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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

woman on my road had a go at me for my uncle using "her" disabled parking space

166 replies

sPJPPp · 18/03/2015 20:46

There is someone down my road with a disabled bay outside her house. Its on a public road and parking can be bad here. My uncle came to visit and he is a blue badge holder so seeing as this was the only spot nearby parked there. Just after he left said woman banged on my door and started shouting at me for using her parking space that the council gave to her.

Is this parking space exclusively hers? Aibu to think if not my disabled uncle is fine parking there?

OP posts:
OwlCapone · 19/03/2015 08:20

I bet if someone started a thread complaining about a blue badge holder parking somewhere that they were perfectly entitled to park but where it caused inconvenience to others, people would defend the right of the blue badge holder to park wherever they were legally entitled to do so if that was where they needed to be.

DarthVadersTailor · 19/03/2015 08:23

I highly doubt that this bay can actually be enforced, unless it has a sign saying blue badge holders only then anyone disabled or not can legally park there. And generally on-street parking outside a residency that's not in a city centre aren't enforceable.

jonicomelately · 19/03/2015 08:24

The woman's behaviour of knocking on the OP's door and complaining is incredibly entitled icimoi IMO.

Ubik1 · 19/03/2015 08:57

What's offensive about stating the bleeding obvious? Disabled parking is fir blue badge holders. Having one outside ones hour foes not mean that other blue badge holders cannot park there. Why on earth shouldn't they?

Ubik1 · 19/03/2015 08:59

it rather looks as if he took the space because it was empty and because he had a blue badge, not because he actually needed it.

How on earth do you know that? Confused

jonicomelately · 19/03/2015 09:14

Actually fanjo I was referring to all the spaces being occupied by people legitimately using them and not by cars that are misusing the bays so I'm afraid you've missed my point!

Superexcited · 19/03/2015 09:54

The council decided that the neighbour needs a disabled parking space. The council has not decided that OP needs a disabled parking space just in case her uncle who is a blue badge holder decides to visit.
Yes, he can legally park there but IMO parking in a residential disabled bay that somebody has gone to the trouble to apply for is selfish behaviour.
My DS has a blue badge but I wouldn't park in somebody's residential disabled bay even if it meant that I was hugely inconvenienced and unable to park somewhere suitable. Why would I deliberately cause another disabled person inconvenience just to make life easier or myself. I wouldn't have the sam dilemma over public disabled bays as no individual has gone to the trouble of getting those bays installed specifically for their use, so that they can access their own home.
I am just glad that the vast majority of blue badge holders who have posted on here don't take the same view as OP and her uncle.

MerryMarigold · 19/03/2015 09:59

Superexcited, that's a really good point. Why aren't the disabled bays for a specific house number though?

yewbeeches · 19/03/2015 10:01

What if one person has gone to the effort of getting a few disabled bays installed in their town centre. Should they be exclusively for that person and no one else? What if they are all taken when said person that wrote the letters to get them installed can't park there one day?

Superexcited · 19/03/2015 10:02

I don't know why they are not for a specific house merry. It would make sense if they were. Judging by this thread lots of councils already do allocate the spaces to a specific house, the rest of the councils should follow suit.

Superexcited · 19/03/2015 10:05

People can not get a few disabled bays installed around town for their own use yewbeeches. So it wouldn't be a problem.
People can only apply for one bay outside of their permanent place of residence (so they can get in and out of their own home) and then they jump through hoops to try and get it granted and then have to put up with people parking there on an adhoc basis because they have a blue badge and want to visit somebody.

MerryMarigold · 19/03/2015 10:10

It would definitely make more sense, superexcited. And avoid these situations. If it was applied for by 1 person and is essentially for them, why is not labelled as such?

yewbeeches · 19/03/2015 10:24

Someone could of easily gone to just as much effort to get a bay put in town as outside a home. Don't see the difference. Its up to the council to decide if they are just for one person or not.

GraysAnalogy · 19/03/2015 10:29

What's offensive about stating the bleeding obvious? Disabled parking is fir blue badge holders. Having one outside ones hour foes not mean that other blue badge holders cannot park there. Why on earth shouldn't they?

because it can obviously be preventing this woman from getting into her own home.

SoonToBeSix · 19/03/2015 10:32

Technically anyone can park there. Morally your uncle was selfish to park there but am sure you no that really.

SoonToBeSix · 19/03/2015 10:32

Know!

jonicomelately · 19/03/2015 10:32

Aren't disabled parking bags designed to make life easier for every disabled person? They are not designed to be exclusive.

ragged · 19/03/2015 10:33

Does woman down the road actually have a blue badge on her car? (Asking the obvious).

GraysAnalogy · 19/03/2015 10:37

Yes joni but since it was quite bloody obvious that the woman living in that house needed that space morally wouldn't you think to yourself 'oh it's outside of her home for a reason, she must need it to get into her home' instead of this entitled view that just because you are legally entitled it means you have to have it.

OP's uncle made it incredibly difficult for the woman to get into her own home. As a person with disability himself you'd think he'd be more understanding.

Legally I can park in front of someones driveway if they aren't in it. I don't because I'm not a gobshite. There's a lot of things I can do legally but don't, surprisingly. Hmm

Icimoi · 19/03/2015 10:38

What on earth is people's problem in recognising that if someone has gone to the trouble of getting a disabled bay outside their house they probably need it? And that if someone else takes that bay they will be causing that person severe problems?

GraysAnalogy · 19/03/2015 10:41

It makes me despair for the world icimoi.

BigamusButticus · 19/03/2015 10:42

You get told when they put them in that they are not exclusively yours and any blue badge holder can and will park in it. I can see why she's angry but it's on a public road and it's not her space.

Icimoi · 19/03/2015 10:43

it rather looks as if he took the space because it was empty and because he had a blue badge, not because he actually needed it.

How on earth do you know that?

Ubik1, "it rather looks as if ..." isn't usually translated as indicating that someone is claiming to know something. However, it is a fair deduction, given that when OP's uncle came to visit he had no way of knowing that a disabled bay would be available, and also given that this space is said to be "down the road". If OP's uncle actually needed to be able to get out of his car near her house, he presumably had a number of strategies in mind - e.g. that OP would vacate her own space, or he would get out and someone else would park the car for him. It would have been more considerate to stick with those strategies rather than making life more difficult for another disabled person.

jonicomelately · 19/03/2015 10:46

Lol at 'despair for the World'

GraysAnalogy · 19/03/2015 10:47

Yes I do despair when people have such selfish entitled attitudes.