Page 5 | To think if you’re a slightly more mobile BB holder you should park in the further accessible bay?

FlooredByKindness · 2025-12-05T16:44:19+00:00

My late mom had a Blue Badge as she used a walking stick so I do have experience of accessibility issues Quite frequently I see people getting out of a car with a badge displayed and then heading easily into stores etc after parking in the closest bay. if you have a reasonable levels of ability within the realms of BB wouldn’t it be more considerate to park in one of the furthest bb spaces in case the next bb holder who turns up is less able? seems reasonable to me

Pepperedpickles · 05/12/2025 18:48

I am one of those most hated of all bb users - relatively young, seemingly able bodied, no walking stick, etc etc. I have very complex autoimmune, bladder and incontinence issues. I can’t predict how my bowels and bladder are going to behave so a lot of needing to be close to my car from the shops is due to this.

Are we going to start ranking bb users in terms of ability and giving them a sliding scale of where we’re allowed park?

Pissed off with all the disabilist threads at the moment. We are such a hated group right now.

Musicalmistress · 05/12/2025 18:51

My DDad might look like that when he first got out the car but his breathing is so bad he’d be practically crawling by the time he returned so would need to be as close as possible - would you expect him to park further away vs my DMil who is wheelchair bound but DFil pushes her quite easily?

PandoraSocks · 05/12/2025 18:52

Pepperedpickles · 05/12/2025 18:48

I am one of those most hated of all bb users - relatively young, seemingly able bodied, no walking stick, etc etc. I have very complex autoimmune, bladder and incontinence issues. I can’t predict how my bowels and bladder are going to behave so a lot of needing to be close to my car from the shops is due to this.

Are we going to start ranking bb users in terms of ability and giving them a sliding scale of where we’re allowed park?

Pissed off with all the disabilist threads at the moment. We are such a hated group right now.

It's just horrible. The press and politicians are helping to stoke it, too.

LadyKenya · 05/12/2025 18:54

HopSpringsEternal · 05/12/2025 17:35

Its a good point though, as long as long as no one is policing it. I used to have a disabled badge for a condition that is now under control. During bad periods I couldn't walk far, but in better bits I could manage much further. It wouldn't have taken much to adjust my parking.

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And that was a call for you to make.

CassandraWebb · 05/12/2025 18:56

goudacheese · 05/12/2025 17:54

No, for all the reasons already mentioned. My issue is people using disabled spaces when they don't have a BB. My elderly, disabled mother has a BB and can never park at her local supermarket in the disabled bays as mainly occupied by people not displaying a BB. For this reason she has decided not to renew her badge.

Tbh, when I am using my blue badge I have neither the strength nor the inclination to go snooping at other cars dashboards... So maybe that should be the marker of whether or not someone needs a blue badge!

Sirzy · 05/12/2025 18:56

You can’t judge a book by its cover. Someone looking “fine” doesn’t mean they are!

CassandraWebb · 05/12/2025 18:59

My only problem with this thread is that @FlooredByKindness (and some others) think they can see how disabled someone is.

I absolutely agree with the principle that we should always reflect and only take what we need.
If I am having a really good day I don't park in a blue badge space film stop.
If I am having a really bad day I either won't have made it out of the house at all, or I will have my electric wheelchair and will use one of the further away blue badge spaces.

We shouldn't tell others what to do. But we can all act with consideration in what we do

Lemonandlimefizzywater · 05/12/2025 19:03

FridayintheCity · 05/12/2025 18:44

Not sure why you're asking me. I'm not arguing with you.

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Sorry I quoted you instead of the other poster who you quoted

lemoncrisp · 05/12/2025 19:11

Totally unworkable IMO. If you have a blue badge you use any available bay. They are all closer than non disabled bays.

Ihad2Strokes · 05/12/2025 19:19

FlockofSquirrels · 05/12/2025 17:40

OP, I'm going to respond to this under the assumption that you're trying to be compassionate towards disabled people because I think you probably are.

You're displaying ableist thinking right now. You looked at a stranger and thought you could evaluate their disability and needs based on watching them walk into a shop. You've also narrowed BB needs and the "value" of each BB space down to a single variable - the distance to the store vs how well a person can physically walk. Both assumptions are wildly incorrect.

