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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Because I sometimes park on double yellow lines?

61 replies

Catsize · 07/06/2015 07:47

It happened again yesterday. I was parked on double yellow lines.
I had my hazard lights on, but it wasn't in an irresponsible double yellow line place.
I hadn't yet got out of the car.
A lady and her partner walked hand in hand towards my car, and I thought 'here we go', they were obviously talking about where I had parked and sneering at me.
I thought they clocked the blue badge and timer in the window though.
Whether they did or not, a barrage of abuse and lots of aggressive gesturing followed, swearing etc.
3yr old and 1yr old in the car. 3yr old 'Mummy, why is that lady shouting at you?
This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened.
Perhaps people don't realise that if you have a blue badge, you CAN park on a double yellow line, but have to park sensibly, eg not at the edge of a junction, and not where there are little parallel lines perpendicular to the double yellows.
However, I do think the 3hrs permitted on double yellows is probably excessive.
This is really to raise awareness, less any over zealous parking enforcers Mumsnetters feel the need to shout at people in public.
I probably wasn't bu, but it ruined a lovely day.

OP posts:

Lookatmyredtrousers · 07/06/2015 08:29

I used to work in parking enforcement (dullest job ever, I was on the admin side though) and more tickets were issued to BB holders misusing their badges than any other group. The public must see instances of this and maybe it creates a bit of irritation. That's the only reason I can think someone would abuse you on the street if it happened

SpringInTheStep · 07/06/2015 08:36

It does make me sick all you high and mighty BB yellow lines militants!

Yellow lines demonstrate that someone decided it's not a good idea for ANYONE to park willy nilly. However, the same people decided that it WOULD be safe for a minority to use. Otherwise it wouldn't be made legal, would it?

Some come off your high horses people, and just be thankful you would never need to be one of the bb minority ALLOWED to use yellow lines.

OP - I'm sorry people made you feel bad for using something you're 100% within your rights to do. For what it's worth, there is no need to use hazard lights, hat does imply you're flouting the law off your own back, rather than actually being invited to as a badge holder.

They would have been well out of order even to say anything nicely if your badge was displayed.

Ignore all the ignoramuses trying to guilt trip your use of yellow lines, and go ahead and use them as much as you require. The fact is they are there to stop the world and his wife from parking there all the time, but reserved for a special few

BlackeyedSusan · 07/06/2015 08:37

there are places where double yellows are ok for one or two cars to be parked. eg outside our flats. double yellows were put in to prevent the all day commuter parking which blocked the road/pavement completely for the length of the road. it is a bit annoying to get around one car but as long as they are parked sensibly ok to do so.

the double yellows around the corner though are not a good place to stop though lots of parents at the local school seem to think so.

one of the parents at the dc's school parked on restricted parking (blue badge) but it started a trend of others parking there. (not blue badge)

londonrach · 07/06/2015 08:40

Just because you can doesnt mean you should. Some bb parking on double lines is very dangerous.

maddening · 07/06/2015 08:43

Perhaps they should introduce blue double lines for places where it is sensible to park yet only ok for bb holders?

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 07/06/2015 08:45

Museumum they actually shouldn't be parking there as there is a caveat with blue badge that you can park on double yellows only where it is safe ie not right next to a junction.

It's almost impossible to park in some places and double yellows end up only option.

Disabled parking space abuse is a much bigger problem and we should not lose sight on these threads of why people have the blue badges and that they really need close parking.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 07/06/2015 08:46

A thread full of moaning about how people with blue badges park is pretty distasteful. Try putting yourself in other persons shoes for once, those who are bitching.

lunar1 · 07/06/2015 08:47

Spring, who are you to say we are all ignorant. I clearly stated that I used to use a blue badge. It was my husbands, neither he nor I thought it was appropriate to park on double yellows so we didn't. But you carry on deciding who is entitled to an opinion on the matter.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 07/06/2015 08:48

As for people in OP..ignorant rude people who need to learn some manners?

PowderMum · 07/06/2015 08:50

maddening that souns great except it would cost money to implement and educate people.
A solution does need to be found for instances like our town with narrow streets where BB parking can make driving past very interesting.

MythicalKings · 07/06/2015 09:31

Perhaps they should introduce blue double lines for places where it is sensible to park yet only ok for bb holders?

I love that idea.

