Disabled Parking (another view)
Discussion
So many issues surrounding the Blue Badge!
My late parents both had Blue Badges, my father had hip/spine/bone problems all his life. He fought the problems hard all his life and at various times had to have walking sticks, crutches, wheelchair, invalid tricycle (blue 3-wheeled thing) and Motability cars.
My mother, in her last few years, found it very hard to walk and had to rely on a wheelchair.
Having spent years helping them with shopping, days out etc. I have seen many aspects of people's attitudes and reaction to disabled drivers:-
1) My father loved driving, he was never a 'Sunday driver'. Right up to the last time he drove he would always 'make progress'!
2) There were many times when people would see him use his Blue Badge to park where they couldn't. Some of the comments made when people saw him walk fairly briskly with "just a walking stick" led to many instances of him stopping me from launching at the ignorant morons who did not stop to think that he may me in extreme pain despite being dosed up on extreme pain killers!
3) Many are the times where he couldn't park in a designated disabled space due to some self-important white-van-man/taxi driver/lazy
deciding that their mission gave them carte blanche to waive the rules.
4) From the other perspective, as a good, keen and courteous driver he would never use his disabled status to park his car where it would cause inconvenience to other road users (blocking access or creating obstructions) which, unfortunately, so many Blue-Badge holders seem to think is their right!
5) Also, if I was driving them anywhere, I may use the Blue Badge in the car while helping them in/out but I would always go and park in a normal space in order to leave room for those who really need it. Just because you can display the badge it doesn't always mean that you have to!
6) He also had to have regular checks in order to continue to receive his various 'benefits' when all around him (family, carers, doctors) could see the pain he had to go through day-in, day-out. Yet so many spongers were piling on the bullst to get more and more benefits when a little healthy exercise would cure all of their (physical) ailments.
So please, whether you are able-bodied, disabled, a car-lover, a car-hater or a benefits scrounger... Please think twice before you act. And put yourself in the other person's place before you generalise!
My late parents both had Blue Badges, my father had hip/spine/bone problems all his life. He fought the problems hard all his life and at various times had to have walking sticks, crutches, wheelchair, invalid tricycle (blue 3-wheeled thing) and Motability cars.
My mother, in her last few years, found it very hard to walk and had to rely on a wheelchair.
Having spent years helping them with shopping, days out etc. I have seen many aspects of people's attitudes and reaction to disabled drivers:-
1) My father loved driving, he was never a 'Sunday driver'. Right up to the last time he drove he would always 'make progress'!
2) There were many times when people would see him use his Blue Badge to park where they couldn't. Some of the comments made when people saw him walk fairly briskly with "just a walking stick" led to many instances of him stopping me from launching at the ignorant morons who did not stop to think that he may me in extreme pain despite being dosed up on extreme pain killers!
3) Many are the times where he couldn't park in a designated disabled space due to some self-important white-van-man/taxi driver/lazy
deciding that their mission gave them carte blanche to waive the rules.4) From the other perspective, as a good, keen and courteous driver he would never use his disabled status to park his car where it would cause inconvenience to other road users (blocking access or creating obstructions) which, unfortunately, so many Blue-Badge holders seem to think is their right!
5) Also, if I was driving them anywhere, I may use the Blue Badge in the car while helping them in/out but I would always go and park in a normal space in order to leave room for those who really need it. Just because you can display the badge it doesn't always mean that you have to!
6) He also had to have regular checks in order to continue to receive his various 'benefits' when all around him (family, carers, doctors) could see the pain he had to go through day-in, day-out. Yet so many spongers were piling on the bulls
t to get more and more benefits when a little healthy exercise would cure all of their (physical) ailments.So please, whether you are able-bodied, disabled, a car-lover, a car-hater or a benefits scrounger... Please think twice before you act. And put yourself in the other person's place before you generalise!
