Blue Badges for Temporary Disabilities

[Petitionforchange]

I dislocated my knee badly in November and I’m still on crutches and struggling with mobility. I feel strongly that a temporary ‘blue badge’ for parking could make a huge difference to me and many like me.
My idea is that this could be issued immediately by a doctor or consultant and stamped to last for a certain period of time. All patients with a short term mobility issue would be eligible. The suggestion is that the badge would be a different colour, perhaps purple, to denote it as temporary. It wouldn’t allow free parking but would allow the user to park in wider disabled bays.
if you’ve ever been on crutches, I’m sure you’ll appreciate what a difference this could make. Please sign my petition: https://c.org/VDfSWnj8hT

This sort of thing has been investigated many times over the years, always with the conclusion that the admin required and cost to implement would be massive , hence why it's always stayed as being only for those who are on higher rate disability benefits. I understand what you mean (I spent nearly 4 years on crutches and had 3 operations on my knees) but it's not seen as being workable.

I think that the solution is to take away the paperwork and admin needed by giving medical professionals the power to issue them instantly (literally a pile of them and a stamp in A&E and GP practices). Paperwork would be minimal but the impact would be massive.

Too open to abuse. People just can't be trusted!

I can just imagine the abuse of the system and the impact on disabled people tbh. I know people who use blue badges to park without the disabled owner even being on the trip, I’ve seen people use a blue badge to park outside school and wait for their grandchild to come to the car, it’s already infuriating. We have one for dc and finding a space is really hard sometimes.

Because then they’d be given out to every temporary broken ankle etc and disabled people would never be able to get a parking space.

I broke my ankle once and it was crap not being able to get in and out of the car easily - for 6 weeks. That’s nothing when I look at how difficult it is trying to park our wheelchair adapted van for our severely disabled adult son.

I’m not sure it would be any more open to abuse than blue badges are generally to be honest. These temporary badges wouldn’t make parking free, just accessible which could have massive positive implications for the mental well-being of people who find themselves temporarily disabled.

I understand that you feel “if you’ve ever been on crutche” people will understand. Can I suggest that if you’d ever been disabled you’d understand why it’s very different from a temporary injury. I’m also not sure you’d even qualify if it was more long term because it sounds like you can get about you just need crutches? It’s a MUCH higher bar than the papers would lead you to believe.

Nope. The misuse would be huge. Having a blue badge for every ache, sprain and break is a ridiculous idea, particularly when there are people with lifelong and permanent disabilities that can’t currently get one.

It’s not a blue badge that I’m proposing, not is it for every ache and sprain.

In principle I see the need, however the current implementation of the Blue Badge scheme is so widely abused I think any expansion is unlikely.

... I'm always surprised how many blue badge holders go to the supermarket when it's raining....

but where do you draw the line? Person with temporary difficulties lasting how long? How would the severity be judged? It would never work and would be widely misused/ forged/ traded/sold.

It would be judged by a medical practitioner and based on having significant, though time limited, mobility issues.

Eh! I am a BB holder, what has the weather got to do with anything? If I really need something, and it is raining, that would not deter me from going to the supermarket.

Open to abuse and completely pointless - other drivers don’t respect blue badge spaces as it is, so imagine if every Tom Dick and Harry had one too 🤨

The argument about being forged etc could absolutely be applied to any blue badge. I’m not proposing that these badges give free parking either. My suggestion is that the ‘purple badge’ would be displayed next to a parking ticket in order to allow those who temporarily struggle to get in and out of cars due to narrow spaces and need to be able to park closer to shops can do so.

It's not about it being more open to abuse, it's about the sheer number of people it would add to the actual spaces. NOW, without this, normally, many disabled people find themselves unable to use/attend a shop/service/event because of the lack of available accessible parking If you added those with temporary disabilities, this would increase. Even if you could set the service up to be no more, or even less open to abuse as normal disabled parking bays, you would also have to a) massively increase the number of bays, and b) massively decrease the abuse of the system generally, in order to make adding 100s of people with temporary badges, in order for the move not to prevent disabled people accessing services they vitally need.

How would every Tom, Dick and Harry get one? They would be issued by medical practitioners based on a clear need.

I think there’s a huge argument for more accessible spaces in car parks- or generally wider spaces for all.

When it's raining all the BB parking spaces are taken, either by people without badges, or they are using a relatives, and yes I'm sure many are genuine users.

I totally agree with you OP. My DH had a stroke in October, left hospital in December and is completely reliant on a wheelchair and I’m not entitled to park in disabled bays in the hospital carpark for his many times a week appointments because he’s not eligible yet. So I have to park half out the space to get him out and then push him aside whilst I reverse into the space…

It’s very difficult to get a blue badge to begin with, we have to jump through hoops as it is. But you propose that temporary illnesses can get them just like that from their GP? When genuine disabled people are still struggling to get them? Then even those who do have BB’s can’t get parked anyway because folk just park in the spaces without a BB and couldn’t give a flying fig about others in need. Every Tom Dick and Harry, as in, there’s be thousands eligible in your proposed scheme.

You can apply to your local council for a BB, with a covering letter stating needs from your GP.

This is incorrect information- you don't have to be on higher rate disability benefit, or any disabily benefit to qualify for a blue badge.

If you have a temporary injury that makes crutches necessary you probably shouldn't be driving.

Not illnesses no. Physical disabilities. At the moment, my mobility is very limited. Hopefully this will get better (although I have no way of knowing if it will or how long it will take). Walking is very challenging, requiring two crutches. I try not to go out at all if it’s raining as I’m nervous of slipping. My injury has significantly restricted and limited my freedom and if you saw me, you would certainly think me disabled. However, I am not (yet) eligible for a parking badge which could have a significant, positive impact on my ability to get out and about.

It is not that easy. The below is just a tiny flavour.

It should be possible for the hospital to give a 6months pass whilst you get your head around the paperwork.

‘’Your local council will decide if you are eligible for a badge. They cannot start the assessment process until they have all the necessary evidence. It may take 12 weeks or longer to assess your application. If they decide that you are not eligible and you think that they did not take account of all the facts, you can ask them to consider your application again.’’