Disabled Parking Bays

Poppy9

I too don't qualify for a disabled badge even though I regularly suffer a back problem that leaves me unable to walk any distance without hanging onto something. But I am not permanently disabled so my GP tells me to stay off work but carry on as normal! I struggle to get in and out the car as I can't turn easily and have to manhandle my legs in and out Normal spaces have too little room between cars to fully open the doors.

While I am bend double and limping from the back of the CP to Tescos I see blue badge holders reaching into cars and easily loading heavy bags or kids with no effort. No limping into the shop for them. No need to ask for help to unload the trolley. It seems if you know how to work the system or are old you get a badge. A work colleague with Rhumatiod Arthritis was refused 3 times (and she was badly affected) while another with a broken ankle claimed she now had chronic arthritis and was awarded one on first attempt. She also managed to qualify for the higher rate Disability allowance and so had a motobility car. There's not much wrong with her ankle when she is dancing the night away every week.

Rant nearly over - yes I get annoyed by disabled drivers using parents & kids parking spaces (even thought I no longer use - well there is a limit to the age you can bend their legs into a trolley for the sake of a space - about 10 don't you think? LOL).

Yes I get really mad at disabled badge holders causing obstructions, especially in school bus parking lanes and by dropped kerbs for wheelchairs and push chairs. Hello aren't you disabled - don't you understand that wheelchair users rely on these kerbs to stay mobile. It is such a problem in my town centre I asked the council to consider painting an exclusion box in front of these kerbs to deter parking.

Phew rant finished.

Mumstheword

My application was refused because my illness is not deemed to be permanent disability. I hope that's true, but it's been 7 ish years so far.
Anyway, I know of someone else who was refused on his first attempt because he was also not deemed to have a permanent disability. He had had a leg amputated. I think he should have written back to thank them for the hope they had given him that it may one day grow back ;D
If you think a decision is wrong, you must appeal if you are able. At the time, i wasn't well enough to waste my time appealing, and over time i've improved so i feel less needy of a badge, although i am still at a disadvantage to most able bodied people when it comes to walking.

mum

jellyhead

it might help if the cashpoint wasn't next to the disabled bays ... at sainsburys the cashpoint is right at the store entrance so everybody parks in a disabled bay thinking it doesn't matter as they'll only be there for a couple of minutes. at asda the cashpoint is on the same wall as the store entrance but at the other end of the carpark, so if you want the cashpoint you park near it. thinking about it though maybe this makes it difficult for disabled shoppers if they need to get to the cashpoint before doing their shopping.... hmmm ... there's no parking space right next to the cashpoint, you have to be in the car park which is just next to it but has the busy in/out road to cross before you actually get to it.

as for disabled badges the system does appear to have flaws, my aunt was always refused by i know plenty of other MS sufferers who get a badge.

Lucie_2

My husband has 3 or 4 disabled parking bays right outside his office window at work, so he can see if the people using them are genuine or not (it's a private car park). If they're not, he'll move his car & block them in or announce a very embarrassing message over the tannoy "would the lazy person who has parked in the disabled bay please move their car immediately". They only do it once! One of the stafff did it once (she didn't want to get her new car damaged) & he blocked her in til he was ready to go home at 11pm! ha ha. Serves her right.

jellyhead

lol!!

at university they had horrible A4 stickers that they would stick to the passenger side window if you parked in the wrong place. i'm not sure how legal it is, i suppose it must be because the staff had them specially made and used them all the time, maybe it's okay as long as they're not on the front window? i don't know what they stuck them on with but it was really hard to scrape them off, you had to drive home and try for days to remove them. it was embarassing too because everyone seeing the sticker knew you'd parked somewhere you shouldn't have done and thought you were lazy and selfish. perhaps supermarkets could start doing it? only to people who don't have a badge, and they'd need badges for parents of under 5's for the parent/child spaces i suppose.

i think the problem is that the car parks aren't owned by the supermarkets, they are owned by the council. if the council could be persuaded that it's in their interests to employ extra staff to go around charging people £30 or whatever if they park in a bay without having the appropriate badge then maybe it could work. not sure how the parent/child badge thing would work but with disabled spaces it would be more clear cut, you just shouldn't park there without a badge. the fine should also be higher than the normal fine for parking without a ticket.