Edited by PoleDriver on Tuesday 3rd July 00:24
My friends sister is autistic and she has a blue badge and a motability car she has no physical issues and happily walks miles so a lot of people say she doesnt need these things. But when she goes shopping she can get frustrated and can suddenly attack people (she has carers who are trained to take her shopping) so the blue badge means that the carers or my mate can get her into the car quickly and relatively easily.
davep said:
C.A.R. said:
Another un-related thing which boils my p*ss....
A disabled person's car tax disc will show up as 'exempt' - this is always on display. My dad has accidently failed to display the blue badge in the front window (for whatever reason) and has subsequently picked up parking tickets. Hasn't paid a single one, as on appeal they have been lifted.
But what a waste of time, a simple observation could've saved all that paperwork...
I agree, a complete waste of time and money ... but not all disabled drivers/passengers are exempt from car tax, only those in receipt of War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement and the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance. As it is a strict requirement of the scheme to display the Blue Badge when using a disabled parking facility, and the ticket issuer isn't under any obligation to check the car tax disc details, unless there is a parking concession for tax exempt cars, they see it as a fair cop.A disabled person's car tax disc will show up as 'exempt' - this is always on display. My dad has accidently failed to display the blue badge in the front window (for whatever reason) and has subsequently picked up parking tickets. Hasn't paid a single one, as on appeal they have been lifted.
But what a waste of time, a simple observation could've saved all that paperwork...
I've also been taken to task for displaying the badge and all the other paraphernalia in the wrong area of the dashboard!
I used to park the car up on double yellows, put the Orange Badge (for it was 10 years ago now) on the dash, lock up and walk away. Oh, the abuse! As someone else posted, it's almost always the old 'uns
for some reason 
- there are many twised old fruits out there 
. I only ever did this to go and pick up Wendy from wherever she was. Walking back to the car, parked on double yellows with the Orange Badge on display, having dropped Wendy off, was usually similarly gruesome...
Wendy had "myotonic dystrophy" (google it) and appeared to be intoxicated (to be frank) in terms of unsteadiness on her feet, unclear speech and a couple of other things. Even walking down the street supporting her was fraught with insults of the "drunk at this time of day!" kind - again, usually from the old 'uns but always from those narrow of mind and wide of mouth.
Reading this thread is like travelling back in time and legitimately using her Orange Badge, all over again - grim.
The delightfully cantankerous old bugger that lived next door to us persuaded the council to designate the space outside his door as "disabled". A few weeks later he lost his license, due to his disability, and his wife didn't drive, so Motability took the car back. Despite not even owning a car he still ranted and raged whenever anyone parked in "his" space, waving his walking stick from his front door.
The biggest chuckle came when my wife, who has MS, finally completed the bureaucratic obstacle course and got her own Blue Badge, and started parking in the "disabled" space herself.
The old sod never did speak to us again, we did move the car to let the hearse park a few weeks later.
The space is still marked disabled:
http://goo.gl/maps/jtVH
The biggest chuckle came when my wife, who has MS, finally completed the bureaucratic obstacle course and got her own Blue Badge, and started parking in the "disabled" space herself.
The old sod never did speak to us again, we did move the car to let the hearse park a few weeks later.
The space is still marked disabled:
http://goo.gl/maps/jtVH
stuartmmcfc said:
On the other hand,
I'm in my 40s, had a blue badge for several years (I cant walk more than a few feet unaided) and during those years I've owned a selection of "modestly" flash cars.
The current one is a xkr convertible, and I've NEVER had any bad looks or spiteful comments.
I've even sat there, roof down, hoping someone might say something so I could come and post on here
Most people are to self absorbed to worry about others is my experience,
I often cart my Mother about and use the badge when she is with us. your experience is mine. I'm wondering if some of these sensitive souls are exaggerating a little.I'm in my 40s, had a blue badge for several years (I cant walk more than a few feet unaided) and during those years I've owned a selection of "modestly" flash cars.
