Parking ticket in Asda car park - Is this legal, can they take me to court?

The_Old_Bag

I have only ever parked in a restricted bay ONCE in my life. New yrs eve, 8am in the morning, chucking it down with rain, and 3 other cars in a car park built for 1000 cars, I was calling in for milk for the office - Not a 'saving the world' excuse I know, but there you have it. Why should I have to park half a mile away because I don't fit all the categories Tesco recognise ! Have I got a case for Discrimination against me I wonder ??;)
What is my ENORMOUS bug-bear is people assuming they have a god given right to park where-ever the hell they like, because they have a blue badge, or a child - even if the child or disabled person is not in the car at the time.

1) SAFETY - In the large Tesco I use most there must be HUNDREDs of designated space showing the wheelchair or parent and pushchair/child symbol. But is this enough ? Of course not. Because all THEIR particular bays right next to the shop are filled, they decide to park in the hashed areas or on the double yellow lines, which I thought meant NO-BODY should park there at all. These are often right on the bends and next to the road/junctions and presumably were put there because those clever planners and safety experts think that some drivers may like to have a view at junctions before they turn right or left.
Just because I do not have a blue badge or a child in pushchair, does not mean that you have a right to put me and my passengers life at risk, because you are so selfish that you don't care where you park, as long as you are near the front door.( and by the way even having DLA and LOWER mobility element does not get you a blue badge, so some people are 'Disabled' but do not have the benefit of all these specific, wide, close-to-the-shops bays, they have to mix with the rest of humanity and take their chances)

2) - SELFISH, SELFISH, SELFISH = 'parents' who park in parent and child bays, when they haven't got the child with them !!!!!!
They will probably be the same ones who when they have got their child on board and cannot find a child friendly bay, will call down curses on those selfish, child free drivers who have 'stolen' all their spaces. I have seen 4x4, People carriers, family saloons and mums hatchback taxis sweep elegantly into these lovely wide, near to the door spaces. Lock the door and march purposefully off to the shop - no child in sight, neither with them or left in the car - I've checked !!!!!
If you can condemn people who park in these spaces who are not entitled to, surely 'parents' should think twice before they occupy these bays when they do not need to. Why should drivers without children give consideration to those who have, when 'parent' drivers don't even give consideration to other parents.
It makes my blood boil when I spend ages driving around trying to find a space, and end up at the other end of the car park, to be walking across to the shop and be virtually mown down by a car pulling into a child bay right outside - when they are popping to the cash point, and have no child with them, or display a blue badge and nearly knock me over as they pull into a hashed zone, or park on double yellow lines.
Go on shoot me ! Not politiclly correct, but all true. One of these days when I REALLY lose my rag I'll take my camera and photograph the evidence:mad:

By the way, I have children, and have personal experience of disabilty, but don't use those spaces when I am not 'fairly' entitled to. Like a lot of issues mentioned on the MSE threads, its the fact that some people abuse a system which evolved and expanded to HELP those that need it, not to give carte blanc to break all the rules concerning public safety and parking, and condemn non members of this elitist club, to be virtual second class citizens at their own supermarket .

Rant over :embarasse

mikemoate

Quite honestly I find all this above really sad. The amount of time to type all that and not think better of it:o

Can't we all have a little consideration for each other?

If you need to park near the store or what ever and have a special parking dispensation that you are entitled to you should be able to take advantage, if it is available. If you don't have a special dispensation then you shouldn't, so leaving the bays for those who the store or whatever have deemed to have that right.

For those people with a temporary significant disability I do think they should also be entitled to use disability bays. However this would rely on everybody playing fair.

Quite frankly if you don't play fair you deserve all you get!!

morveryn

mikemoate wrote:

Quite honestly I find all this above really sad. The amount of time to type all that and not think better of it:o

Can't we all have a little consideration for each other?

We can live in hope

Unfortunately it seems parking is being abused by an inconsiderate minority of disabled and able bodied people.
If the blue badge holder is not in the car then you are not entitled to use the badge/ disabled parking. Its in the rule book that comes with the blue badge. Having a badge does not entitle you to park wherever you like and if you do you will probably find out the hard way by ending up with several parking tickets.

morveryn

The_Old_Bag wrote:

Why should I have to park half a mile away because I don't fit all the categories Tesco recognise ! Have I got a case for Discrimination against me I wonder ??;)

:rolleyes: I can't believe you have asked 'why'. Why should I?! I give up - lol.
Why should you? Well you answered your own question really, you don't fit into any of the applicable catatgories therefore you are not entitled to park there.

Because all THEIR particular bays right next to the shop are filled, they decide to park in the hashed areas or on the double yellow lines, which I thought meant NO-BODY should park there at all.

This is clearly wrong & the shop ought to sort it out before there is an accident.

