Parking and the elderly

[Ireallycantthinkofagoodone]

I recently attempted to renew a blue badge for an elderly (93 year old) relative. Despite him needing to use a walking frame or sticks, having had several falls, having stiff and painful joints, and a bit of confusion, he has been refused a blue badge.

I have lived in an area that had a ‘brown badge’ scheme, which were given to anyone over a certain age - I think it was 70 or 75. Now, not everyone needs to secure a space near to store entrances - I’m late 70’s myself and regularly walk 8-10k a day, but many people do need this, as they can’t confidently walk too far.

But aside from blue badge spaces, the only other close ones are parent and baby spaces. Why? I don’t understand why the latter can’t be further away, and wide enough to access car seats.

If my 93 year old relative is no longer entitled to a blue badge, I feel the only option is to park in a so called baby space, so that I can encourage his ongoing independence in choosing his food shopping. He just wouldn’t go if I couldn’t assist.

AIBU - Elderly people don’t need consideration in supermarket car parks

AINBU - If blue badges are being heavily restricted now, spaces in car parks should be set aside for the elderly, and parent/baby spaces moved further away.

At the Leisure Centre I go to, they’d be fined. The carpark was being used by people who weren’t using the LC, so we now have to register our number plate when we park. Anyone using the limited number of disabled bays must display their blue badge.

I had to reapply for my 95 year old neighbour. The form is a nightmare and in the end I wrote on it look at her age and previous application. She got her blue badge. My suggestion is that he seeks a GP letter.

I wonder if data would show more elderly drivers have accidents, cause fatalities or is it the young irresponsible generation.

Sigh. You obviously do not know anything about Blue Badge spaces.

There are people in every age group that should not be driving. Either for health reasons or just because they are bad drivers. There are plenty of people perfectly capable of driving safely at 80. You may think otherwise but you sound pretty ageist to me.

Sadly, all Tesco stores do have this sign. I only shop there so I don't know about other chains. They are very small signs and tend to be grouped with a lot of other small signs so are very easy to miss. The first one I spotted was nowhere near the P&C spaces either. Ironically, I only spotted it because I was left sitting in the car because I couldn't walk the distance up the steeply sloping car park to the store!

How would you have found that out? Seems an odd detail to disclose to someone.

Well the OP specifically says they are used in her area so presumably aren’t in yours but she gives a very brief but understandable explanation of it.

If I were you I would have a long think about why you jumped to that conclusion (and expressed yourself in such an unpleasant way).

Thanks, I will look at the signs in my local Tesco Extra, i haven’t seen this sign before. The ones I’ve seen just say P&C and Blue Badge bays.

I think it needs to be near the P&C bay or store entrance to be enforceable but I could be wrong.

Thanks!

You’ve had a shocker there

Except it didn’t, did it?

I’ve never understood why P&C spaces need to be so close. Baffled me before I had DC and it’s baffled me since.

Blue Badges have to be renewed every so often and this is not done automatically. You have to go through the process from scratch and just might get a different assessor. It's not at all uncommon for a renewal application to be refused and the time allowed for appeal can be ridiculously short - 14 days in some council areas.

I park in the P&C spaces all the time, if I need to. DH is in his 70’s and some days just too knackered to do much. The parking spaces are under used in the mornings so it’s a non issue.

Ireallycantthinkofagoodone The bb issuers always refuse the first time these days, it’s generally a paramedic who is on the end of the phone, but appeal anyway. There is no law to say you cannot park in a P&P space unlike a disabled space

Because P&C spaces are useful, and make life easier, but are in no way essential. BB spaces are essential to many who use them.

I was fined £60 for temporarily parking in a parent and child space when I dropped my 90 year old frail parent at a shop (a Co Op). I was told they were for under 12s and the camera footage showed my mother was over 12 ( clearly the walking stick and bent back gave the game away that she wasn’t a fit energetic 11 year old)

I wish we had this scheme where we live. I might suggest it this week.

It sounds like the assesser did not have enough evidence to support your renewal.Did they have a face to face assessment? if not ask for one.
If you have any kind of medical supporting evidence then add it to your reconsideration. For example GP or hospital attendence following falls. Who issued the walking frame and sticks? If a health professional make sure that is shared. You can find the criteria and guidence on gov website.

It's the opposite of that where I am. At Tesco, there's a whole rank of 8 P&C spaces that no one ever uses, apart from overspill from the Click and Collect queue, just because they're round the corner from the others.

@Ireallycantthinkofagoodone A word of advice if you are thinking of appealing the decision, the length of time allowed for this is usually quite short (with some authorities it's only 14 days) but if you put your appeal in, he will still be covered by his badge until a decision is made.

You should appeal the blue badge decision for your parent, if you haven't applied already.

I think once your dcs are old enough to be able to get in and out the car unassisted, and strap and unstrap themselves in, there is absolutely no reason for the extra wiggle room. I think it is fine when you're conscious of hitting cars and needing that extra buffer room to get carseats in and out, and fidgety toddlers etc. However people use them who really don't need to. We just park in standard spaces, dcs are 6 and 9. We dont need the extra space. At least somebody who needs it more than we do can park there, disabled primarily if spaces are taken, frail elderly people, or somebody with babies after that.

I feel it is those people who abuse them that make it unreasonable eg, a group of boy racers I saw the other day in a sports car, and entitled ignorant members of the public who can't be bothered

Having navigated the health system and various other government and private institutions with my elderly parents, one of whom lived to 90, I can confirm that Earth is the name of the planet you’re looking for. Once you get past the magical age of 80 you fall off a cliff in terms of being prioritised. Nobody, however, suggested they had to be an ‘absolute priority for everything.’ Certainly not me.