Rant - Blue Badge Abuse
Discussion
The Gym I use overlooks the disabled car park
Bint 1 , Sets the time the blue clock, gets out, young woman, helps a 2-3y old child out car, walks off into the distance no apparent problems.
Bint 2. sets the time on blue clock ,gets out, middle aged woman, Ok I don’t know what problems she may have so don’t worry, 5 min later she is on the treadmill next to me, completes 3 Km at reasonable walking place
The list goes on
My dad, struggles to walk more than 20-30 m needs 2 sticks.
My great Aunt, had polio as a child struggles to get out of car and into wheelchair, cannot stand alone.
Sometimes it is impossible to find a disabled slot for them, and it boils my p!$$ knowing many of the slots are taken with the likes of bints above
So many people abuse this scheme and nobody appears to police it. The only check that I know of is to ask patients GP. Most GP’s have absolutely no idea how far a patient can walk without difficulty. GP gets blame if badge refused
Guidelines for a blue badge are
1. have a disability
2. it should be permanent (ie broken leg doesn’t count)
3. unable to walk 100 yards without difficulty
Bint 1 , Sets the time the blue clock, gets out, young woman, helps a 2-3y old child out car, walks off into the distance no apparent problems.
Bint 2. sets the time on blue clock ,gets out, middle aged woman, Ok I don’t know what problems she may have so don’t worry, 5 min later she is on the treadmill next to me, completes 3 Km at reasonable walking place
The list goes on
My dad, struggles to walk more than 20-30 m needs 2 sticks.
My great Aunt, had polio as a child struggles to get out of car and into wheelchair, cannot stand alone.
Sometimes it is impossible to find a disabled slot for them, and it boils my p!$$ knowing many of the slots are taken with the likes of bints above
So many people abuse this scheme and nobody appears to police it. The only check that I know of is to ask patients GP. Most GP’s have absolutely no idea how far a patient can walk without difficulty. GP gets blame if badge refused
Guidelines for a blue badge are
1. have a disability
2. it should be permanent (ie broken leg doesn’t count)
3. unable to walk 100 yards without difficulty
carrera2 said:
IMHO diasabled spots at gyms are wrong. If you're able to use the gym facilities you're able to cross a car park.
*Expects flaming but simply doesn't care.*
*Expects flaming but simply doesn't care.*
Unless they're in a wheelchair and doing upper body strength stuff at the gym to keep fit?
(by the way, I initially read the title as "Blue Peter Badge abuse" and felt a twinge of guilt I thought long assuaged)
Edited by graham@edinburgh on Monday 22 January 11:08
graham@edinburgh said:
carrera2 said:
IMHO diasabled spots at gyms are wrong. If you're able to use the gym facilities you're able to cross a car park.
*Expects flaming but simply doesn't care.*
*Expects flaming but simply doesn't care.*
Unless they're in a wheelchair and doing upper body strength stuff at the gym to keep fit?
(by the way, I initially read the title as "Blue Peter Badge abuse" and felt a twinge of guilt I thought long assuaged)
Edited by graham@edinburgh on Monday 22 January 11:08
I still don't care though Graham - if they're that active then they can cross a car park and enjoy the additional exersize.
I will never *ever* park in a disabled spot, anywhere (for I am not) - but I will park in parent and child ones, espescially when it's 10pm at night.
Had a woman rant at me in Sainsbury's car park t'other day- as I'd parked in a parent and child spot (on my own). Said I should park "over there" 50 yards away.
Told her to get real - it was nearly 10pm and the car park was empty, but I'm sure she felt better for telling me off.
But yes - disabled spaces at Gyms...what's the point?
Had a woman rant at me in Sainsbury's car park t'other day- as I'd parked in a parent and child spot (on my own). Said I should park "over there" 50 yards away.
Told her to get real - it was nearly 10pm and the car park was empty, but I'm sure she felt better for telling me off.
But yes - disabled spaces at Gyms...what's the point?
carrera2 said:
I still don't care though Graham - if they're that active then they can cross a car park and enjoy the additional exersize.
It's not how active they may be that is the reason for the spaces, its the amount of extra width that is required for a wheel chair user, for example, to enter and exit a vehicle.
