Grrr - blue badge

cymrubaby

This is an issue which annoys me. I've aksed in Morrison's whether they actually do anything about people who contantly park without badges in the disabled bays and without children int he mother and baby spaces and they told me they only have the trolley boys who leave a note on the window of the offending car. 'Yeah....and?' I asked. 'And that's it' she smiled. WTH?????

So basically park where you like in Morrison's because you won't be challenged for it - well, not in my local Morrison's anyway.

Another thing that bugs me is that I constantly get asked by people, sorry to say elderly people in particular, whether I have a badge. I say 'No, I don't but my son right here does'. Do you have to be old to have a badge? Is there no such thing as a disabled child? They see a mother out with her children and assume I can't find a mother and baby space (which I usually can't by the way). My son cannot walk, plus I have a 20 month old who needs his hand held, I also have a 6 yr old child and I'm 8 months pregnant - I need the disabled space and if there's no Mother and Baby space then I will use my son's badge (with my son of course) and park in a disabled bay. Believe me, it's not east carrying a disabled child against your bump, holding a 20 month old toddler's hand and keeping any eye on my older child while I try to find a double-seated trolley to put my smallest kids in. Then trying to get my disabled child's stiff legs into the trolley seat while also simultaneously trying to hold onto 20 month old with my legs to stop him making a run for it.

I'm sick to the back teeth of people saying 'Excuse me, do you realise this is a disabled bay?' Er, yes I do wanna look at our badge? I even pulled up behind one lady in a disabled space who was loading her boot and asked if she was leaving or staying. She gave me a disgusted look and said 'Well, once I get my ELDERLY sister-in-law into the car I will be leaving. This IS a DISABLED SPACE you know?' So, instead of getting angry I just smiled politely and said 'Yes I know thanks, my son is the disabled passenger in this car'. That pretty much shut her up and she just nodded.

What bugs me sometimes though is the times when I can get a mother and baby space, which I use if I can find one instead of using a disabled bay, only to see elderly passengers zip in there before me and stick their badges out!! Argh!!!

cymrubaby

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.

I both agree and disagree with this post. I agree that they do indeed eat up spaces that could be used for the disabled BUT they do have a purpose. I have three small children and two of them sit in a trolley or I use my double buggy. Ordinary parking spaces make it difficult to manoevre a buggy next to the car and so the space around a mother and baby space is invaluable. I can easily and safely put the trolley or pram next to my car rather than leaving it behind or in front of the car on the road where anyone could hit it.

Also, with a newborn they are often in those heavy, cumbersome carry car seats and they are next to impossible to squeeze between gap of our open car door when it is immediately next to another car. We've been known to reverse out of the space a bit (jutting into road) just to be able to open the rear door wide enough to put our baby's car seat back in the car.

Personally, I would happily park right at the back of the car park if the M&B spaces were there. It's not the distance to the store I look at - it's the space around my car. If there's no M&B spaces available then I have parked right at the back where there are no other cars just to ensure i'll be able to get back in my car with the kids. Now that I have a disabled child though, it's become more necessary for me to use disabled bays so that I can quickly grab a trolley and get my son into it along with his 20 month old brother (impossible to walk long distances holding one son's hand, carrying another son and being 8 mths preg).

Supermarkets might want to think about placing large M&B spaces nearer the back of the car park - they probably won't get abused then and there'd be more room up front for disabled spaces.

savemoney

I was told by Morrisons that if we cant find a disabled space we are welcome to use a P&C space. Of course I dont like to do this but we do need the space for the door to open fully to allow her to walk, she can quite easily fall out of the door and on to the pavement because her poor balance

sheeps68

The whole blue badge game is a nightmare, different rules in different authorities and so open to us making a simple mistake. Eg in my neighbouring authority blue badge holder car park in residents bays but in mine you get a fine as I found out to my cost as I hadnt realised I had crosssed the boundary. Oh dor some consistency.

However a positive note I have just made a nice discovery. Dartford crossing is free to blue badge holders with tax exempt cars. I know that doesn't help everyone due to shared car use etc but it was a nice discovery as I loathe that tunnel so not to have to pay for it was good.

Pete268

sheeps68 wrote: »

However a positive note I have just made a nice discovery. Dartford crossing is free to blue badge holders with tax exempt cars. I know that doesn't help everyone due to shared car use etc but it was a nice discovery as I loathe that tunnel not to have to pay for it was good.

Yes, its similar with the Humber Bridge near to me. If you are disabled and have a tax exempt car you can apply for free tickets that let drive across the bridge for free in the tax exempt car.

Peter

GlasweJen

the different criteria in different areas does my head in. in my home authority i would be entitled to one but not in my term time authority. because i claimed tax credits at my term time address i got a dla award in that address too but the criteria here is different so no blue badge because my home authority wants my dla award to have my home address.

shazrobo

GlasweJen wrote: »

the different criteria in different areas does my head in. in my home authority i would be entitled to one but not in my term time authority. because i claimed tax credits at my term time address i got a dla award in that address too but the criteria here is different so no blue badge because my home authority wants my dla award to have my home address.

the different criteria for different authorities does my head in too, for different reasons. i think good luck to all those with asd children who have managed to get a badge, i have 13 year old twins with asd, and when they decide to run in front of a car or just run off in gerenal, i cant run in two different directions, i just thank god, no serious accidents have happened to them

shaz x

welshman1982

Hope this is of some use to fellow blue badge holders out their.

Another free bridge crossing. If you have a Blue disabled badge and your coming into Wales (the country thats so great you have to pay to enter lol) over the old or new Severn Bridge its free. All you have to do is to pull up to a manned booth, give them your Disabled Badge, they enter the number on it into their computer, check the photograph on it to make sure the disabled peron is in the car, give your badge back to you (sometimes you have to sign a piece of paper) then away you go. Thats £5 odd saved.

welshlil

CherylthePeril wrote: »

Hi,

Newbie but longtime lurker here, recently severely disabled and still trying to get my head around the whole blue badge thing.

I noticed at my local shop the other day a notice displayed saying that due to the abuse of the blue badges and disabled spaces, with effect from the 1st January 2009 only those vehicles displaying a disabled tax disc will be able to park in the disabled bays.

I asked at customer services what would happen if I such as my daughter fetched me in her car without a disabled tax disc and was told it is okay to drop off disabled people in the drop off point right in front of the store then for her to drive to a 'normal' space which seems fair enough I suppose. Same in reverse for collecting disabled folks.

I just hope they do enforce the new rules though as upto now the disabled spaces seem to have been a free for all for everyone with the able bodied taking up nearly all of the disabled spaces with not a blue badge in sight.

Cheryl.

Hi, it,s not the tax disc that you have to be concerned about, although some councils car parks will only allow free parking with a blue badge and disabled tax disc on car. If you are in a car without the disabled class tax then you still would have to pay. We then will park on double yellow lines for up to 3 hours, following all the rules and regulations in the hand book. The blue badge, pop it in you handbag, then who ever is taking you to the shops, etc can park the car where there are bays for disabled. Or double, single yellow lines on roads. Providing you, as the badge holder gets out of car and does whatever, wherever, your driver can stay in the car and wait for you. Your driver/passengers are not allowed to leave you in the car with badge displaying and leave you in the car waiting - after all they are classed as able bodied and could walk to wherever without problems.

Francesanne

Jamla wrote: »

get him to appeal and get cab or some one like this to help him, good luck

He's going to appeal and really hope he wins.