The current one is a xkr convertible, and I've NEVER had any bad looks or spiteful comments.
I've even sat there, roof down, hoping someone might say something so I could come and post on here
Most people are to self absorbed to worry about others is my experience,
Edited by stuartmmcfc on Monday 2nd July 22:07
dabofoppo said:
My friends sister is autistic and she has a blue badge and a motability car she has no physical issues and happily walks miles so a lot of people say she doesnt need these things. But when she goes shopping she can get frustrated and can suddenly attack people (she has carers who are trained to take her shopping) so the blue badge means that the carers or my mate can get her into the car quickly and relatively easily.
Unfortunately that badge is likely to be removed from you on renewal as I don't know any criteria she would fulfill.Riley Blue said:
OP, you'll get nothing but sympathy from me. My Dad is 92 and on the rare occasions he leaves the house it is by car with his wheelchair on board. Having the extra width of a disabled bay is as much for the protection of adjacent cars as it is to help him get out, like your lad he sometimes pushes the door wide open to help him manouvere himself into his 'chair.
Dad has a blue badge which is only ever used when he's in one of the family's cars but even then I've received stares when I've hopped out and walked round to the passenger side to help him out. Some people seem to think it's only for the driver.
I'm a registered driver for my best friends grandad as none of his family have a full license at the moment and I've had similar problems when I hop out to go round and get him out and stick him in his chair I actually once had security come up to me to tell me to move as he could see I was able bodied and obviously had a stolen badge I politely showed him the wheelchair in the boot and the old man in the front it does really annoy me when people are so quick to judgeDad has a blue badge which is only ever used when he's in one of the family's cars but even then I've received stares when I've hopped out and walked round to the passenger side to help him out. Some people seem to think it's only for the driver.
Edited by Iang84 on Tuesday 3rd July 09:36
About 6mths ago me & the family went to small town for a bit of retail therapy and as we got there an old shogun parked in the disabled bay without a badge,Never mind i thought there are other places available and put the blue badge in the window and bought a ticket from the machine.
2 hrs later come back to see a sticker on the window stating that i had misused the blue badge as i was not in a disabled bay,The worlds gone mad i tell thee.........
2 hrs later come back to see a sticker on the window stating that i had misused the blue badge as i was not in a disabled bay,The worlds gone mad i tell thee.........
Flawless Victory said:
PSBuckshot said:
What about the ones at my gym who park there and then go spend an hour on the treadmill or weight lifting?
One guy always takes to 1 1/2 bays. That is just bone idleness.
As a raspberry and a blue-badge holder, when I went to the gym for my physiotherapy sessions, where would you expect me to park?One guy always takes to 1 1/2 bays. That is just bone idleness.
Something that made me giggle recently was a low-life scrounger in the local housing association estate - had a motability car (brand new every 18 months obviously), a house that is paid for and no job. Obviously had a blue badge too and allocated parking outside his house with a fully marked DISABLED bay.
Anyway, never seen a wheelchair, limp or anything - neighbours being suspicious decided to inform the relevant people. Couple of weeks later the car went, then there were visits from people in suits and most recently the council have been around and burned the disabled bay from the road....
Ooops, seems he was a "benefits scrounger" and got busted. Still keeps the house though, but suspect there is more to it than that.
Anyway, never seen a wheelchair, limp or anything - neighbours being suspicious decided to inform the relevant people. Couple of weeks later the car went, then there were visits from people in suits and most recently the council have been around and burned the disabled bay from the road....
Ooops, seems he was a "benefits scrounger" and got busted. Still keeps the house though, but suspect there is more to it than that.
cindychops said:
When i started this thread it was to justify why i would use the disabled bay,The ONLY reason is to make it easier for my son to get in & out of the car and that is all.
What did people do in the old days before there was lots of disabled bays?
There were less cars and fewer parking restrictions!What did people do in the old days before there was lots of disabled bays?
Riley Blue said:
They parked wherever they damned well liked.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff