Disabled Parking Bays

scheming_gypsy

what about a cook book?


It also works the other way round.. My Grandma can't walk very far and sometimes uses a wheel chair. I'm not her carer but if i took her shopping where should i park? the far end of the car park cos none of us are registered disabled and have a badge so we can park closer to the doors, or do we park closer to the door cos she has a disability?

jellyhead

my gran's not registered disabled but she can't walk far and she can't walk at all without her frame (it's a zimmer frame on wheels, fantastic, she bought it herself because she found the ones without wheels difficult to use).

but we don't have the 'where to park' dilemna because supermarkets are too busy for her, she's scared to go in them in case she gets knocked over :-(

i'm trying to persuade her to go when it's less busy and if she does then she'll be using a wheelchair trolley thing, but i assume we wouldn't be allowed to park in a disabled bay without a badge, we'd have to drop her off at the front door then go find a parking space.

Mumstheword

My dad parked in a disabled slot once to allow him and mum to go into a supermarket. Mum had broken one leg and damaged the other. As far as they were concerned, they had an ability disadvantage, and needed extra space for mum to get in and out, and also to not have to run the gauntlet of a busy car park.

I'm sure if they'd been caught, they'd have had a problem, because of course they had no badge! Dad ignored that triviality in favour of the arguement that mum was disabled, if temporarily.

Poppy9

No I don't expect all disabled people to be in a wheel chair but I do expect them to have difficulty walking any distance or to need extra room to manouvre in and out of the car. Isn't that the point of the spaces. Closer to the shops, wider spaces? If you don't have either of these difficulties but are still registered disabled you could surely use the main car park the same as others?

I have a close relative of no great age who is registered disabled and qualified for a badge. To look at her you would query why she needed a badge. She readily agrees she doesn't need to park nearer the supermarket, she doesn't need wider spaces, she doesn't need reduced rate parking in council car parks and she doesn't need all day free parking on street. What she does need it the ability to stop quickly and visit a public convenience - but as she has the badges she uses it to it's limit. As she says why not everyone else is.

I agree that people who are temp. disabled i.e. broken limbs should be allowed short term badges or at the very least there should be dropping off, collection points for people to use. Sadly we are saddled with a huge number of able bodied 'disabled people' abusing a system set up to help those in geniune need.

bethscott1970

No I don't expect all disabled people to be in a wheel chair but I do expect them to have difficulty walking any distance or to need extra room to manouvre in and out of the car.

You'd have fun watching our family then. I can get out of the car not too badly (if it's the first thing I've done that day) then my husband gets our and staggers (looking like he's drunk) to let our 4 children out. What you can't see is that I have MS and I'll be struggling to put one foot in front of the other in about 10 minutes. He has various problems including labyrinthitus (sp?) and can't balance and 2 of our sons have ADHD and forms of Autism. So to see us park looks like someone pulling a fast one but when we leave the problems are obvious! Hubby at the moment is having to use Asda's electric shopping scooters and we even had one woman start on him for being drunk in charge of that the other day :-[
So remember what you see when someone gets out of the car isn't the way they'll look when they get back in. (and for the record we're entitled to 4 blue badges but we actually only have one because we have to go together to support each other)

Poppy9

You'd have fun watching our family then. I can get out of the car not too badly (if it's the first thing I've done that day) then my husband gets our and staggers (looking like he's drunk) to let our 4 children out. What you can't see is that I have MS and I'll be struggling to put one foot in front of the other in about 10 minutes. He has various problems including labyrinthitus (sp?) and can't balance and 2 of our sons have ADHD and forms of Autism. So to see us park looks like someone pulling a fast one but when we leave the problems are obvious! Hubby at the moment is having to use Asda's electric shopping scooters and we even had one woman start on him for being drunk in charge of that the other day  :-[
So remember what you see when someone gets out of the car isn't the way they'll look when they get back in. (and for the record we're entitled to 4 blue badges but we actually only have one because we have to go together to support each other)

You seem to miss my point. I thought the whole point of disabled accessible parking spaces was that they were wider to accommodate people who had difficulty in manoeuvring in and out of vehicles and were closer to shops etc. for people who cannot walk for a long period. So why allow all day free parking on roads? If you are in 1 or 2 hour parking bay you are allowed to stay all day but if you qualify for a disabled badge 1 of the main criteria is that you have severe difficulty walking for any period of time.

