Blue Badge Aprking

The_Dragon

bobmccluckie wrote: »

the number of people using these things who are quite clearly not entitled to them

My toes curl every time I read this. How do you know who is or isn't entitled to a blue card? Do they need to in a wheelchair or barely able to put one foot in front of the other to satisfy you? My daughter has a blue badge after 3 brain tumours left her partially sighted with 50% vision loss, no use of left arm and weakened left leg. She manages to 'hide' it very well and at a quick glance I'm sure you'd say you didn't think she was entitled. I can assure you she is.

I think Bob those of us who need Blue Badges (and I think most of us would prefer it if we DIDN'T need them!) object to people using others badges (say Dr Dragon using mine when I am not in the car - which I might add he never does!) just in order to save themselves 5 mins walking or in the case of on-street parking paying for the pay and display.

When I was still able to get to the gym (with Dr Dragon) we ended up one day having to park at the far side of the car park (on a day when it was tipping it down!), only to hear a slim and fit girly saying she had used her Nan's badge "so my hair didn't get wet" :eek:, luckily the receptionist heard this as well and she had a one month ban from the club!

mouseymousey99

I was in Cannes last month. They have loads of parking spaces and it seems a very different 'attitude' to BB parking. The French seem to have embraced the whole inclusion issue, here its a different matter.
Must confess I have a real bee in my bonnet about councils starting to charge for BB spaces. (I often see police cars/vans in the spaces too).
Dragon, I am so glad to hear the gym took it seriously. Something very strange about going to gym & not walking to your car.....

trying-very-trying

I used to get free parking even when I had two fully functional legs.
I just parked further out of town. It had it's advantages, I couldn't buy too much stuff, 'cause I had to carry it aaall the way back to the car.

I just want to have my cake and eat it.

zzzLazyDaisy

The thing that REALLY annoys me is when a car park charges blue badge holders to park..... and then puts the nearest machine at the farthest end of the car park. I had to give up the other day, because having hobbled over to one machine and found it out of order, I was directed to another just as far away at the other end of the car park.#

It is bonkers! What's the point in providing special parking spaces for disabled people close to the shop entrance, and then making them walk there and back to the ticket machine?

trying-very-trying

bobmccluckie wrote: »

the number of people using these things who are quite clearly not entitled to them

My toes curl every time I read this. How do you know who is or isn't entitled to a blue card? Do they need to in a wheelchair or barely able to put one foot in front of the other to satisfy you? My daughter has a blue badge after 3 brain tumours left her partially sighted with 50% vision loss, no use of left arm and weakened left leg. She manages to 'hide' it very well and at a quick glance I'm sure you'd say you didn't think she was entitled. I can assure you she is.

I'm with you on this one, bob. I do tend to make allowances, possibly too many, but when I first had my bb, I felt terrible if people saw me leaving my car with the badge on, I could walk perfectly well and at speed, for about 10 minutes.
If the same people who saw me leaving the car were to see me returning to the car, they probably would have thought I'd been away for a good liquid lunch:rotfl:
Unfortunately now, I can't walk at all outside of the house without the use at least one crutch.

Kab_4

Hi.................

While there are loads of comments, with lots of different info, think I can help! I got a ticket here!

I too live in Glasgow, where blue badge holders can park in COUNCIL car parks free of charge. (As you can in all council-owned car parks in Scotland.)

The Dunlop Street Car Park used to be council owned, hence the railings etc that surround it being painted in council colours. It is now privately owned but they have not bothered to re-paint it and a lot of people probably assume it is council owned for that reason. The signs look the same too, they only seem to have removed the one with the council badge. For that reason, it looks no different to how it did previously.

I challenged the issue of the ticket at the council HQ in George Street and got it revoked on the basis that it did not detail it wasn't council-owned or have any statement re: blue badge holders. So, I recommend you do the same (preferably within the reduced penulty time limit for 30quid payment than 60!) Disputing ticket issue for there is prob common.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!

macoeg

Gov. site showing where you can park in Great Britain with a blue badge.
Found it in my latest Motability magazine.
Hope this helps.

Macoeg

http://directgov.mapping.thepieguide.com/bluebadge/index.php?br_wid=1280&br_hgt=1024

Yogibear

mortimerrankine wrote: »

Firstly i am in scotland and the rules do not state this. it states In the UK, a valid badge entitles the holder to park:-
free of charge and without any time limit at on-street parking meters and pay and display on-street parking
for as long as s/he wishes when other people may park only for a limited time, for example, on a dotted yellow line
At on-street areas reserved for valid badge holders. Local authorities may impose a time limit on parking for badge holders
In England, Wales and N. Ireland, on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours, and, in Scotland, without any time limit.

Also as for the "As I said above (which you either didn't read or just ignored) they did not stop you from parking there, they would be more than happy to allow you to park...so long as you paid the relevant fee" i have evidence( PHoto & video) of all notices and signs in and around the car park and it does not state anywhere. I have been told by the department for transport disability policy branch. If it is a local authority car park which it is. It must 100% show clear specific signs for all users the charges. This included Disabled users with blue badges and as this was not done it has breached alot of things.

Rules are different in scotland. I am listening to reason . But the law superseeds reason in this case. And no i have never said it gives you the right to park anywhere at anytime i like. I have parked in the same car park numerous times with my blue badge and there has never been a problem. And as i was informed by the traffic warden it is the only car park in Glasgow to charge holders and to be checked every 15 minutes by them. As there is an extremely high turnover of blue badge holders not paying as there is no notices.

I`m afraid you are wrong with this part of your argument "and, in Scotland, without any time limit." your are not allowed to park on dyls where there is a waiting/loading restriction ie on corners at bus tops you will be towed away I know what I am talking about as we used to `police` yellow lines,you are not allowed to stop on red lines or dyl red lines either badge holder or not you are not allowed to park on syls during the restricted hours either just because people have a blue badge doesnt mean they are poor and should pay in certain circumstances in car parks.

Alan49

My wife is undergoing treatment for cancer and she was told by fellow cancer patients " Don't forget to get your Blue badge" It makes sense as with the chemo she's on, she is asleep for long periods and very tired also as they don't tell you when they take your Lympth glands for test it mucks up your arm and you cant carry any heavy weights (Its called Lympthodemia) then the chemo destroys all the vains in the other arm and your a little bit between a rock and a hard place. So with the lack of carrying capacity and the extreme tiredness we tried to get her a Blue badge and the correspondence has gone on and on. Latest is GP surgery receptionist phones up and says that the doctor can't understand why you need a blue badge. Macmillan nurse gasps in horror and disbelief. She's seen it all before, local authorities and GP's who don't understand why cancer sufferers might need the blue badge for the hospital parking and the shopping trips, They don't understand that the chemo and the radio and the Herceptin goes on in my wifes case for 2 years. A little bit of understanding that when you have cancer your world falls apart and your cost go up dramatically, with regular visits to hospital 20 miles away.

zzzLazyDaisy

Oh I am so very sorry to hear what your wife is going through.

Has she applied for DLA? If not please consider doing this, but please get expert assistance from a CAB benefits worker, or a local authority Welfare Benefits worker - it can make all the difference. Also send in with the application form letters from professional people such as her macmillan nurse, who can explain the problems and confirm that she is unable to walk more than 28 meters without experiencing severe discomfort and/or without suffering delayed effects later. If she gets High Rate Mobility, she will be entitled to a Blue Badge, and this should circumvent her GP.

Alternatively, have you considered changing GP's to one who is more sympathetic to your wife's condition?