I have MS, and two of my most difficult symptoms are severe vertigo and syncope episodes - these can come on suddenly but tend to be exacerbated by fatigue and heat. I'm in my 30s, fit, and fully capable of running when not having symptoms. But I also use an assistance dog (meaning I need to be able to open my car door wider and let him jump in and out), sometimes trip over curbs or cracks in pavement, and may feel great walking into a store then barely be standing by the time I've collected my items. Other disabled people are children who can easily sprint across a car park but can't be relied on to stay by their adults or hold onto a hand. Others are extremely cold sensitive and struggle with the fine motor skills to put layers on and off, others have joint issues that make getting in and out of the car in narrow spaces completely impossible, or can't climb steps, or deal with chronic fatigue and pain that means a longer walk will make it harder to cook dinner or do laundry that night. You can't know and it absolutely isn't your job to try to judge or monitor.

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👏🏻

well said xx

Ihad2Strokes · 05/12/2025 19:24

Noseyoldcow · 05/12/2025 17:56

I have no beef with blue badge holders using those spaces, near or far to building entrances, whatever, nor with people with children using parent and child spaces. But I wish to goodness someone would police them. My local doctor’s surgery has 6 blue badge spaces. On Tuesday when we visited, 5 of the 6 cars parked in those spaces had no blue badge displayed, and the drivers seemed very able bodied. The parent spaces were also full, and the cars parked there had not one child car seat between them, I.e, they were not transporting children. So where are people who really need those spaces supposed to park?

Maybe the babies were in their first stage carriers?

NeverDropYourMooncup · 05/12/2025 19:25

Grumpynan · 05/12/2025 17:29

I think there should be two types of bb. I have a bb, I’m in a wheelchair so need the wide space to get my chair round.

i don’t know how it could be policed but something on the lines of wheelchair users have light blue only they can use the wide spaces. Doesn’t need to be right outside the door for me but I should imagine others would say different, but maybe dark blue who don’t need the wide space out need closer to the door ?

I mean let’s be honest, I’m in a chair, I need the wide space to get in and out of the car, but I don’t need to be right outside the door I’m not walking, once I’m in the chair I can get across a car park the same as anyone else. But if the wider blue spaces are taken by people who just need to be near the door, well I have to wait or go home, I cannot get out of the car.

And I'm a fat bastard on steroids with joints that randomly decide to lock up and give out or tendons rupture around them for no apparent reason. I definitely need a car door wide open to gingerly turn to hoik myself out and hopefully not fall over because a nerve/tendon/ligament decides to start screaming and me until my legs give out. And then there's carefully lowering myself back in again and turning in the seat - or putting shopping in the vehicle when I might have been OK on the way out (might not have been, either) but I'm not by the time I've made it through the tills.

No stick, crutches or braces unless I've gone over on a previous visit - and if my hands or shoulder have fucked themselves but my lower back has behaved (even though my hip or upper back might not), there's not going to be any visible aids to 'justify' using a wider space.

There are just too many variables to have a further demarcation beyond the heady inclusiveness of four spaces by the door per large supermarket, one of which is likely got a bunch of trolleys abandoned in it.

Ihad2Strokes · 05/12/2025 19:35

MollyMollyMandy33 · 05/12/2025 18:31

I’m sure that I’ve pulled into the first BB space in a car park at the hospital or similar, many times. My husband, who has the BB, is mobile. He also has advanced young onset dementia, has regular falls, hallucinations, is aggressive, has challenging behavior and can be difficult to keep safe when we have to go out. He also looks physically quite well. If I have to take him out, I try to get as close to the door as possible. Last time we were out, he became very aggressive in the car park, fell over and nearly got hit by a car.
I’d like to think that I’m a considerate person. The reality is that some disabilities are hidden and whilst somebody who has very poor mobility needs to be as close as possible, so do lots of others for different reasons.

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I am so very sorry to hear about your DH, that's heartbreaking for both of you (& family). Park as close as you can everytime without a second thought xx

Ihad2Strokes · 05/12/2025 19:38

PandoraSocks · 05/12/2025 18:37

Cross post @ValleyClouds !