These are the rules for the issue of disabled blue badges taken from the Road Traffic Acts but 'translated' into 'plain English' :

Disabled Parking Badges

The Blue Badge Scheme provides free parking for people with disabilities who travel either as drivers or passengers. You can get a Blue Badge if:

* you receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance

* you receive a War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement

* you use a motor vehicle supplied for disabled people by a Government Health Department

* you are registered blind

* you have a severe disability in both upper limbs, regularly drive a motor vehicle but cannot turn the steering wheel of a motor vehicle by hand even if that wheel is fitted with a turning knob

* you have a permanent and substantial disability which means you are unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty in walking. In this case you may be asked to answer a series of questions to help the local authority determine whether you are eligible for a badge. People with a psychological disorder will not normally qualify unless their impairment causes very considerable, and not intermittent, difficulty in walking.


(Note: Children under two years of age do not qualify for a badge because they would not normally be expected to be able to walk independently.)

Finally as Labyrinthitis causes a spinning sensation (vertigo) and sometimes unsteadiness or even falling. Vomiting may occur and there may also be deafness and a sense of ringing or hissing in the ears (tinnitus) I query whether the DVLA or insurer would be happy with anyone with this condition driving any vehicle. Would the shops be liable if someone with this type of condition while using one of their motorised scooters injured another shopper or even themself?

bethscott1970

Finally as Labyrinthitis causes a spinning sensation (vertigo) and sometimes unsteadiness or even falling. Vomiting may occur and there may also be deafness and a sense of ringing or hissing in the ears (tinnitus) I query whether the DVLA or insurer would be happy with anyone with this condition driving any vehicle. Would the shops be liable if someone with this type of condition while using one of their motorised scooters injured another shopper or even themself?

Did I at any point say he was driving the car? And unless he managed to fall out of the buggy I doubt he'd manage to hurt anyone else with it. They don't exactly go at high speed and he's no more a danger in it than anyone else who has a disability that requires it's use.
As for parking on roads then thats something we try to avoid, but there are times that is the only option. However we would only park long enough to do what we are there for and then leave and of course making sure we are not blocking anything.

There are people that WILL abuse the system, the same as no matter what you are talking about there will always be some that decide to abuse it. TV licenses, driving when drinking, ordering 100 of a pricing mistake

Pat__3

Again this subject of looking disabled, why do you have to look physically disabled to prove a point.

What about the man
who has a bad heart condition and gets pain in his chest if he walks great distances, so he may have to keep stopping, or the people with very bad bladder problems and arthritis, they don't always look disabled but are, you might just cop them on a good day, they may be able to walk around the shop to a certain degree, but when they get home they may not be able to walk at all for the rest of the day or week .

There are lots of conditions of being disabled, but not all of them are obvious to the eye.

As for the spaces in the bays alot of people need to be able to open their doors wide to get in and out, even if their not using a wheel chair.
You Poppy9 sound very bitter about all this but I'm sorry this is the way it is, there are people abuse the system there always will be unless we catch them out and get them sorted but there is always someone abusing some system isn't there we just hope they get caught, but don't look at everyone with that in mind as some people are genuine.

And as for the blue badge, from what I know you can only park for 2-3hrs on the road (with double yellow lines) and then you have to move or change the timer on the clock and reset it.
Its daft really we have disabled people complaining about non disabled people parking in the bays as there probably to lazy to walk, and then we have people complaining that the disabled people don't look disabled enough to use the bays.
You really can't win :-/

Pat__3

what about a cook book?


It also works the other way round.. My Grandma can't walk very far and sometimes uses a wheel chair.  I'm not her carer but if i took her shopping where should i park? the far end of the car park cos none of us are registered disabled and have a badge so we can park closer to the doors, or do we park closer to the door cos she has a disability?

The cook book I have no answer for S_G, you got me on that one

Has your Grandma not applied for a parking badge S_G ???

Poppy9

I am not bitter and I don't begrudge genuine needy people a blue badge.  What I am merely pointing out is that their issue of them is not equitable and they are issued for life even though many people only have a short term disability.  If you note from previous post  I mentioned a friend with Rheumatoid arthritis was turned down twice.  So I know how people with arthritis look.  I also mentioned a close relative with a bladder problem so I know needs are not always visible ; I also know that the bladder problems have caused severe fatigue problems so she cannot lift or bend easily and this is very obvious. One mum down my school has a mobility car (this means she has higher level disability allowance) as she claims severe back problems. This doesn't prevent her from getting pregnant time and time again and carrying full term with no problem.  It doesn't prevent her lifting kids of various ages above her head and swinging them around.  It does prevent her working though as she couldn't stand all day.


The real problem is the poor provision of car parking or accessible public transport.  Out of town shopping centres and public car parks are so keen to jam as many people in as possible that spaces are too small.  How many times have you returned to your car to find you cannot open your door to get in?  If all spaces had to meet a minimum requirement, there would be no need for disabled spaces.    If all shopping centres had decent park and ride facilities; again the need for so many disabled blue badges would disappear.

If you truly and genuinely need a blue badge then your conscience is clear so you have no need to justify yourself.