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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what disability a person could have

378 replies

Margomyhero · 13/03/2018 17:22

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 ).

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
TheTab · 15/03/2018 07:16

Actuallly I do think you should display the badge photo out, this would stop people borrowing the badges.

OliviaStabler · 15/03/2018 07:18

Might not even be his blue badge

FrustratedDotCom · 15/03/2018 07:24

I wonder if what OP was getting at was, if he can run 5k on the treadmill then why does he need to be able to park a few steps closer to the gym/supermarket etc?

TammyWhyNot · 15/03/2018 07:42

“Actuallly I do think you should display the badge photo out,”

That would be a huge invasion of privacy, IMO. There is no way I would have wanted to leave a photo of my child on the dashboard for all to gawp at during our Blue Badge years.

London has very little free parking , and the costs are sky high. Plus with a B.B. you can register for exemption from Congestion Charge. This has led to a trade in stolen badges, and frequent misuse of family member badges. there used to be a van at a big Boot sale where you could get a forged badge for £600.

However, the disabled adults on this thread have been clear: the issue of doubt and judgement is such that their choice is that no-one question B.B. entitlement.

So that’s fair enough.

If shortage of available space due to misuse becomes an issue, the right thing is to pressurise councils and other authorities to do something about it.

Checklist · 15/03/2018 08:28

Imo, these kinds of threads are down to envy! I find it bizarre that so many able bodied people get so aerated about who "is entitled to" a blue badge?

I am sure that if they had to live the life of a disabled person with one for a month, with the pain, indignities, struggles and fighting with bureaucracy to get any help/benefits, they'd be shocked! A blue badge does make it possible to go out, where it would otherwise be impossible, but it in no way makes up for all the difficulties of being disabled!

Yes OP, there are fluctuating conditions; or at times, I might drop disabled DD and DH off at the cinema, and then pop into the shops or wherever in her car, while I wait for them; and then pick them up later. I look able bodied, but I drive her around, as she can't drive! Does not mean, she is velcroed to my shoulder.

Checklist · 15/03/2018 08:30

I would not use a blue badge space if I was shopping myself; but I would if I was parking with the intention of picking up DD, so that she did not have to walk far when she came out of her activity!

Spikeyball · 15/03/2018 08:45

"Actuallly I do think you should display the badge photo out, this would stop people borrowing the badges."

I have parked in a bb space when I have gone to pick my son up from somewhere. He is not in the car when I arrive but I am entitled to be in that space.

"currently you do not get a BB if you pose a H&S risk to yourself or others"

Children sometimes can automatically get one for this reason (although not as many as should) but adults have to hope they are allowed a discretionary badge. The proposed changes have come about because of a legal challenge on behalf of an adult in this situation who lost his badge when moved over to PIP after having a badge for many years and his condition not having changed.

Shedmicehugh1 · 15/03/2018 08:51

I agree checklist is it bizarre how able bodied people get their knickers in a twist about BB entitlement and it’s use! Confused thinly disguised as concern for disabled people!

Despite being given the facts of 2.8 million badge holders and only 1,300 misuses in 2017, which shows disabled badge holders hold these badges dear to them.

It’s still an epidemic, that needs stamping out and requires the able bodied public to get involved to ensure no one gets away with it 🙄 despite the majority of able bodied public not having a bloody clue about the eligibility criteria and circumstances in which it can be used. And the consequences that false allegations could have on a disabled person.

MrsJayy · 15/03/2018 08:59

It is very frustrating the opinions that arehad about disabled people their abilities their qentitlement to xyz it is almost as if being disabled means you have to answer tothe able bodied world

manicinsomniac · 15/03/2018 09:18

Are you sure he was alone? I once took my mum (who can only walk a few metres) to the gym with me because it has a cafe and she was staying with me. We went in, she went into the cafe and I went to get changed. Came back up and she said she'd left her purse in the car. My class was about to start so I ran pretty quickly back to my car parked in a disabled space with a badge numbered up for a woman in her late 50s (I was about 27/28), grabbed the purse and sprinted back inside. I didn't think about how dodgy that would look to anyone just arriving in the car park until just now.

Shedmicehugh1 · 15/03/2018 09:23

It’s extremely frustrating all the posters trying to argue an invalid point, even when explained to them several times, by several posters, exactly why their point is invalid, not a single one has come back and said oh ok I get it now or I can see it was invalid! Why doesn’t anyone seem to learn anything from thread like these.

BishopBrennansArse · 15/03/2018 09:48

@MrsJayy it's as I was told on this very site yes they have every right to know everything about disabled people because and I quote "I pay for you".

As if disabled people have never paid tax. Like we're here because all the 'norms' allow it.

It's a strong prevailing attitude.

soulrider · 15/03/2018 10:36

Despite being given the facts of 2.8 million badge holders and only 1,300 misuses in 2017

Only 1300 prosecutions for misuse in 2017. That's not the same as saying only 1300 misused! There are other penalties that can be given.

chocolateiamydrug · 15/03/2018 10:37

....and many abuses go unnoticed/not investigated.

