Disabled Parking Query

daska

it is a morally reprehensible system

George1266

daska wrote: »

it is a morally reprehensible system

Well, I suppose there has to be some rules and regulations about who qualifies and who does not. Although it appears I do not qualify, I do not begrudge it for those that do qualify. Perhaps it is the governments 'age capping' of the Disability Living Allowance which is the real cause of the problem of certain disabled people falling foul of the rules. George

justlikethat_2

My daughter qualifies for a blue badge and our car also has a nil rated disabled tax disc. However as a single parent and full time sole carer I only use the car when transporting her to school or hospital etc. or doing household shopping.

Parking in our village is free! When we travel to Inverness we have to pay to use the disabled spaces in the (private) underground car park below the shopping centre. I do not resent this as everyone else has to pay, I only need a wider space to get her into her wheelchair. There are disabled on street spaces but these are very few and you will never find one empty if you don't get there very early!

I think more councils are starting to charge because of the growing numbers of blue badges being issued and also because of the numbers of people willing to abuse them or use them fraudulently. If the badges were not so easy to fake and there were proper controls over who was issued with them there would be more spaces available for people who really need them.

I often ask myself why some of the people who use disabled parking spaces are then able to walk round the shops for a couple of hours?:mad:

Does anyone else challenge drivers who use disabled spaces without blue badges? I often risk life and limb like this as it spices up what can otherwise be a rather mundane existence! :rotfl:

Babshubbie

justlikethat wrote: »

. If the badges were not so easy to fake and there were proper controls over who was issued with them there would be more spaces available for people who really need them.

I often ask myself why some of the people who use disabled parking spaces are then able to walk round the shops for a couple of hours?:mad:

Does anyone else challenge drivers who use disabled spaces without blue badges? I often risk life and limb like this as it spices up what can otherwise be a rather mundane existence! :rotfl:

First of all, I do not believe Blue Badges are easy to fake. There are security controls within them. BUT they are hardly ever examined. Wardens just give them a glance to check the time is in order and even the picture of the holder is, by instruction, face down.

Secondly there is a quite long thread on the merits and otherwise of challenging users of disabled spaces. Many people have very strong views. Read the "Grr-Blue Badge" thread which I have just bumped to the top.

mouseymousey99

I often ask myself why some of the people who use disabled parking spaces are then able to walk round the shops for a couple of hours?:mad:
Aww no, not this again please!!! Its bad enough with others snipping at everyone with a BB don't lets do it to each other!!! As for spicing up your life by challenging others ...................

justlikethat_2

Babshubbie. Maybe your council uses a different card but all the ones I have seen in Scotland do not have any security features unless you count a hand stamp with the name of the council (no logo) and the expiry date written in felt pen. Maybe I will try to scan my daughters and photoshop a few dozen copies this afternoon. Having just checked on Scot Gov website I have noticed that new design badges do have some kind of security foil but our present one does not.

There are also other differences in Scotland, no time limit for example means spaces are often filled all day by the same car. As for wardens examining them, unheard of up here. I have heard from a council official that unless there is a post with a metal plaque next to the space then it is not actually enforceable and neither police or traffic wardens can do anything about it. We have two like that in our local car park.

mouseymousey99 I was being sarcastic about challenging others spicing up my life. However I do not think there is anything wrong with challenging for example; council lorry drivers, parcel delivery drivers, builders vans or p.e. teachers who park on disabled spaces (these are all recent examples). Also there are some people who have blue badges who don't really need them. Up here it is possible to get one with a letter from your GP. This means a lack of consistency as most GP's will not want to offend patients by refusing.

I would suggest a two tier system of badges. Most spaces being reserved only for those on higher rate mobility with another level of badge for everyone else. Seems fair?

justlikethat_2

Secondly there is a quite long thread on the merits and otherwise of challenging users of disabled spaces. Many people have very strong views. Read the "Grr-Blue Badge" thread which I have just bumped to the top. [/quote]


Sorry to appear ignorant but what does "bumped to the top mean"?

Babshubbie

If no-one contributes to a thread it slips down the page. Every contribution puts it back on the top of the page. If one hasn't anything to say the convention is to just type "bump" and the thread comes back into attention on top. :beer:

daska

George1266 wrote: »

Well, I suppose there has to be some rules and regulations about who qualifies and who does not. Although it appears I do not qualify, I do not begrudge it for those that do qualify. Perhaps it is the governments 'age capping' of the Disability Living Allowance which is the real cause of the problem of certain disabled people falling foul of the rules. George

I agree! Yes, there do have to be rules, but surely the rules should be FAIR. If you discount single disabled people, the people who are least able to take advantage of the free tax disc are pensioners, children and families on low incomes. The people who benefit most on the current rules are those of working age who have sufficient income to run a car that it entirely for the benefit of one disabled person in addition to any other cars they may have.

And that's without going into any environmental arguments!

mumps

I think if you ask most young people with BB and free tax disc they would prefer not to need one. My husband lost his job when we had a two year old and a baby of two weeks due to a disability. For the last 16 years I have been his carer. For a time I got carers allowance but due to financial pressure I had to increase my hours at work so lost that benefit. It is probably hard for others to imagine the pressures of work, being a mother and being the main carer of a disabled guy who is eight inches taller than me and considerably heavier. If you really begrudge us a free tax disc that much then help yourself. i haven't got any fight left in me.