To ask what disability a person could have

[Margomyhero]

to park outside the gym and run 30 minutes on the treadmill?

I am genuinely curious about this one.

I got out of my car and parked in a car park near the leisure centre. It's a LOT cheaper than the car park in the leisure centre grounds. As I locked up and headed towards the leisure centre I saw a young man park in the disabled space and get out and go the same way as me.

He went on the treadmill and ran for 30 minutes. I know that as I was doing the same.

So - before I judge him unfairly what disability which warrants a blue badge could this man have which would allow him to run for 30 minutes - after sprinting up the 2 flights of stairs to get there?

Was he a genuine recipient of disabled space parking or was he just avoiding paying the charge (which by the way is 5p for the first hour ).

All different grounds, though.
X2 I'd appeal if possible. I had to. Although I had the wording of his EHCP and a report from (special) school as evidence.

I had a blue badge for 2 years while I was having cancer treatment. I could walk and still can but faced a raft of other issues most days. But disabilities come in all shapes and sizes and not just about the use of your limbs.

Yes you’d give someone using granny’s permit the benefit of the doubt if they were in a situation where they might conceivably going to collect the LOL. Probably not gym bloke though even there there might be a “using gym while waiting to rendezvous with granny after her trip to tea shop/physiotherapist” scenario.

X2 - I’m sure you are well aware more for the benefit of others, who are maybe not so well informed!

Gym guy scenario. Assuming he didn’t have any kind of disability, invisible or otherwise. How do you know his disabled kid wasn’t already at the leisure centre? Or his disabled granny? Or his disabled mum, dad, friend or whoever?

People who want to report misuse of badges, should maybe a) first understand the criteria for getting a blue badge and b) understand the criteria in which it can be used. Otherwise all you are doing, potentially, is making a disabled persons more difficult than it already is.

Have just thought of precise incidences when DH has done similar to running guy, actually.
When we have respite we go to the cinema. Because the blue badge bays are next to Pizza Hut they are abused constantly (don't ask, have complained I don't know how many times but the council have subcontracted to a parking firm who don't give a crap). DH drops me outside the door, then parks once one of the pizza collecting dicks disappears (they're all only there for 2 mins, mate when asked but it's constant) and I then can get to the car easily when we leave. I try not to use my chair when we visit the cinema as the wheelchair spaces are generally in a draught.

I think if you see two people together, esp parent and child, it would be very unusual to question it, unless they were doing something extreme. Similarly most people don't bound out of their cars and raise suspicions.

But there ARE plenty of times when you see or know someone who may well be taking the piss. I find it bizarre that everyone on mn is so keen to pile on and say that the young man running to the gym or the young woman in a low slung sports car and high heels must have a hidden disability that is so severe they have to park in the disabled spaces and we must never ever question that. Surely people like that just make it harder for those who really do need the spaces?

Gym guy might well be taking the piss and misusing the badge, he might not be as outlined several times, by several different posters. The point is we don’t know!

Reporting people, wrongly, might well cost a disabled person a large fine and loss of their badge.

Blue badges are not part of the benefits system.

Ok in some places you get free parking. But it's really to make sure you can park close to places. It's not about the free parking. In some car parks if you have to pay they give you an extra hour, assuming I guess that it might take you longer to do what an able bodied person would do.

I think very few people abuse blue badges, they are hard to get and people will not want to lose them.

I know someone who works FT as a teacher and can cycle for miles, but has one because she has a condition that affects her ability to walk.

I don't care if there is a small amount of abuse, I agree with the keeping beaks out. Nobody is perfect anyway. I bet those of you egging on reporting nick things from work, even if it's just a biro.

One day I can do loads of things in one day. Then a day like today I can't even tie my shoe laces properly. So it's most likely an invisible illness.

at my local Asda, the BB parking spaces are usually all taken. Mostly by young seemingly fit blokes in boy racer cars. None of them ever display a BB. people just park in BB spaces all the time without having one. And please, don't tell me all they must have ASD or another hidden disability. My DD has ASD and very severe learning diffs and there is no way we can get one. We tried several times and always failed.

Some councils are more human when considering BBs for hidden disabilities but many are not.

Also, for those who say you can get a BB with ASD - the government has currently a consultation running about changing guidelines for BBs so those with learning diffs and autism can obtain a BB easier. This is because currently it is pretty impossible to get BB for ASD under current guidelines.

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/blue-badge-disabled-parking-scheme-eligibility-review/blue-badge-scheme-consultation-on-eligibility

Coffee no one is saying that people parked in disabled bays WITHOUT a blue badge might have autism or a hidden disability.

www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/R2OF6/

For those interested, a survey to inform proposal to change criteria

the owner of this car has a disabled badge. It has caused much discussion in our town due to him driving supercars and parking where he wants. at the time this snap was taken, it wasn't being displayed.

However; he has a prosthetic leg and therefore could more than likely bound up the steps, do a gym session and still be perfectly entitled to use a badge and park in a disabled space.

Great. However he should display the badge if he doesn't want a ticket or people to think he's a twat.

You don’t just get it for disability it’s how it affects you.

A person who has an enduring and substantial disability the effect of which is that that person is unable to-

i. walk;

ii. undertake any journey without it causing very considerable difficulty when walking;

iii. undertake any journey without there being a risk of very considerable harm to the health or safety of that person or any other person;

iv. follow the route of any journey without another person, assistance animal or orientation aid.

It’s not a reward for having one leg or whatever. Only if it causes great difficutity according to current criteria. So no orange sports car guy wouldn’t qualify..,

Yeah. There has been a lot of fb angst over him bishop.

@Shedmicehugh1

What criteria are they proposing to change?

This survey wants my contact details on page 1 before I even know if I want to comment or not, so I'm not going to.

It would be nice to know what the proposals are, are they on a different website at all where we can just look ?

I love all the disability experts on here. My daughter has a blue badge. She sometimes goes to the gym. She has an acquired brain injury and goes to help her with coordination because she had to relearn to walk and talk again. She pays for it by being in her bed for next 2/3 days.
So don't feckin judge..

blank Coffeemachine already provided a link to info. Sorry should have made it clearer.

Coffee’s link explains it well, I just added the link from my bookmark for ease (or to confuse everyone! ) www.gov.uk/government/consultations/blue-badge-disabled-parking-scheme-eligibility-review/blue-badge-scheme-consultation-on-eligibility

Full details of proposal www.gov.uk/government/consultations/blue-badge-disabled-parking-scheme-eligibility-review

Sorry Shed I must have missed that info earlier.

I think it's a good idea to extend the scheme for the people with invisible disabilities that would be helped by having a BB.

akire

what you posted are the proposed changes which are under consultation but not the current criteria:

iii.undertake any journey without there being a risk of very considerable harm to the health or safety of that person or any other person;

iv.follow the route of any journey without another person, assistance animal or orientation aid.

currently you do not get a BB if you pose a H&S risk to yourself or others (e.g. those with learning diffs that have no danger awareness) or if you need help following a journey.

I know someone that got one following a very major operation. She lied to keep it. She still has it. She runs half marathons and whilst she does still have a remaining disability it does not affect her mobility. That bit she lies about.

She does have a need to use disabled toilets, she doesn't have a need for a blue badge.

I wish I knew the answer.