To think that Waverley Council ^shouldn't^ be charging

[CardyMow]

Blue Badge holders to use a disabled parking space??!! Apparently they will get a concession of getting one hour extra for their money. Are Waverley council Tory by any chance??!! AIBU to think that this is well out of order?

So people with a disability shouldnt be able to leave the house because its easier for them to stay indoors?

I dont begrudge disabled parking one bit,I do object to people abusing the blue disability parking badges- somehow they need stricter monitoring.

Yes I know, my Granny was a blue badge holder, she didn't have a car and couldn't drive, I and my mum used to take her to town when she needed to go (we took her everywhere) and paying £1-£2 an hour would not have been something we'd have sniffed at at all.

I can only say it as I see it from my PoV, and I do not believe its shockingly unfair, or a disgrace, or anything like that. My Granny wouldn't have minded paying, my friend would gladly pay.

If my local council press forward with their pedestrianisation plans, I will be doing my friend's shopping for her - despite being unable to drive, having to use the bus, due to my own disability. There will be no help from outside agencies for her, as there is no money to do so.

But surely you can see that not everyone us in the same boat as your Granny?!

I'm saying quite a few people who are disabled won't benefit from it and they are worse off then paying a couple of quid on parking.
My view is probably also skewed because of the amount of people that I know who abuse the system. Spending a few pound on parking is not the end of the world, the rest of us have to do it. Westminister council have been doing this for years, yes I was shocked at first but when you sit and think about it most disabled people don't NEED to drive.

But aldiwhore - what about someone who is wheelchair-bound, has given up the mobility part of their DLA in order to get an adapted car through the motability scheme, and is unable to work? Would it be no hardship to them? Of course it bloody would.

aldi queen faithless

Tell you what, if you're so desperate for free parking then you can have my Lupus and EDS.

Any takers? no, thought not...

Oooh Hunty is it time for Halloween namechanges?

What do you mean don't NEED to drive??!! . So disabled people should just stay in, or should only be 'allowed' on public transport?! My friend has a lot of hospital appointments that are before a 'free' bus pass would be valid. So she would have to travel in rush hour - when often if the buses are full, the drivers will drive past a wheelchair that is waiting because it takes too long to stop and help them on, or there is no room for them, and other people who are getting to work won't get off for her wheelchair. Do you propose she misses her appointments in a clinic that only runs in the mornings? Or that she (and everyone else who uses this clinic) refuses the appointments before 10am (the earliest the clinic can be reached by FREE public transport).

that someone, anyone can be so astonishingly blinkered as to be unable to see why some people with disabilities NEED to drive. If someone with disabilities doesn't NEED to drive, then neither do you. For any reason.

I'm just a little early - I luuurve Halloween, and it's only a month away - and under my old name it was impossible to do a decent namechange, so am using my 'new' name to be able to. .

"TheQueenOfDenial Fri 30-Sep-11 08:50:17
As I said in my last post there isn't actually a bus our location but that aside I would think that it would be an enormous struggle to get three under three's on a bus, possibly dare I say more of a struggle than for some blue badge holders.

Hecate there are numerous things in life which people have to pay for that others don't, depending on oportunities, talents, skills, location etc etc"

True, but they tend to vary throughot life. Disability, by definition, is expected to have an impact on you for a very long time into the future. And not allowing disabled people the same opportunities is discrimination, which is illegal.
i wonder how this fits with EA

There are four people in this family with disabilities. I can get them all into one car. I cannot get them all to walk, two have walking difficulties, and they are all ASD. I cannot afford the cost of a taxi for five people.

most disabled people don't NEED to drive

What a charming attitude to have in 2011

VeryLittleGravitas I don't want free parking. If I go to town I expect to pay, regardless of where I live or how I get there. Unless I walk (which is not an option, even though I CAN walk).

OP My friend has MS, and all of the above mods, its shit unfair in life that she has it, its a massive struggle and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, it severely limites her choice in many many ways, and the ease of her day to day life... she wouldn't not mind paying for a parking space with her blue badge. She has little income, all benefits, mod car etc., her ILLNESS and disability IS her hardship, a small parking fee would not add to it.

I am in no way anti-disability at all. I am not being offensive or highly emotive, haven't resorted to sarcasm or guilt trips, and I'd thank you not to do the same. Its simply my opinion based on people I know and experience of that.

IF a parking fee for an individual blue badge holder would mean that they cannot possible afford to pay it or go into town, then in certain cases an opt out scheme would be perfectly valid... but not free parking for all blue badge holders.

But the issue is, that there is no opt-out for people that can't afford it - it is a choice between paying the parking charges or stay at home.

most disabled people don't NEED to drive.

How do you work that out from personal experience if my dad hadn't driven he would of been very isolated and before you say he should of thought of where he was living he didn't have much choice his house was designed for people who had been disabled whilst in the forces. It was all he could afford as he lived on his service pension and old age pension [eventually].

Rather than charge people that have a clear need not to be charge, or let people off paying when they very easily could, they could just means test at the same time as assesing the need for a blue badge. Where they live and local services could be taken into account.

I know that would mean extra admin etc, but I think it would be worth it to provide blue badge holders with free parking if they need it. Because not all of them do, and it is patronizing to assume that just because someone has a blue badge then they must be short of money and unable to pay a fair charge.

I live on the edge of small rural market town. All the shops are around the edge of the central market place. It's takes literally 5 minutes to walk to the shops. My husband walks down there when he sees we need doughnuts and beer bread and milk etc. He doesn't think twice about it, the walk doesn't even register on his internal 'walkometer' because it's so short. It's like popping to the corner shop.

I have to drive. Every single time. So if our council charged disabled parkers, I will have paid more than him within a week.

The carpark at the airport have recently decided to make blue badge holders pay for parking. The ticket machine is in the middle of the carpark (like lots of places). So any advantage of close proximity parking is voided by having to walk all the way to the ticket machine and back. No only that, you have to walk through the lines of parked cars to get it. Can't do that with a walking frame, it's too wide. So you have to go around them and thus end up walking far further than the able bodied parkers. Madness.

Nope I don't want free parking for myself at all. You think I don't know how tough it is with a disability I grew up with my closest aunt slowly deteriorating to illness and only being able to get things done with my mums help as in couldn't leave the house.

I'm actually not against free parking for the disabled at all, but I am putting across that a lot of people who truly need it don't benefit from it.

In our town which is rather hilly. You can either park at the middle of the hill (which has a skip in the disabled space at present) or at the bottom of the hill. This hill takes me about 5 minutes to walk up now and about 15 minutes to walk up it when I was pregnant so not insignificant.

aldiwhore - Sarcasm? If so I apologise - I am naturally fairly sarcastic even in RL too, I cannot see on the thread where I have been sarcastic, but if I have, then I apologise. Guilt trip? That I really can't see. Just as you are explaining your POV from your experiences, so am I. I fail to see how that is 'guilt-tripping'.

Anyway, nice to see yet again on this forum, disabled people having to justify themselves to those who should know better.

Pregnant does NOT = disabled. So if it took you 15 mins to walk up while pregnant, it could take 30 - 60 mins for someone with severe mobility problems, or in fact be impossible - if the incline is too steep, a wheelchair-bound person trying to self-propel will be unable to do it.

Kladdkaka - Yup, I only posted this because I was that they could do this - now I see why it's happening - because obviously Waveney District Council has councillors that think like some of the people on this thread...

TYPO - Waveney Waverley. Sorry. Baby biting my nork!