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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to feel irritated that neighbours have 'designated disabled space'...

112 replies

Southwestwhippet · 13/09/2009 15:56

in a crowded on-street parking zone when they do not have disabled badges displayed in any of their cars nor do they appear to have any disabilities?

Yes I know, I am probably BU and many people have hidden disabilites but I was under the impression to get a designated disabled space outside your house you had to be able to argue to the council that you couldn't walk any further than from your car to your front door unaided... and have disabled badges.

There is no other designated parking, cul-de-sac is a general free for all and parking is at a premium. I was bad and parked in their space on one occassion, however they were round here within 20minutes asking me to 'move out of their disabled space'. Fair enough I suppose but it seems a little unfair when they appear not to have any trouble walking.

Obviously I haven't (and won't) park in their space again as don't want to upset my neighbours but AIBU in feeling a teeny tiny bit frustrated at the apparent unfairness of it?

OP posts:

lou33 · 13/09/2009 20:18

yes magic , i drive on behalf of ds2, i just wonder if there can be some way round the blue badge

the tax disc on my motability vehicle states something like disabled , on it

immortalbeloved · 13/09/2009 20:21

Well just to be different I think YANBU

If they never display a blue badge then how is anyone to know they are entitled to it?

We had two disabled spaces in our street and both times when the houses were sold the new owners used them as 'their' spaces even shouting at anyone with a blue badge who dared to park in them

If you really think they might not be entitled, maybe check with the council? I cannot stand anyone who misuses disabled bays

magicOC · 13/09/2009 20:23

Ah OK lou, understand now.

My sister became disabled as an adult and lives independantly so has never had anyone specific providing transport for her so I was unaware of anything on the tax disc.

TheDMshouldbeRivened · 13/09/2009 20:25

I wish our on street bay was mine only.

magicOC · 13/09/2009 20:30

Riven - council is in Scotland, not sure if it's all over or not, but, might be worth checking. Cant be easy carrying your DD especially if you have to park further away from your door than needed.

moomaa · 13/09/2009 20:50

We have difficulties parking where we live and I think any little thing can make you miffed and you have to take a step back and take some perspective (someone in our road has a car for sale that has been there months now and that is starting to cheese me off). There's no way you should have parked in the space.

We have a disabled space accross from our house and I am just so glad that I don't have whatever it is that he has and he is getting progressively worse Wardens do come and check it and he does display his badge when in it, I expect he would get a ticket if he didn't.

There are lots of older ladies on our road who like to congragate and it was amusing one day when someone drove into that space and they were all going to give him what for until the driver got out with only one leg.

magicOC · 13/09/2009 20:56

MOOMA - wish i'd been there to see their faces.

magicOC · 13/09/2009 20:57

was meant for old busy bodies not the disabled man obviously

SomeGuy · 13/09/2009 21:17

I don't know why people are getting upset about this. If you want to park in a disabled space, you need to display a disabled badge. It's really not complicated.

If they are not displaying one, I would contact a traffic warden, they'll be glad to issue a ticket I'm sure.

Our next door neighbours abuse the parking rules shamelessly because the husband is in very senior position at local council and can get away with it. So not really true to say that the space is necessarily legitimate.

donkeyderby · 13/09/2009 21:30

I agree with SomeGuy. You have to dislay a badge or any cheap cheat would be able to park in a bay. If you have no badge, then you should not be in the bay!

Round here, the bay has to have a post and a sign; if it is just the painted bay on the road, technically, anyone can park there though it can cause great problems for disabled people as they often have to wait for months for the post.

Lots of people round here inherit bays from previous house owners too. I would definitely chase it up with the Council.

Sycamoretreeisvile · 13/09/2009 21:36

We successfully got the disabled parking space opposite us removed. It is very simple. You just call the council and they will check whether the person awarded the space is still in residence there.

And before anyone jumps on me...we were one of 4 neighbours to complain as it was well know that the space belonged to the ladies husband who had died 7 years ago. She is freakishly able bodied (you should have seen her run out of the house when the council came to remove it) and the clincher....she doesn't even have a car or drive.

And the final clincher, she is a made curtain twitcher who takes photos of my DC's and us and all other neighbours from her upstairs window day in, day out.

lou33 · 13/09/2009 21:53

i was told that my local council dont designate a bay specifically for a person, so even if you get one put in a road as you requested, you dont have an exclusive right to it, anyone with a blue badge can use it

lou33 · 13/09/2009 21:56

i dont understand why anyone would to request a bay to be removed tho?

magicOC · 13/09/2009 22:05

Must differ from council to council.