Bit of a hole in the story, methinks. He would have received a ticket for that.

And anyone not the pass holder would have to be spectacularly dim to place it photo up. Gouda me thinks!! 💩

Coffeeishot · 05/12/2025 19:39

goudacheese · 05/12/2025 17:54

No, for all the reasons already mentioned. My issue is people using disabled spaces when they don't have a BB. My elderly, disabled mother has a BB and can never park at her local supermarket in the disabled bays as mainly occupied by people not displaying a BB. For this reason she has decided not to renew her badge.

Well that was cutting her nose off to spite her face really,

CandyCayne · 05/12/2025 19:42

Pluvt · 05/12/2025 18:06

The only thing that pisses me off with blue badge use was seeing a young fit man prance off into the gym, having parked on yellow lines and displaying a blue badge. The photo on the badge was of an elderly woman.

How does one prance into a gym rather than walk?

LadyKenya · 05/12/2025 19:42

My elderly, disabled mother has a BB and can never park at her local supermarket in the disabled bays as mainly occupied by people not displaying a BB. For this reason she has decided not to renew her badge.

Which makes no sense really, but if a P&C has spaces, then just park in one of them, and display the badge, if all the disabled bays are taken.

Coffeeishot · 05/12/2025 19:44

LadyKenya · 05/12/2025 19:42

My elderly, disabled mother has a BB and can never park at her local supermarket in the disabled bays as mainly occupied by people not displaying a BB. For this reason she has decided not to renew her badge.

Which makes no sense really, but if a P&C has spaces, then just park in one of them, and display the badge, if all the disabled bays are taken.

Yes she can use P&C which always have loads of in most supermarkets.

Octavia64 · 05/12/2025 19:46

I thought about this when I first got my bb.

it doesn’t really work.

i will sometimes park away from the disabled spaces if there’s plenty of other spaces available but my car is big (to take my wheelchair) and it doesn’t always easily fit into normal spaces.

also you often have to walk along cars to get to Tesco or wherever but from the disabled spaces there is usually a walkway with posts keeping the cars and you separate.

CypressGrove · 05/12/2025 19:46

Hello39 · 05/12/2025 16:59

If you want something to really annoy you...
I go to a lunchtime exercise class. Up a flight of stairs and 45 minutes of movement.

Someone in the class always parks in the Disabled spots right at the front door. I assume it's not her BB. (And illegal to do that I know).

You clearly don't understand conditions like MS. But well done on adding more judgement and negativity to the world.

StartingFreshFor2026 · 05/12/2025 19:47

I think you just never know why someone needs a blue badge. I think one of the criteria is life saving equipment in the car?

My DC with severe learning disabilities have blue badges. Very occasionally they walk into the venue fine but it's very common to suddenly have a massive problem (bolt at a car / dropped to the floor in middle of road and refuse to move / huge violent meltdown). If I have to park even just a few cars away I have to drag a thrashing nearly secondary school age child further sometimes past other cars reversing etc. All their staff have said that I should park as close as damn possible to everything even though I do feel a bit guilty sometimes parking closer than elderly people etc.

StartingFreshFor2026 · 05/12/2025 19:50

Someone said the photo of a blue badge holder they didn't know was a different person (can't find the post now) - the photo is on the back, how could you see this?

Coffeeishot · 05/12/2025 19:56

StartingFreshFor2026 · 05/12/2025 19:50

Someone said the photo of a blue badge holder they didn't know was a different person (can't find the post now) - the photo is on the back, how could you see this?

Because that poster might have embellished a little bit.

IceyBisBack · 05/12/2025 20:04

FlooredByKindness · 05/12/2025 17:04

No policing, only pondering after I saw someone get out a BB car this morning and walk in to Aldi.

there were 7 free bb spaces and they pulled in the nearest.

i just went into a little wondering of if the next person who arrives came and struggled on 2 sticks then this extra few yards saved could mean a lot to them.

but no offence intended, please don’t read that into my posts.

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You don't know thier disability though do you? If they parked that bit further away, they might shit themselves on the way back to the car!
Stop all this disability bullying..... you can have my blue badge and my disability !

unsync · 05/12/2025 21:03

Nope. Requiring and use of a BB is not a competition.