"Left Blue Badge back in the UK"

[SnugOpalHare]

Went on a holiday recently to Europe. The hotel car park only has a limited amount of 6 disabled parking bays. All of the disabled bays were taken and one of the cars parked had handwritten note on the dashboard which read "Left Blue Badge back home in UK". My dad was angry and complained to hotel reception as he felt it was not on and they could be lying about having a blue badge. However my mum was more relaxed and said they probably just forgot to bring it by accident and nothing more sinister is at play.

Where do you all stand on this issue?

Idk normally I’d think don’t be a dick and park somewhere you shouldn’t, but this sounds legitimate, it’s not someone parking nearby to a supermarket so they can run in, writing the note when it’s possibly not even valid again (I didn’t realise mine could be used abroad) to me just seems like it’s likely true. I’d have probably just ignored it or asked the hotel best place to park type thing for your parents disability if all the slots were full.

Doesn't matter. Since Brexit blue badges are not valid in the EU anymore.

Wrong. They’re valid in many EU countries

Blue badges are recognised in at least 23 other countries...

What if they need the accessible space to get out of the vehicle?

I would - I'd have to send someone to reception to ask them what to do as without that space I can't get out of the vehicle. Would you suggest I spend the week in my van?

It's not ideal, in an ideal world you remember your badge, you apply for whatever temporary holiday version you need, you don't mess up - but its human nature to forget things!

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-using-it-in-the-eu/using-a-blue-badge-in-the-european-union using a blue badge in Europe

Surely, you staked out the car to check whether the driver was showing an acceptable level of disability and knocked any walking stick out of their hand to check that they weren’t faking?

UK BB has been accepted in the US so 🤷‍♀️

Don’t see why this is any of your DD business?

This is misinformation. OP has not confirmed if they visited an EU country, but UK blue badges are valid in most EU countries.

YABU. It’s possible they really did forget it — travelling abroad, different paperwork, etc. It’s not like the hotel can check the DVLA database! Its good sometimes to give people the benefit of the doubt.

After reading your post and noticing OP does use the word sinister, I’ve been trying to imagine sinister scenarios 😂.

Maybe OP’s parents suspected the subjects of the investigation wanted to park a getaway car close to the hotel after taking extra from the breakfast buffet?

Or it could be suspicions of them faking disability and think they are using the space for extra proof when posting holiday pics on instagram - just in case someone doubts them or was planning on reporting them?

They could be wondering if it’s an easy way to hide drugs or stolen goods by “hiding in plain sight”

It could be a long standing feud with the hotel owner over him allowing the car owners partner to use a room to “entertain guests” and they could be making a one - car protest?

It could be a part of a cult initiation process to have to park there unchallenged?

Do any of these sound like things that your parents (your dad especially) be suspicious of OP?
Did they actually need a disabled space or are they just part time vigilantes?

If it was Belgium a few months ago, my apologies, it was me.😊
We took off in Ds's car at 4 am, and made it to the port before I realized I'd left it behind.
I was able to put my badge number on the note.

But most took one look at me in a wheelchair with attached devices, doing my level best at independence, in a situation and country not that well geared up for me, and where really kind, understanding and helpful, from the ship to the hotel, and the lovely Brugge parking warden who insisted Ds shouldn't drop me in the street and go hunt for a space, and put his ID no on DS's car to say it was OK...

Except for the British family at the hotel, who insisted that as they had their badge they should take priority even though they didn't actually need a disabled hotel car park space, just a guaranteed car park space. (which we all had)

The hotel told them I'd had to pay extra for a a disabled room with hoist, and the space came with it, and where really shocked as they could see that I simply couldn't get in and out in in a standard space. Even after, for the sake of peace, Ds went for dropping me at the front, parking in a standard space, and then coming and getting me later to get me in, they couldn't believe the way the family kicked off about how I might be pretending to be disabled, after they publicly confronted me at breakfast despite being told I'd had to pay extra for a wheelchair accessible room.

Their anger marred their break more than mine, though I found myself having to apologize for their behavior towards me to the staff and shocked guests, who couldn't believe I was sanguine about their attitude because of UK attitudes towards disabled people.

Sadly I simply can't "stand on this issue" - hence the wheelchair.
Your dad's attitude will shave years off his life, your mum probably knows.

Sorry you had to endure that @Elleherd. What a complete shower of b***DS the other British family were. 😡
Lets hope it’s not the OP, because it doesn’t show her in a good light either playing a bystander role.