2) - SELFISH, SELFISH, SELFISH = 'parents' who park in parent and child bays, when they haven't got the child with them !!!!!!

They certainly shouldn't be there & are just showing the rest of us how selfish and lazy they are.

be virtually mown down by a car pulling into a child bay right outside - when they are popping to the cash point, and have no child with them, or display a blue badge and nearly knock me over as they pull into a hashed zone, or park on double yellow lines.

People poping to the cashpoint is a problem that store really need to address. What is the point of putting hash marks, etc if nobody takes a blind bit of notice of them.:mad: People with blue badges are not entitled to park wherever the hell they please, but I know some abuse the system and do.

Poppycat

From my experince it si very difficult to get a blue badge, a lot easier if you can get DLA. I am currently awaiting outcome from my eldest daughter who is unable to walk far but can say walk 10 minutes or so before getting tired. She has CMT and a dislocated hip and gets severe discomfort wlaking long distances, she now has a taxi to take her to school which is 20 minutes walk away.

She has just been essayes although they reconize her problems I dnt actually give much hope for a blue badge. She cant walk to town some 15 minutes walk away so now she rarely goes to town.

With respect some people are too quick to judge others less fortunate than themselves you may see what appears to be a normal person but you have no idea of there problems.

BTW blue badges are awarded to the person not the car, so if we did get one it would rightly be for my daughter only and not me personnel.

I dont use childrens parking areas even though I have two kids, I think it should only be for younger toddlers and babies.

ben500 wrote:

Give it a few years and disabled badges will outnumber cars

morveryn

Poppycat wrote:

From my experince it si very difficult to get a blue badge, a lot easier if you can get DLA. I am currently awaiting outcome from my eldest daughter who is unable to walk far but can say walk 10 minutes or so before getting tired. She has CMT and a dislocated hip and gets severe discomfort wlaking long distances, she now has a taxi to take her to school which is 20 minutes walk away.

She has just been essayes although they reconize her problems I dnt actually give much hope for a blue badge. She cant walk to town some 15 minutes walk away so now she rarely goes to town.

Poppycat,
I hope everything goes ok for your daughter and she is awarded DLA. I remember the horrendous forms and medical assessments, not fun at all.

wobbley

Poppycat wrote:

From my experince it si very difficult to get a blue badge, a lot easier if you can get DLA.

I think in our area you need the higher component of DLA to qualify for a blue badge. I think maybe that's a tad unfair as each case is individual and it does rule out some worthy cases, but there you go, - thats a lazy council for you.

I undestand that it's not always apparent if someone is disabled or not. My wife is a typical example and we have had the funny looks, staring at up both, trying to work out, which of us if any is really disabled. If challenged, as we have been a few times, we just explain. We dont get mad or offensive because after all these people don't want to see the bays abused - the same as us.

As for those with a temporary disability who think they are entitled to park in a disabled bay - Well, you aren't. The entitlement to park is the Blue Badge itself, not having a cast on your leg, or crutches. It may be wrong, but that is the fault of the 'system'. I do sympathise, and there should be a scheme for 'temporary disability' I know, but can you imagine the abuse that would cause?

There is an awful lot of ignorant people who just don't care and park in disabled bays without a pass. But there's a considerable number too who use their Mum's, Dad's, Gran's or friend's passes when the qualifying person is not with them. I think it's a £1000 fine for this which is well deserved but I think the badge holder should also be fined for allowing their badge and the system to be abused.

Poppycat

I was told that you automatically get a blue badge if you get DLA if you apply but its more difficult if you dont have it hence why my daughter is being essayed. I dont think we will get it judging by the chap who looked at her, he said it isnt up to him to decide.

I am unsure what else to do, I would rarely use it as she as she doesnt go out much other than school, but I worry for days out etc as we cant go far, she has CMT and poor balance too. 2 Years ago it spoilt our holiday as she fell and broke her arm.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

From the Department of Transport website -
3 You can get a 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; or
• 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. Organisations caring for disabled people meeting one or more of the above criteria may be able to get a badge, but this is entirely at the local authorities' discretion and the conditions for using such a badge must be strictly observed - see point 3 in Section 11).

Poppy9

Each council though does have some discretion in the awarding of badges. I note that Somerset issue temporary badges. Surrey council has it's own "walking assessment" centres, others rely on questionaires or GP's letters.

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria you can still apply if you meet the criteria of the Somerset Disabled Car Badge scheme.
At the moment, central government allows us to issue temporary badges. These badges will be awarded if your condition can only be remedied after successful surgery. Therefore, unless and until surgery and recuperation is completed, we class you as permanently disabled i.e., as someone who for other reasons does not have the use of his or her limbs; and whose condition must last for the minimum of 6 months.

How else you steer a car if you 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?