Blue badge police again

[Rainburstflowers]

Name changes for this as I do every so often.
I have blue badge but my disability is not visible.
For the 3rs time in 2 weeks I have been challenged about not looking disabled and I am fed up of explaining myself

yesterday got out the car and this man came charging towards me shouting “oi you don’t have a blue badge”. I sighed and said “yes I do”. He then said “where did you nick that from?”
I said “I didn’t nick it from anyone I got it off eBay”
He then looked at me and said “oh right and walked off”
as if that was then ok!!!!
or it could be my built like a brick shithouse husband opened his door and got out the drivers seat.

I know I should not have said the eBay comment but I am fed up of explaining myself.

if anyone has any good comebacks please let me know

Well you are being ridiculous. We provide the spaces for your father to use not as drop off points.

@Ohthatsabitshit @LadyKenya I know but I couldn’t deal with people shouting at me seeing me driving the car and using his badge so once gee safely dropped out I have to park elsewhere. I don’t if I’m on my own with him because then I have to accompany him. People can be so brutal

How does he get back in? Is he waiting both ends of every trip to accommodate you needing to move the car? That wouldn’t be ok with me. Disability is limiting enough without adding extra rules for your carer. Take up more space in the world you are meant to be here.

So if I take to hospital for instance. I’ll get him out of the car and my mum takes him inside then I’ll park then go back to the BB space when he’s ready.

if we’re alone I will use it but you’re right I shouldn’t worry about other people.

And what if there are no BB spaces free at that point, when you are ready to leave? Your Father could potentially have to wait, for who knows how long, when he has a perfectly legitimate right to have the car parked there.

Very true. Thank you

I get challenged sometimes when I get seen hopping back to my car either before or after dropping my mum off. I sometimes say 'If you're here on official capacity can I see your ID please?' and then ignore them.

Nobody should be questioning, or demanding an explanation from anyone parked in a BB space, with a BB on display. They have no right to intrude on someone's day, in such a fashion. It is upsetting for many people, and if it is a regular occurrence, it must be so wearing. I really hope that posters taking the time to outline the way in which it has affected them, or being worried about being questioned, are heard.

Are you serious? Random nobody’s demand to see your ID?
i would struggle to just simply ignore them.

‘why fuck would I show you? You’ve already proven yourself to be unbalanced so I would be very unwise to engage with you at all let alone show you my details’
would likely fall out of my mouth.

Yes it does. Anyone who has to use a car adapted to hand controls is likely to be a BB holder.

The official advice is that you should not keep the badge in the car but should display it immediately on parking. IME anyone parked in a BB space and not displaying a badge probably hasn’t got one.

The BB holder asks for the ID of the person harassing them.

Could be a bb holder or could not.

Although I have forgotten to put ours on once.

@T1Dmama That’s just you… it’s a fact that men are less likely to Challenge or bully other men, than say a 5ft woman….

I don't think that's true at all. I don't find men more or less intimidating than women. Physical size is not an intimidating thing, because it's meaningless.

Someone's professional position or social standing would be far more likely to cause intimidation.

I reckon someone would be less likely to challenge a 7ft man built like Dwayne Johnson than say a man built like the man from the mr muscle advert!

Why would I be less likely to challenge a 7 ft man?

First of all, height has nothing to do with physical strength and fitness. Those are two separate concepts. A tiny woman can be very strong and very physically fit. A 7 ft man could be sedentary and obese. So height is not a factor in anything, and does not mean anything- thinking otherwise is strange.

If a man was built like Dwayne Johnson, why would I be less likely to challenge him? I have absolutely no intention of getting into a physical fight with anyone, because physical fights are something that only a tiny minority of people would ever get involved in (the absolute most degenerate and disgusting people). So because I won't ever be physically fighting anyone, I don't care if someone is built like Dwayne Johnson. If I think what I am saying is true, or of value, then I can say that to anyone regardless of their physical size.

You must have lived an incredibly sheltered and wilfully blinkered life if you genuinely feel equally at risk when confronted by a man or a woman.

Maybe you wouldn't, but look on it from the point of view of a disabled female. We are already at a disadvantage from our sex, then add in our disabilities whether physically obvious or not, and we are potentially vulnerable. Once you've lived like that for a few years, you can become VERY wary of physically stronger people if only for the potential vulnerability if something does kick off.

Then think about the typical BBP, the majority tend to be elderly though obviously not all. It's very rare for a physically more vulnerable person to be the aggressor, which is what these BBP are albeit in a verbal way rather than physical. There's a comment up thread from a woman who the BBP man tried to physically restrain - do you think he would really have tried to physically restrain a large fit looking man who in his mind wasn't disabled?

Have a good look at that video someone posted up thread, and you can see just how easy it is for violence to kick off over parking. Try talking to a few CEOs (traffic wardens) about the physical threats and sometimes actual assaults they face most days just over parking.

Christ. If you truly believe that you are perfectly safe confronting a large man at all times because you don't intend to get into a physical fight and that he'd not have the strength to kill you with one not even half strength punch, you need to have a blue badge of your own on the grounds of being a danger to yourself.

This!

Watch the YouTube that I posted 12:51 15/04/25
the man who ended up killing the other driver over a BB space looked pretty unassuming.

So original.

Do you realise just how insulting that is for people with disabilities? And ignorant too regarding what we get...

I need my blue badge because walking any distance longer than about 30 metres means I have to stop & rest, stretching my back. The only welfare payment I get is lower level PIP, a whole £29.20 a week, which certainly doesn't cover the additional costs to me of not being able to use public transport. Getting to the nearest bus stop is well out of my walking scope, then sitting on bus or train seats for more than about 5 mins cripples me for days.

We can't park "anywhere", there are still restrictions on BB parking, including how long you can park with your BB in most places. Most car parks these days are ANPR, so if your BB isn't registered for that car park (e.g. under a different local council) you still end up paying. And in many places BB spaces are very limited and often occupied by non-holders.

I need to have the vast majority of my shopping delivered, including groceries; grocery delivery costs money. As one of my meds is restricted I have to sign for that so I need to go to the pharmacy today, which I'm dreading as mine is at ASDA. I've maxed out on my painkillers so I can hopefully manage to do a top up shop at the same time and possibly even have a look at the clothing as nearly all mine is bought on line. I will then be in severe pain for the next 2 days.

A mobility car isn't "free", gods do I wish it was, it's leased at a certain rate which the mobility element of PIP goes towards - assuming you get the higher mobility rate, as the lower rate isn't eligible. Even with "lower level" physical disabilities most BB holders need an automatic car, which is more expensive to lease or buy and to run.

I work full time, in the office. Luckily I have a fabulous boss who lets me work flexi around pain & traffic levels, as if there's heavy traffic on my route and it takes me more than 30 mins to get in then I seize up and am in pain most of the day. So I also pay my taxes towards my massive £120 odd per month PIP.

Try educating yourself before blurting out the typical Daily Mail crap please!

This!!!

I’m afraid it’s because so many people seems to be disabled these days

My mind is blown. I did not realise that there was a quota on the number of disabled people allowed.