Parking in disabled spaces when disabled person sitting in car

[Mokel]

If the blue badge holder isn’t going to leave the car, the car shouldn’t be parked in a disabled bay.

The purpose behind disabled bays is for disabled people don’t have to walk far to entrances to shops, doctors etc. If not leaving the car, there’s no need to park up there.

If a non disabled person is going to leave the car leaving the disabled person in the car, they should be parking in a normal parking space.

Every car park I've been in seems to have a huge amount of available spaces for blue badge holders, at all times of day. Unless all spaces were taken, which seems unlikely, I can't see as it really matters.

It actually states the car must be being used for the benefit of the BB holder. They don't even have to be in the car let alone getting out of it.

Plus disabled badge holder could be stripped of their badge.

The poster asked what if they were both disabled, in which case I would assume they both had a BB.

I agree.

I have vasovagal syncope (temporary unconsciousness) and I have learned the signs of it coming on. I'm better off getting back to the car asap then doing the dramatic sinking-to-the-floor routine in the middle of Morrisons.

DP and I still have to pay for our shopping at the till!

(Again, the shortage of benches and chairs in shops since covid doesn't help.)

And say that child is sick/ nappy explosion something happens... they're going to need to get out of the car? Obviously most parents can navigate that but it would be harder for someone with a disability if they needed to exit the car suddenly without the necessary space/proximity to the shop to do so.

Don't be silly

Why? Why would you assume if you saw me exit a vehicle in a wheelchair that my blue badge somehow covered my brain damaged adult DC or my adult ASD DC, and they should now get out?

There are many reasons they might be sitting there. Please save your ire for the people who 'borrow' a blue badge to avoid paying for parking.

It's in the rules.

I wouldn't challenge anyone on it. But it's not something my mother (blue badge holder) would ever do. It's a real problem if we can't get a space for her, and she wouldn't take one up if she didn't need to leave the car.

Parent and child spaces are not the same, at all. They are a courtesy, not a right.
My local Foodhall has 15 spaces - 5 disabled, 4 parent and child, and 6 standard.
All a parent and child space is, is a larger space.
There's no way I'm turning around and driving back to work with no lunch, or the 10 miles home, with no food shopping, if all the standard spaces are full, but there's a large space empty. If you have a child, you can wait for either a standard end one, or a larger one to become available.
Why should I sit and wait, in the 10 minutes I have to grab food, so that someone else can drive straight in, just because they have a child (so likely aren't rushing to get back to work)?
The spaces are a premium, because people are also using the cafe, so aren't moving for an hour.

So the able person can pop to cashpoint or for tabs?

Honestly this is a classic MN baity thread. If the badge holders not leaving the car at all then they shouldnt be parking there.

DS has a blue badge. If he’s waiting in the car I park in a standard space, if he’s getting out/iin I park in a disabled space.
Why would I need to park in a disabled place using DSs badge if he’s staying in the car?

How do you know which one is disabled? Or both could be? Or the disabled person could be waiting a few minutes before getting out?
In theory, if the disabled person really isn't leaving the car, then yes I'd say they shouldn't park there. But in reality, you have no idea what they're doing and I certainly would never challenge anyone just in case.

Whilst this may well be true, it could be seen to be abusing the system if they are sat in the car for an extended time. Their use of a BB bay means someone else with a BB is not able to use it.
At my local supermarket, there is a drop off zone directly outside the entrance. My brother drops off my SIL there, goes and parks the car wherever he can find a space. When she’s finished, she rings him and he collects her. She only uses the BB bay if shes on her own.
Anyway, regardless of that, challenging someone whom you believe to be abusing the BB scheme is a bit of a dickish move.

You're using typical Boomer language, so...

I dont know why op is getting such a hard time? They're right that if the badge holder isnt getting out they shouldn't be in a disabled bay. They're taking a space that could be needed by someone who actually does need to get out of the vehicle.

Ds often takes several trips to be able to participate so we have driven and parked for example at the beach, sat in the car with him. Then some of us got out to play on the beach, and now we park and all go happily. On the way to this outcome we would have looked to the casual onlooker like total arseholes. We’re not and honestly multiple trips before we can participate isn’t that fun for the rest of us but we are where we are.
The BB is for ds to make outings possible. Thats what we’re using it for.

As someone with a close family member in a wheelchair, I agree with the OP.

Disabled bays are sometimes difficult to come by if you need one, so if you got to one and the disabled person wasn't even leaving the car and had no intention to, it would annoy me too. At that point it's just a priority parking spot for the person that doesn't actually need it.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue-badge-scheme-rights-and-responsibilities-in-england/the-blue-badge-scheme-rights-and-responsibilities-in-england#who-can-use-the-badge

"Don't allow other people to use the badge to do something on your behalf, such as shopping or collecting something for you."

and

"You should not use the badge to allow non-disabled people to take advantage of the benefits while you sit in the car."

I see so many videos on social media of Joe Public going up to people parked in disabled bays, demanding to see the badge, asking what their disability is, etc... THAT is wrong too and really pisses me off.

I don't take this thread as disabled bashing. For all we know, OP is disabled too and couldn't park today because someone was using a space that she needed unnecessarily. She's just pointing out that if the disabled person has no intention of getting out of the car, they shouldn't be parking in a disabled space, even if they have a badge. They should leave that space for someone else that does definitely need it.

How do you know its not the disabled person leaving the car?

My whole family is disabled, my mam was visually heavily disabled but so are the rest of us invisibly. My dad regularly would park with my mam in the car but its HIS blue badge as he is also disabled.

Also that is not at all the purpose of disabled bays, it is just one of the many possible purposes of disabled bays that might apply to some disabilities. For example plenty of people could wheel themselves to the shops with no issue they just need physical space to access the car etc...

his specific scenario is not in the rules, I've just gone through the entire pamphlet

Really? 😂

Never mind all the what ifs. If it is known categorically that the badge holder isnt exiting the car can anyone argue they should park in the disabled bay?

*this not his