Grrr - blue badge

code-a-holic

nanokitten wrote: »

I have to say parent and child spaces annoy me as they eat in to spaces where you used to put disabled ones.

They have clearly been invented to protect the supermarket from the small theoretical risk of litigation if a child was run over rather than by working out how easy it is for folks to cover the distance.

As a parent, I see the need for these spaces. When you have a baby sleeping ina 1st stage car seat, and you want to keep them that way in the supermarket, you need to get the seat out. In a normal space you can not open the door enough to get the seat out. Actually. in the stage 2 car seat i would struggle to manovure through a half open door to un do seat belts and get kids out without banging the car in the next space.
In a parent space you can fully open a door to be able to get the children out without causing damage to other cars.
I once challenged someone in a parent space next to me. the bloke was sitting in this brand new mini. He explained to me the car was brand new and he wasnt going to risk someone else banging a door in to it. so he would use a parent space and sit guard while the mrs shopped!

Im also disabled with a BB. I get filthy looks if i use a Disabled bay and then proceed to get 3 children out of the car. I rarely am able to go out with the 3, but taking any of them out and about is literally a huge pain in my back! I think many would assume if i can take my children out im not disabled.

Unity

code-a-holic wrote: »

As a parent, I see the need for these spaces. When you have a baby sleeping ina 1st stage car seat, and you want to keep them that way in the supermarket, you need to get the seat out. In a normal space you can not open the door enough to get the seat out. Actually. in the stage 2 car seat i would struggle to manovure through a half open door to un do seat belts and get kids out without banging the car in the next space.
In a parent space you can fully open a door to be able to get the children out without causing damage to other cars.
I once challenged someone in a parent space next to me. the bloke was sitting in this brand new mini. He explained to me the car was brand new and he wasnt going to risk someone else banging a door in to it. so he would use a parent space and sit guard while the mrs shopped!

Im also disabled with a BB. I get filthy looks if i use a Disabled bay and then proceed to get 3 children out of the car. I rarely am able to go out with the 3, but taking any of them out and about is literally a huge pain in my back! I think many would assume if i can take my children out im not disabled.

Well I reckon you should park wherever is easiest for you - you are entitled after all:T.

As to these people who complain about p&c places - the luddites we will always have with us :rotfl:. It's called 'progress' and I wish we'd had them when my three were small. I would far rather see parents be able to manage getting their children in and out safely and without danger to them or damage to other cars parked next to them. It strikes me though that there's a certain dog in a manger attitude from some drivers who would rather see a child knocked down than be inconvenienced themselves.

I do think we could do better without the Victor Meldrew type vigilantes though who seem to think they have a right to know why some of us younger folk have BB's and what exactly we have them for. Let's face it, if they brought in a mandatory re-test for those over 70 a great percentage wouldn't be there in the first place! I am all in favour of retaining independence but when you reach the stage (witnessed on Saturday in Chester Road, Sunderland, next to the Mosque) of some elderly man turning the wrong way into a one way system and blindly headed straight for you at speed - you begin to see the necessity of a system to prevent this. It wasn't so much a BB he needed as a BC - bath chair :eek:.

I can only say thank goodness my DH has great reflexes and there was no one directly behind us as he managed to stop and swerve to avoid this eejit:T.

TaBunny

tenacioust123 wrote: »

So why don't you apply for a blue badge for her?

Getting a blue badge now is very difficult and 'nana' may not be eligible just due to age and frailness it's a dilemma many people have to weigh up

tenacioust123

TaBunny wrote: »

Getting a blue badge now is very difficult and 'nana' may not be eligible just due to age and frailness it's a dilemma many people have to weigh up

It's not difficult if she reaches the critria, and age has nothing to do with it. Why don't you give it ago, you have nothing to lose. It just might make yours and her life a lot easier.

Good luck

Babshubbie

Unity wrote: »

I do think we could do better without the Victor Meldrew type vigilantes though who seem to think they have a right to know why some of us younger folk have BB's and what exactly we have them for. Let's face it, if they brought in a mandatory re-test for those over 70 a great percentage wouldn't be there in the first place! I am all in favour of retaining independence but when you reach the stage (witnessed on Saturday in Chester Road, Sunderland, next to the Mosque) of some elderly man turning the wrong way into a one way system and blindly headed straight for you at speed - you begin to see the necessity of a system to prevent this. It wasn't so much a BB he needed as a BC - bath chair :eek:.

