Blue Badge Argument

laury_2

Who can use your badge?

[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]The badge is for your use and benefit only. It must not be displayed unless you are using it directly.
Do not allow other people to use your badge to do something on your behalf such as shopping or collecting something for you, unless you are travelling with them.
Do not allow other people to use your badge to benefit from the concessions.
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]• The trip must be for your benefit only and you must be using the vehicle.
• You must never give your badge to friends or family to allow them to park for free without you, even if they are visiting you.
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]Do not allow other people to display the badge in the vehicle, unless:
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]• someone, travelling with you, is waiting for you to return to the vehicle (although consideration should be given to using a car park wherever possible); or
• someone is driving you in or out of an area, which is only accessible to vehicles displaying a Blue Badge, in order to pick up or drop you off.


Quoted directly from direct.gov

So my interpretation of that would be that you can use it as long as you are in the car, whether you are shopping or not.
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mumps

I would never challenge anyone but I have been out with my DH and he has had to stay in the car as we couldn't find anywhere close to shop to park. I have then walked past row of cars in disabled spaces without badges displayed and wondered if they needed space more than us. It can be annoying, particularly when children were young and I had to leave them with him or cope with them while trying to hurry as DH would be bored waiting.

daska

laury wrote: »

Do not allow other people to use your badge to do something on your behalf such as shopping or collecting something for you, unless you are travelling with them.

So in fact it's the opposite of 'you must get out of the car'. Thank you laury.

wish there was a smiley blowing a raspberry LOL

Oldernotwiser

McKneff wrote: »

I've got better things to do with my energy than to trot around harassing other people displaying blue badges. It's got s*d all to do with me what or who has the medical condition as I don't have the right to question them any more than they have the right to challenge me about my medical condition.

Its not harrasing people displaying blue badges if they are using them correctly .
If you had a disabled child and someone was in the last space displaying a badge and just sitting there waiting for their companiion to come out from doing the shopping and your disabled child desperately needed the loo, wouldnt you be hopping mad and say something.

If they are going to do this they might as well go into a 'normal' space.

And supposing the disabled person in the car has to be near the entrance to be able to use the toilets?

zzzLazyDaisy

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

And supposing the disabled person in the car has to be near the entrance to be able to use the toilets?

Actually that is a good point, and one that I hadn't considered. thank you.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

In that case, I'd concentrate on getting to the darn toilet rather than try and start a fight in the car park, wouldn't I?

Oldernotwiser

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Actually that is a good point, and one that I hadn't considered. thank you.

I'm afraid I always make it when this subject comes up.

When we go out shopping, my husband (BB holder) doesn't know until we get there whether he'll feel up to getting out of the car but if I go in on my own he may still need the toilet and I like to be able to pop my head out of the shop and check that he's ok, neither of which can I do if we're parked at the other end of the car park.

I imagine that it's for reasons like this that the rules say that the holder doesn't have to get out of the car.

Be_Happy

We are maybe talking at cross purposes here, depending on which area you live in.

I looked out OH's blue badge information booklet issued by our local authority and it says

"A car MUST NOT BE PARKED using the concessions granted by a Blue Badge, if the badge holder is to REMAIN IN THE CAR, unless it is parked SPECIFICALLY for the benefit of the badge holder."

In car parks here, wardens do check if they see one person sitting in the car while parked.

daska

So it's not in the rules published by the Department of Transport but it is in the rules published by a local authority. That's ludicrous. There's a whole section in the DfT book about how it's different in London but they ought to make it clear if the rules can vary every few miles along the road :eek:

daska

Be_Happy wrote: »

We are maybe talking at cross purposes here, depending on which area you live in.

I looked out OH's blue badge information booklet issued by our local authority and it says

"A car MUST NOT BE PARKED using the concessions granted by a Blue Badge, if the badge holder is to REMAIN IN THE CAR, unless it is parked SPECIFICALLY for the benefit of the badge holder."

In car parks here, wardens do check if they see one person sitting in the car while parked.

OK, reason for confusion might be that we're looking at The Blue Badge scheme: rights and responsibilities in England

The only reference I can find to the rule above is from Wales.