Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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
soulrider · 14/03/2018 08:47

Blue badge misuse is a problem, it's something they're specifically targeting in the city I live near.

Hundreds of people caught last year, and that's just the ones they caught - mostly misusing friends and families blue badges but quite a few who were using the blue badges of people who were deceased!

Spikeyball · 14/03/2018 08:53

Blue badge misuse figures also include things like forgetting to put your clock on.

BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 14/03/2018 08:54

Let's not pretend that BB abuse doesn't happen.

BeyondDeadlySiren · 14/03/2018 08:57

"the letter is always X (male) or Y (female)"

That's a bit backwards Grin

soulrider · 14/03/2018 08:57

The categories that class as misuse for the figures i talk about are

  • bb owner deceased
  • fake badges
  • misuse by friends and family
  • stolen badges
  • expired

The people who are affected by this misuse are the genuine blue badge holders themselves, I'm not sure why they are so keen to insist it doesn't happen. Enforcement is about protecting the scheme so that people with genuine disabilities can find places to park.

MatildaTheCat · 14/03/2018 08:58

As a disabled person who uses a gym swimming pool I can verify that there is blatant misuse of badges and disabled spaces. It’s pretty ironic that my experience people use these bays to avoid walking an extra 50-100 meters then go and put in a solid session.

I can’t comment on the Ops example but let’s face it, there’s a lot of misuse and fraud in this area which is a shame for some of us.

Spikeyball · 14/03/2018 09:02

Of course there is misuse but leave it to professionals to sort out. If they are catching that many then they don't need help from people who saw someone they don't know running somewhere.

Shedmicehugh1 · 14/03/2018 09:10

2.38 million were held in 2017 in uk.

1,131 individuals were prosecuted for misuse in uk.

Find something else to worry about. Like how drivers without a blue badge park in disabled bays.

JigglyTuff · 14/03/2018 09:31

I'm amazed that, after all the examples on this thread from people with hidden disabilities, people are still banging on about being able to tell someone is misusing a BB, just by looking at them.

Someone should tell the NHS - no more diagnostic tests are necessary when so many people are able to assess someone's needs at a glance! Hmm

PushMyButton · 14/03/2018 09:39

@BothersomeCrow not so... Theme parks consider your ability to queue of which standing is a key part. I get priority at theme parks. The only issue I have is that I have to have a carer aged over 14 for using the priority and while I have a child that loves the high octane rides and can actually provide me all the care I need, she's not eligible, and all my friends are wusses... Lol! So I use the priority for every rise that I can and then just big a couple of the big ticket rides to take my daughter on and have to bite the bullet and join the normal queue.

BishopBrennansArse · 14/03/2018 09:44

My son has his for severe mental impairment. He could do ha,f an hour on a treadmill but he could also run into traffic or endanger himself or others in a million different ways.

SuperDandy · 14/03/2018 09:44

"BB holders don't have to pay to park"
Not true. It varies across the country in postcode lottery style. In my neck of the woods it is charger as for all other paid spaces.

"Lots of BBs are abused"
Not true, though it is certainly perceived to be. In reality, the abuse of BB parking spaces by non BB holders vastly outnumbers misuse of BB. It makes me so sad that the focus of attention in misused spaces is invariably on BB holders perceived to be misusing their BB.

BishopBrennansArse · 14/03/2018 09:48

Oh and I get all kinds of shit for using my badge. I'm under 40 and have blue hair and sometimes can walk. But 9/10 I have to use the powerchair in the boot. My disability isn't one you can see but my joints are being eaten by my immune system.

anxious2017 · 14/03/2018 09:48

Er, yes we do have to pay to park.

MrsJayy · 14/03/2018 09:51

I have paid to park and use the blue badge

Shedmicehugh1 · 14/03/2018 09:52

The paying to park was established a couple of pages ago. Some do, some don’t, depending on where you live.

BeyondDeadlySiren · 14/03/2018 09:52

Here, council parking is free, but there is very little of it. I need to pay in all other car parks.

Shedmicehugh1 · 14/03/2018 09:53

And where you park I should have added.

BishopBrennansArse · 14/03/2018 09:56

At one hospital I use you don't pay, the other you do.
My local council car park you don't pay, in Brighton you do.
Varies. Which considering the thinking behind foc parking is that disabled people have fewer transport options and often can't just walk seems a bit unfair - they have to pay proportionately more parking than an able bodied person.

lildevil · 14/03/2018 09:58

OutsideContextProblem - it would still say 15 so could be a parent with a 3 year old or someone aged 103. With the old style badges they were 'handmade' so to speak with all the information added by the staff in the council and the council I worked for used to add a C for child so it was a bit more obvious. With the new style they are made by an outside company and that's the template they use.

whampiece · 14/03/2018 10:05

The people who are affected by this misuse are the genuine blue badge holders themselves, I'm not sure why they are so keen to insist it doesn't happen.

Oh it absolutely DOES happen.

Enforcement is about protecting the scheme so that people with genuine disabilities can find places to park.

Correct. But my point throughout is that B.B. enforcement isn't the job of you, me, the OP or any other posters on this thread. Making a judgement, questioning people etc isn't how enforcement works. It's not down to us to make those decisions. The problem i have is with people who do this daily. Genuine B.B. holders should not ever be bloody judged or questioned whilst going about their business. It's a shame that a small minority have brought such a big hatred for anyone who parks in B.B. space.

Like I said earlier, DH should not have to have his need for a space challenged by joe public.

It is not some sort of crusade.

PushMyButton · 14/03/2018 10:09

I am so thankful that despite the stares, tuts etc that I get, I've only actually been challenged once. I replied to their "you don't look disabled love" with "funny, you don't look ignorant. Appearances can be deceptive". When I'm with my Nana, no one even blinks at me using that space- yet she doesn't have a blue badge, it's mine.

@Eeeeek2 many disabled people have drastically reduced incomes and hugely exaggerated living costs compared to the average person. You also have to pay for a blue badge- they're not free! Sometimes you have to make that sort of decision.

@Shedmicehugh1 yes they often do! Both private car parks and increasingly council car parks charge blue badge holders. Even many hospitals charge.

@TammyWhyNot I have a condition that causes my heart rate to shoot up, my blood pressure to fall and hence I collapse with no warning- however, it only affects me when standing so I'm perfectly safe and legal to drive.

@whampiece @lildevil if I saw you peering in to my car to look at my blue badge like that I'd be calling the police suspecting you for being about to break in and steal it. ONLY the police and traffic wardens have the legal right to check a blue badge, and the advice to report anyone else checking them was given by my local police force during a spate of cars being broken into to steal the blue badges. The thieves check them first for that exact information.

Shedmicehugh1 · 14/03/2018 10:18

Pushmybutton we must be pretty lucky in my area, I have never had to paid, in the High Street, Supermarkets, hospital. Literally anywhere.

It’s a shame the Equality Act cannot be enforced and having to rely on luck. Particularly by the local authorities issuing the badges Confused

Ringsender2 · 14/03/2018 10:22

@Ollivander84 My friend has a blue badge but is also a qualified personal trainer, she could run on a treadmill

If you feel you're able to expand here, would you be able to say what she has qualified for a blue badge for? (no problem if not. I'm not trying to be judgey, am trying to understand)

whampiece · 14/03/2018 10:27

if I saw you peering in to my car to look at my blue badge like that I'd be calling the police

I'm not sure why you have tagged me in this comment.

I have been adamant throughout that no one should be making any such judgments. I certainly wouldn't look in anyone's car to check their B.B. in fact, I actually said how awful it is to have people do this to DH Confused