If there was a mandatory re-test for every driver every three years, perhaps the roads would be safer also. Incidents as descibed happen daily to all ages. Why let this thread become a contest between "young" disabled and pensioners? Even the "Victor Meldrew" types come in all ages and sexes.

hilstep2000

I have MS, and have a Blue Badge. Sometimes I don't need it, sometimes I do. My daughter gets very cross with people who give me the LOOK, but I just ignore them.
I have some stickers that I got from "Active Mobility" They say "Gee thanks, you've taken my space, do you want my disability too?" on them. I stick them on people's cars that are parked in disabled bays without a badge up!:T
I went to my sons' college the other day, and had to show the gate man my photo on my badge. He said he'd had 15 that day, and mine was the only genuine one:eek:

housesitter

Nothing wrong with bluebadges when being used by the actual people who need them and not all the relatives etc.
Just cos the person with the BB is in the car it deosn't mean you should use the space if they are not getting out!!
When they are not in the car the badge shouldn't be present.
There should be penalties for anyone caught abusing the system including removal of the BB.
It's a benefit. Urgo benefit fraud.

I know a young lad in his 20's with a BB, he genuinely needs it (I work on his car).
He drives what people would consider to be a boy racer car. Trust me, you've never seen looks nor abuse anything like what he gets from the general public!!


As for P&C spaces, it's an acknowledgement by car park managers that their spaces are too small. It's just circumventing the problem.
When I go shopping I take a car I don't care about getting scratched because it does and will happen.
I don't fault people for using wider spaces to protect themselves from people who take less care with other peoples property.

If damage in the car park was the responsibility of the management you'd see those spaces double in size overnight!

LittleTinker

Personally I wouldnt challenge anyone who parked in a disabled space without a badge for a couple of reasons.

1, There may be a genuine reason why they are parked there and may not have a blue badge.
2, Its none of my business.

These people who stick stickers and the like on people's windows, (thinking they are being clever), are idiotic.

If I were to come back to my car to find those stickers on the windscreen and then realise that I had forgotten to the put the badge out, I would be in floods of tears with upset. I am not able to peel stickers off.

The thing that annoys me more than anything is that you dont always need to have a Blue Badge to park there....and it should be between the supermarket and the customer..no one else!!!

Unity

Babshubbie wrote: »

If there was a mandatory re-test for every driver every three years, perhaps the roads would be safer also. Incidents as descibed happen daily to all ages. Why let this thread become a contest between "young" disabled and pensioners? Even the "Victor Meldrew" types come in all ages and sexes.

I very much doubt this would be the case - we'd be more likely to have total gridlock! It would be unworkable. However it is ridiculous that in this country it is up to the driver to decide whether or not he/she is fit to drive after the age of 70. Self certification isn't working, demonstrated by the number and severity of accidents for this age group as shown on recent TV programmes.

As to making this a contest between young disabled and pensioners - there is no contest and the very first time I am stopped and questioned by someone under 60 as to why I have my badge, I'll post a message on this thread .

We have to remember that wisdom doesn't always come with age, sometimes age arrives alone .

Babshubbie

Unity wrote: »

I very much doubt this would be the case - we'd be more likely to have total gridlock! It would be unworkable. However it is ridiculous that in this country it is up to the driver to decide whether or not he/she is fit to drive after the age of 70. Self certification isn't working, demonstrated by the number and severity of accidents for this age group as shown on recent TV programmes.

As to making this a contest between young disabled and pensioners - there is no contest and the very first time I am stopped and questioned by someone under 60 as to why I have my badge, I'll post a message on this thread .

We have to remember that wisdom doesn't always come with age, sometimes age arrives alone .

Of course it would be impracticable and unworkable, but that wasn't under discussion. The greatest number of accidents, I believe, is for the under 25 age group, but of course it is impracticable to retest those also. So why not lean on the pensioners? They are easy meat.

As far as the penultimate para is concerned, I have never been questioned by anyone so far, young or old.

Finally, I agree with the last sentence.