MERLYPUSSEDOFF · 15/03/2018 10:43

I was told I was not allowed to used my (chair bound/ using) da,d's badge to collect him from the dentist by the wardens. Dropping him off was ok (I wheeled him to the door of the practice and he used a frame inside the premises) but, even though I had his chair in the boot I was not allowed to stop to collect him.

Our LA charge for them and you have to be assessed on your mobility needs. Parking is not free for BB here.

Shedmicehugh1 · 15/03/2018 10:45

Soulrider do you have any stats for that? What other kinds of misuse are you talking about?

Chocolate as I said the low prosecution rate, would suggest that blue badge holders value their badges. What makes you think otherwise? What are you basing your opinion on?

Sleepyblueocean · 15/03/2018 10:49

The warden was wrong about that. It says you can do that in the blue badge handbook.

chocolateiamydrug · 15/03/2018 10:57

Chocolate as I said the low prosecution rate, would suggest that blue badge holders value their badges. What makes you think otherwise? What are you basing your opinion on?

I have a severely autistic DD (and no BB). Our school has e.g. not enough parking space so I have to park outside the school premises (because we do not have a BB) whilst I know of three parents alone who park at school for drop off/pick up by using a disabled family member's BB when said family member is not in the car. But hey, they display a BB (I complained to school who decided to do nothing) . I am pretty sure this practice is pretty widespread and not just used by parents at my school. People just turn a blind eye.

Shedmicehugh1 · 15/03/2018 11:15

Chocolate you can’t really base an opinion on 3 people you know and apply it to the rest of the 2.8 million BB holders as data!

I know 3 people who don’t abuse their BB. Personally experiences are a bit pointless in the sense of this discussion.

I dare say there are some users who abuse the BB who have gone unnoticed. It’s still an extremely small minority and not an epidemic!

PushMyButton · 15/03/2018 11:18

"Imo, these kinds of threads are down to envy! I find it bizarre that so many able bodied people get so aerated about who "is entitled to" a blue badge?" @Checklist I completely agree... It's funny how the people judging are almost always able bodied and not other blue badge holders- who are the only ones who could actually be caused any harm by it even if we were misusing our badges! Funnily enough, that's because by and large, other disabled people understand.

It's the same with disabled loos... I've never once been challenged by another person who's needed them, only by people walking past to the normal loos.

@MERLYPUSSEDOFF you were advised incorrectly. I'd that ever happened again, show the warden the handbook and if he persists I'd make a complaint.

Shedmicehugh1 · 15/03/2018 11:25

I find it peculiar that the ‘defenders’ of the BB are most likely holders or care for a BB holder. The ‘defenders’ have no problem with admitting that BB misuse does happen.

Yet the BB ‘attackers’ seem incapable of taking on board anything the ‘defenders’ say. Very blinkered with their view point.

chocolateiamydrug · 15/03/2018 11:28

of course personal experience shapes opinion, shed. We are a small school and I see three people abusing a BB twice (morning and afternoon school run) every single day. it just shows it does happen and it does go unchallenged.

FreudianSlurp · 15/03/2018 11:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Shedmicehugh1 · 15/03/2018 11:39

Chocolate no one is saying it doesn’t happen. No one is saying BB are not misused. No one is saying that some BB misuse goes unnoticed. It’s still an extremely small minority.

As Freud says if you know these people and the facts about their BB use, then report them.

carryondoctor · 15/03/2018 11:40

Who is "attacking" blue badges? Confused

All that anyone has said is, those who abuse the system make it harder for those who are in need. I struggle to see how anyone could extrapolate jealousy from that. I would hate to think that someone had to miss out on their trip to the gym/doctor's appointment/shopping or to struggle more with it because someone with lesser or no needs had appropriated the space.

What I personally struggle with is the dictat from some posters that we must never suspect anyone of abusing the system, ever, and that we must assume hidden disabilities in all cases. Surely if you are a genuine blue badge holder, or assist someone who is, you should want to cut down on abuse? It also seems to be contrary to what the various councils recommend - e.g. one of the Kent councils has an online form that asks people reporting suspected abuse to include details such as photos and badge numbers.

This is why I suggested upthread that raising awareness and making people realise they are being needlessly selfish might be one way to tackle it. Maybe moving P&C spaces away from blue badge spaces, say to the back of the car park, might also help, as it could perhaps reinforce the message that only those who need to be near the door should be entitled to those spaces?

Another thing I was wondering about after reading the articles posted by a PP about thefts of blue badges in London to avoid congestion and parking charges would be have some sort of system - e.g. the badge holder logs onto a website and confirms the car reg and a secret password to void the charges. No password = no waiver, so the car owner would still get charged/fined in the usual way. Of course it wouldn't stop people sharing details with relatives etc, but it might help to curb the number of cars that are being broken into?