Locating the larger spaces close to the entrance of whatever the building might be, including gyms, is sensible to ensure that other degrees of restricted mobility can be accomodated.
If you are that worried about having to park slightly further away from your gym, simply set your target on the running machine to 20m less, or do 4 less reps on the weights.
russian rocket said:
The Gym I use overlooks the disabled car park
Bint 1 , Sets the time the blue clock, gets out, young woman, helps a 2-3y old child out car, walks off into the distance no apparent problems.
Bint 1 , Sets the time the blue clock, gets out, young woman, helps a 2-3y old child out car, walks off into the distance no apparent problems.
You may find the the badge is for the child NOT the woman. I know someone whos child has only one lung and therefore the child cannot walk far (yes I know the child could go in a pushchair but rules are rules).
mat205125 said:
carrera2 said:
I still don't care though Graham - if they're that active then they can cross a car park and enjoy the additional exersize.
It's not how active they may be that is the reason for the spaces, its the amount of extra width that is required for a wheel chair user, for example, to enter and exit a vehicle.
Locating the larger spaces close to the entrance of whatever the building might be, including gyms, is sensible to ensure that other degrees of restricted mobility can be accomodated.
Beat me to it. It's similar to Parent & Child (oops, can, worms etc) C2, in that it's not just the proximity to the destination but room to maneouvre without thumping the...oh I dunno, M3 (to pick a car at random
)...parked next to it with the doors. Edited by graham@edinburgh on Monday 22 January 11:21
mat205125 said:
carrera2 said:
I still don't care though Graham - if they're that active then they can cross a car park and enjoy the additional exersize.
It's not how active they may be that is the reason for the spaces, its the amount of extra width that is required for a wheel chair user, for example, to enter and exit a vehicle.
Locating the larger spaces close to the entrance of whatever the building might be, including gyms, is sensible to ensure that other degrees of restricted mobility can be accomodated.
If you are that worried about having to park slightly further away from your gym, simply set your target on the running machine to 20m less, or do 4 less reps on the weights.
I couldn't care less where I park it's more of a principle - by the way your arguement is flawed by the fact that the disabled bays are ALWAYS by the door and not tucked away where there's plenty more room for opening doors etc.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Have you been in one of those "how do you sleep at night" adverts?
I love being a complete barsteward like that when I know I'm in the right, and applaud your actions completely.
Gives you a proper Mwuuu Ha Ha Ha good feeling knowing you've done your bit. Have you have cause to bump into her outside the car park to give a jolly "good morning"?
russian rocket said:
So many people abuse this scheme and nobody appears to police it. The only check that I know of is to ask patients GP. Most GP’s have absolutely no idea how far a patient can walk without difficulty. GP gets blame if badge refused
Guidelines for a blue badge are
1. have a disability
2. it should be permanent (ie broken leg doesn’t count)
3. unable to walk 100 yards without difficulty
Good points - I usually have to ask the patient! The best way to get this sorted would be for councils to take away the responsibility for filling the bloody forms from GPs & make people undergo an independent assessment by council-hired doctors, before handing out the badge. (Terminal illness would be a reasonable exception to this). Of course they won't, too expensive!
carrera2 said:
I couldn't care less where I park it's more of a principle - by the way your arguement is flawed by the fact that the disabled bays are ALWAYS by the door and not tucked away where there's plenty more room for opening doors etc.
So who should get to park by the doors? People without disabled badges who can all(presumably) walk or people with badges, some of whom can't. It's not just the distance people have to travel from car to door or the size of the space to allow for wheelchair use, it's also a question of how easy it is to get a wheelchair/walking frame/whatever across the car park. mechsympathy said:
carrera2 said:
I couldn't care less where I park it's more of a principle - by the way your arguement is flawed by the fact that the disabled bays are ALWAYS by the door and not tucked away where there's plenty more room for opening doors etc.
So who should get to park by the doors? People without disabled badges who can all(presumably) walk or people with badges, some of whom can't. It's not just the distance people have to travel from car to door or the size of the space to allow for wheelchair use, it's also a question of how easy it is to get a wheelchair/walking frame/whatever across the car park. A walking frame in a gym - please.
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