As I said on another thread, we have loads of disabled spaces in our town car parks and a few disabled bays in the High St. There is no excuse for anyone, with or without BB, to park on the double yellows. It causes massive inconvenience to everyone, the street is old and narrow. It's even worse when they hitch themselves half on and half off the pavement meaning prams and mobility scooters have to go into the road.

No one should ever park on pavements, so selfish.

RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime · 07/06/2015 09:41

You are allowed to stop on double yellows for loading and unloading, if you have no BB.

Nobody is allowed to even pause on red lines (except emergency vehicles obviously).

When stopping on double yellows, BB holder or otherwise, you must not cause an obstruction to pedestrians or other traffic. BB holders causing an obstruction is not okay as this could lead to an accident resulting in someone else needing a BB!

Hazard warning lights are to be used when you are unavoidably causing an obstruction eg you've broken down or had an accident. They are not 'park anywhere' lights as many people seem to think.

PurpleSwift · 07/06/2015 09:47

Of course they wbu to shout abuse at you, that makes no sense as I can't see why anyone wouldn't Assume you'd probably broken down.
I don't think it should be allowed either though. The line are the typically because it's unsafe to park there, I can't see how someone being disabled changes that, Surely it's just more hazzardous?

BlueThursday · 07/06/2015 09:53

Not quite on topic but a tip if anyone does break down on double yellows is to lift your bonnet regardless of the reasons for your breakdown. It generally makes others more sympathetic

sanfairyanne · 07/06/2015 09:58

its really really annoying when people park on double yellows and cause an obstruction. hopefully it will be made fully illegal if all the people who didnt know it was legal start complaining about it, now they know.
but shouting/swearing is always out of order

MrsMcColl · 07/06/2015 09:58

My DD has a blue badge, and I didn't know we were allowed to park on double yellows. (Thought it was only single yellows.) Hurray!!

LazyLouLou · 07/06/2015 10:00

Is this a combination TAAT?

I mean blue badge parking and nasty hand holding people...

2 of the busiest threads and here we have an OP with both in

NinkyNonkers · 07/06/2015 10:03

Yanbu, obviously. Parking on doubles makes my mum's life so much easier.

Klayden · 07/06/2015 10:05

YANBU. If I didn't park - safely, within the law and adhering to BB guidance - on double yellows, sometimes I would not get out of the house at all. Perhaps that would inconvenience some of you whingers a bit less.

popalot · 07/06/2015 10:11

Was it a dangerous spot? Is that why they got so irrate (not that they should have behaved the way they did!!)? For example, opposite a junction. Near a school....

I never realised anyone could park on double yellows and have learnt something today. I've always got annoyed with people who do it (silently in the car like a reasonable person) and thought 'oh, they have their hazards on..as if that makes it ok'. So I will consider next time they are disabled. The thought never crossed my mind! This couple probably had no idea either. Again, in no way saying their response was at all necessary or appropriate.

MissDemelzaCarne · 07/06/2015 10:13

YWNBU at all.
What a lot of people displaying their ignorance of the Highway Code on one thread!
You carry on parking where you need to 'without causing obstruction' as is your right.

Pedestriana · 07/06/2015 10:20

I was out with a friend who has a blue badge who did this quite recently. She needed something from a shop. I was unfamilar with the area and offered for her to drop me off and pick me up again, but she said it was easier for her to park on the double yellows (outside shop, on wide one-way street) and we would both go. We were there 20 mins. I wasn't aware of any glares, despite friend's disabilities being 'invisible'.

fiverabbits · 07/06/2015 10:30

The only way my DH and I can get to our doctor's is to park on the double yellow lines outside with a blue badge. It's a bit confusing because it is the widest part of the whole road so by parking there you are not causing any problems, a bit further on the road narrows but there are one hour parking slots and when the cars are entering or leaving it holds up all the traffic.

Yorkshiremummyof4 · 07/06/2015 10:32

I'm disabled. I only park on double yellows if necessary. Generally if I need to go somewhere and there is no parking within the distance I can manage to walk with my frame if I'm on my own. If I'm with my husband we always park in a car park as he can get my wheelchair out of the car.

Catsize I would leave your hazards on. I broke down once and whilst I had my hazards on (about an hour) my battery went flat.

lampygirl · 07/06/2015 10:43

If it's anywhere like a few places near me, the double yellows are just put in where people used to park, but the council want you to park in their expensive pay and displays instead. These places would be perfectly safe for a BB holder to park.

If double yellows were only used in places where ANY parking would be dangerous/cause an obstruction then there wouldn't be the need for a clause that allows BB holders to park on them.

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