I’m doing a tour of the car park for that 1 magical space!

You are clearly not disabled! Lucky you…

No there are often only 3 disabled spots. I take a disabled child to a disability sport and there are 2 disabled spaces we ith about 7 wheelchair users who need them. They need extra space to get the wheelchairs out of vehicle. Able bodied people can park a little further away and walk and a baby can be carried or a toddler walk and hold your hand.

I havent read every comment.. do you live in a very rural area with a small town or something OP because you are extrapolating a lot from your experience and there may be factors you aren’t even considering..
Clearly you haven’t sat in the car park/s for 24 hours or even 12 hours or every day which might give you information.. if the car park isn’t located near to amenities - let’s say it’s like an Ikea then perhaps that’s why it’s mostly unused. Closer to doctors, supermarkets.. that’s different.
my local Tesco has probably 20 disabled bays. About 1/50 spaces is a disabled bay. Always busy. Not necessarily “full” as people shop, leave etc and don’t sit there for hours.
Aside from that Tesco the “city” I live near is very difficult to get disabled bays. My child uses a wheelchair permanently..
One big car park has 3 spots. Another has 6.
the majority of times I go into that city I have to circle repeatedly or try both car parks repeatedly.
And it’s a bit odd to think research can help - because a town with fewer disabled people might have double the number in a year… impossible to plan for.

I live in southeast, not overly rural, but definitely not London. This is my experience in neighbouring towns, most prominently the bigger shops around here (But we established that it is not an indicator of every place). I don't work, so I show up randomly at random times, all throughout the year, and over an extended period of time, that is the norm. I realise now that it's not the case in every city, town, in every area, etc. Either way, it's not balanced. I don't have a solution, it just seems that it's not suiting anyone, not the bb holders in most places, and not the regular drivers in others.

These are the minimum provision for disabled parking bays. So for shopping car parks 3 spaces is greater than 6% of spaces. To know what is provided and why, you always have to look at the law. The table attached says what must be provided. There’s also rules on space around the bays, location of bays and level access to and from the target buildings. When you see lower provision, there’s a good reason for that and it’s definitely the case that some councils are very generous in their provision. Others, with much older car parks can struggle to get in the minimum due to space and access issues.

Once again though, we need to stop with the idea that there is a binary and people are either "blue badge disabled" or "able bodied"

I can travel much further and more easily in my wheelchair than I could without it. So I felt far more disabled before I had a blue badge and a wheelchair. And I know many people still in that position -where they "don't quite" qualify for a blue badge but they struggle immensely

I say this as a parent, parenting small children is a phase, it’s often very difficult but it passes. Very often a disability is life long. As frustrating as it is not being able to find a convenient parking space when you have small children, we know that they will walk and life will change. As a disabled person imagine how debilitating it would be to know that it won’t change. You will spend the rest of your life struggling to park.

Thank you. People are talking about a binary that doesn't exist. When I'm out with my elderly mum and/or disabled daughter, I do a lot of planning to make sure we can park nearby. Neither have a blue badge. My daughter has reduced (and fluctuating) mobility, but likely not enough for a blue badge. My mum should have one but hasn't applied because she's lovely but a bit stubborn. We often have to drop them off outside places, but if it's just me and my daughter then it's tricky.

I suspect that statistically most people with mobility issues do not have a blue badge. There is a chasm between being able to walk a maximum of 50m and having full mobility. My daughter is 7, and still needs a carry/sling/pushchair when tired, but other times she seems fine. Even then though we are in the background minimising unnecessary walking, bringing the car round to collect her etc. Subtly but deliberately making decisions to make it easier for her (and us when she needs a carry). There are many in her category, disabled, but not quite enough for a BB.

Then bear in mind that PIP is a major route in, and is a working age benefit, and that however you apply involves detailed forms that are beyond many people. Those that are elderly may not realise they've applied or lack the cognitive abilities to complete the form, collate evidence. Then there are those with 'temporary' disabilities, which might be very short term, or may be simply being denied a BB because you are on a waiting list for knee/hip replacement, therefore it's temporary.

All in all, a huge amount of people need parking that's pretty close, but don't get BB's, and it's baffling that people think they can walk however long it takes, just because they can walk more than 50 meters

Also, the way the criteria are, doesn't even make sense. Strictly applied the criteria would make a trip to many places unachievable even with a blue badge (unless they use a wheelchair/scooter), as 50m walking would barely get you from the BB spaces in to the front of the shop, let alone being able to navigate once inside.

Blue badge spaces are a necessity for those with poor mobility whereas parent and child spaces are there just to make life easier. One supermarket locally has about half of its spaces with some kind of restriction or other.

Again, again.... It's not a binary. There are parents also have chronic or debilitating conditions but might not quite meet the threshold for a blue badge.

And I very much know people who have had blue badges for a period of time then got better.

And other people who have been rejected for blue badges despite hugely debilitating conditions.

It’s not that difficult to get a blue badge here. It’s very useful for the elderly who cannot walk far. Plus need more space to get in and out of a car.

No, never even crossed my mind to be wound up about it, just thankful I don’t need one.

I wish I lived where you live because where I am in the supermarkets I use there aren’t nearly enough blue badge spaces. I had to go home on Sunday and order Tesco whoosh coz I couldn’t get a space. And I used my
pip (in my head anyway) to pay for it. Disabled tax. That’s what I use the pip for. The stuff that I have to pay for coz I’m disabled.

It's tricky OP. I suspect that there are too many in places where it is cheap and/or easy to put them (e.g. supermarket carparks) but not necessarily enough on say older narrow roads and in town centres. Family member had a blue badge and there were never enough disabled spaces at the hospital, but then the hositals in England make money on the parking so not in their interest to have too many non-paying spots even if the place is by its very nature likely to require attendance by people with mobility issues or other disabilities....

@OreganoandFeta Hospitals are “full” of disabled blue badge holders wanting parking during work hours. Or during visiting hours. They are not open 7-10 like many supermarkets. It’s comparing apples and pears. It’s very unusual to find no disabled spaces available in most supermarkets and paying for parking makes no difference to the law. Hospitals and doctors surgeries are the places which often up the quotas of disabled spaces.

It is almost impossible to get a blue badge where I live. Assessment is done by the local authority and the rules vary enormously from one area to another.

No.

And please, tell me where these mythical places are where there are whole entire rows of empty disabled spaces are so i can go shop there instead of having to circle the carpark for ages trying to find an empty one.

Also, in my area disabled spaces in hospitals are not free, you have to pay like everyone else. £4 per hour.

@ChillingWithMySnowmies Nearly every large supermarket around here. I can easily drive to 3 Tesco, 2 Waitrose and Asda, Sainsbury and a little M&S. The M&S bizarrely does not have any disabled spaces but it is served by a public car park that’s not free. All the others have their own car parks and are free. Never ever seen all the disabled spaces full. I used to take dm with a blue badge.