Good reason for removal is if you already live on a street thats very hard to get parked anyway, then seems daft to have a disabled bay that's not in use.

bentneckwine1 · 13/09/2009 22:06

We requested that they remove mum's bay after she died...it is still there. Our local authority painted the bay on the road as they have found that the signs on fenceposts were being stolen and placed elsewhere to allow prority parking for someone else.

So if a house has changed hands there is a chance that a disabled bay may remain where it is no longer required.

bigstripeytiger · 13/09/2009 22:06

If a bay was put in because of the needs of a specific person (even if not for their exclusive use), rather than because of the general need that leads to the 'normal' disabled parking bays, then it probably makes sense to review things if the specific need isnt there anymore.

lou33 · 13/09/2009 22:10

cor i would love to find a few more disabled bays not in use, life would be so much easier!

luckily i have a tiny drive, and am able to (just about) get in and out of it into my narrow road when people park opposite my drive (as they tend to do 6 days out of 7), but there have been plenty of times i have needed a disabled bay in a street and there never is

Sycamoretreeisvile · 13/09/2009 22:21

Lou, I live in London, on a residential street in amongst many other residential streets. The only reason to park on my road is if you live on it, or are visiting someone who lives on it.

The bay I had removed NEVER, EVER had car parked in it. Not in the 2.5 years we've now lived here. It had been put there for the needs of a now deceased disabled person. It was pure lack of checking up on behalf of the council that it had sat there empty for 7 years whilst the rest of us were paying a fortune in council tax not to mention parking permits (yes, we have to pay to park on our own road) and would often have to park up to 200 yards away from our own front door.

That's why I had the space removed. I think it's completely fair and within my rights to do so.

MrsWeasley · 13/09/2009 22:29

We came home one day to find a neighbour had double yellow lines outside his property.
Another neighbour checked with the council and it wasn't them that put it there. Apparently he either did it himself or a mate did it for him!

lou33 · 13/09/2009 22:32

i wasnt criticising you personally, i was saying i would love to see more disabled bays not less, i find it v hard to find on street disabled parking

so if i cant find a car park then i have to stop on double yellows, which would rather avoid

lou33 · 13/09/2009 22:34

whilst i appreciate you said the bay was never used, and people get v frustrated by not being able to park outside their own home, 200 yards is not so far to walk when you are not disabled

SomeGuy · 13/09/2009 22:56

whilst i appreciate you said the bay was never used, and people get v frustrated by not being able to park outside their own home, 200 yards is not so far to walk when you are not disabled

What a ridiculous thing to say. Why do you think people have garages, pave over their front gardens, etc. People want parking outside their house. It's a big issue.

There is no reason to have a disabled bay on a residential street if it's not being used, especially if people do not have off-street parking.

Sycamoretreeisvile · 13/09/2009 22:58

It is when you have a 18 month old and a 3 year old and 7 bags from sainbos.

It's a bit like that problem with the chicken, the fox, the bag of grain and the boat

Listen, I completely get what you're saying. But on balance I think the regular daily needs of the residents of our street outweigh the sometime needs of a hypothetical disabled visitor to the street...which if they were coming to visit, the person owning the house would only have to move their own car to accomodate their visitor parking near to their hourse.

You'd just have to see our street to appreciate my point. The placing of the disabled bay, out of context of the person it was originally put there for, was completely redundant.

As I say, not parked in, EVER for at least the 2.5 years we have lived here.

lou33 · 13/09/2009 23:02

i do understand as i had 4 children and the same situation, just one was disabled

i just think its a tad insensitive to complain about parking 200 yards away on a thread about disabled bays

i am sure there are many people who would love to be able to walk that far, hell i wish my son could even take one step

i do understand how irritating not being able to find a place to park is, i just happen to think its more so for someone who cant walk that far

Sycamoretreeisvile · 13/09/2009 23:06

I think it's a bit unfair to throw that back in my face tbh.

Yes, this is a thread about disabled parking bays..an OP about someone wondering about complaining and removing one. I think my experience is utterly relevant.

It's like you're trying to say that by wanting to have reasonable parking on my own street is like I'm somehow dismissing the tragedy of a child not being able to walk.

But anyway, if you're genuinely offended I apologise.

I obviously would not have made that comment if you had started a thread saying hey, there really ought to be more disabled parking bays in general.

But that's not the thread.

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