It really annoys me when people park in a disabled space without displaying a Blue Badge! People either don’t care, or think that it is okay to park there, because they are only going to be a few minutes. Another thing is, that people also seem to think parking just in front of (or behind) the space, but overhanging it so it is impossible to actually get in the space is okay.
So today, when I went to the Pharmacy there was a car parked behind a tree, but overhanging the disabled space by well over a metre. There was absolutely nowhere else to park, within my walking distance. I did manage to squeeze in to the space, after a bit of manoeuvring, but it was a struggle and meant that I was quite close to the overhanging car.
While I was waiting in the queue to be served, a woman walked in and loudly said “someone in a grey car is blocking me in, I need them to move.” I turned and said “oh are you parked overhanging the disabled space?” She answered saying “I am parked in front of the disabled space.” I said that I was parked in the disabled space, but had struggled to get in because of how much the car parked in front was overhanging it. She then said that I would need to go and move it, to which I said she would have to wait until I got out. She got really stroppy saying she needed it moved straight away. I said no, she would have to wait until I had finished in the pharmacy. She then shouted that she had only parked there for a few minutes, while she went to the cafe and said “I am telling you to move, NOW, or I will phone the police.” I repeated that I was legally parked and if she had parked legally, there wouldn’t be a problem. I told her to go ahead and call the police and I would quite happily sit in my car until they came. She then said that she was going to get her car out and tough if she bashed mine while doing so. I replied, saying to go ahead, it would be her insurance who would be paying for any damage, not mine! By this time the person at the counter had went and got the Pharmacist, who came through and told her to leave, or he would be the one calling the police! She flounced out calling me a “fucking turd.”
I was actually shaking at all this, as I’m normally quite a quiet person. The Pharmacist told me to take a seat until he got my prescription and I felt okay. He actually said that this woman parks like this every day and hopefully she will have learned her lesson!
It was a good 10 minutes before I went out and got in my car. The woman was still sitting in her car, but opened her window and shouted “you had better watch yourself”! I got my phone and made a point of taking a photo of her number plate and how her car was parked, before getting in my car and manoeuvring out of the space, while she was giving me the bird! When I told my dd about this she said I should have just went and moved my car!
Before anyone says it, I admit I acted like this as I am completely fed up with not being able to park, because of the misuse of Disabled Parking! However, in my defence, I really struggle with my mobility and am uncomfortable standing. If I had went and moved my car, I would have had to walk a lot further, I would have lost my place in the queue and therefore would have had to stand again for longer as well, all to my discomfort!