Trix

The DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT 'Measures to tackle misuse of off-street disabled parking spaces' (which include supermarkets) says:
'Part 3 of The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires service providers to take reasonable steps to ensure that disabled people do not find it impossible, or unreasonably difficult, to enjoy the service on the same basis as non-disabled people. This will have implications for car park operators, who may have to demonstrate that as well as marking out disabled persons' parking spaces, they have taken reasonable steps to ensure that they are available to disabled people.'


There is a scheme called 'BAYWATCH' to tackle abusers of disabled bays in supermarkets


According to the Baywatch site Asda say that 'customer feedback has led to the establishment of budgets for stores for 'specialist space hosts', whose job it is to monitor parking bays and ensure there is no abuse of bays allocated for disabled customers. As well as having specific training for these staff, each Asda store has a supply of leaflets which are placed on cars parked in disabled parking bays but not displaying a valid blue badge . '

There is progress reports for Asda, Safeway, Tesco and Sainsburys on the site.

Pat__3

Thanks Trix thats really helpful, thank you again for printing that.

nicknak123

First of all I am in favour of preferential spaces being set aside for both those who are disabled & those with kids.

I also believe most sane people have no objection to this. Why would they ?

BUT why do there have to be so many ? My local Tesco's have about 20 disabled spaces which are nearly always empty even though the rest of the car park is full >:(

This is infuriating for anybody looking for a 'legal' parking space but who is unable to find one.

I am starting to think this is just a ploy by Tesco's to keep the front of their stores clear.

jellyhead

what time of day are you shopping? i find weekdays are quieter inside the shop and on those days the kid and disabled bays are full. i assume that many people with disabilities or young children aim to do their shopping when the store's less busy and they're less likely to get rammed by trolleys, etc.

if i go on a weekend the car park and store is full to bursting but there are unused disabled parking bays. depending on the nature of the disability i suppose it's easier to shop on weekdays than on busy weekends.

but the disabled and kid spaces have to be there all the time, to make them off-peak only would be to assume that the majority of disabled people and parents don't work during the week.

Pat__3

I too don't qualify for a disabled badge even though I regularly suffer a back problem that leaves me unable to walk any distance without hanging onto something. But I am not permanently disabled so my GP tells me to stay off work but carry on as normal! I struggle to get in and out the car as I can't turn easily and have to manhandle my legs in and out Normal spaces have too little room between cars to fully open the doors.

While I am bend double and limping from the back of the CP to Tescos I see blue badge holders reaching into cars and easily loading heavy bags or kids with no effort. No limping into the shop for them. No need to ask for help to unload the trolley. It seems if you know how to work the system or are old you get a badge. A work colleague with Rhumatiod Arthritis was refused 3 times (and she was badly affected) while another with a broken ankle claimed she now had chronic arthritis and was awarded one on first attempt. She also managed to qualify for the higher rate Disability allowance and so had a motobility car. There's not much wrong with her ankle when she is dancing the night away every week.

Rant nearly over - yes I get annoyed by disabled drivers using parents & kids parking spaces (even thought I no longer use - well there is a limit to the age you can bend their legs into a trolley for the sake of a space - about 10 don't you think? LOL).

Yes I get really mad at disabled badge holders causing obstructions, especially in school bus parking lanes and by dropped kerbs for wheelchairs and push chairs. Hello aren't you disabled - don't you understand that wheelchair users rely on these kerbs to stay mobile. It is such a problem in my town centre I asked the council to consider painting an exclusion box in front of these kerbs to deter parking.

Phew rant finished.

Why do people always relate to a person being disabled by having to be in a wheel chair.

There are lots of people disabled who are not in wheel chairs, there are a lot of people who are disabled that don't look disabled, why do they have to have a limp or be bent over or struggle to reach in a car ???

So as far as your concerned if they don't look disabled to you, then there working the system thats pathetic.

There are lots of people who are disabled with many disabilities that don't look disabled to the general passer by, you could have also got them on one of there few good days, were all entitled to one >:(

So I take it that you would like us all in wheel chairs with carers attached and know independance.
Alot of us will hang on to our independance for along as we can, thank you very much.

DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER.