Blue Badge 'police'

hubert_cumberdale

im not sure what argument you are refering to

steve_sona

Hi sh1305,
Before becoming disabled i was a civil enforcement officer & was very strict on disabled bays being used by people not entitled to use them.

however i do think that not all of the 6 bays outside the post office should be for disabled.i would like to think that able bodied people would be able to park outside the post office,maybe on a limited waiting regulation to ensure that the bays are not being abused.
i can see how the elderly lady would be annoyed,but to prevent a driver from moving their car as Hubert was by this elderly lady is also wrong & she could have been accused of causing an obstruction.Hubert did more than required of him, by providing his registration number for the lady & he remained polite throughout.

i believe that Hubert admitted that he was wrong to park there & apologised for doing so.
he did a lot more than 99% of motorists do.99% would have been abusive & aggressive.

Indie_Kid

hubert_cumberdale wrote: »

im not sure what argument you are refering to

"only going to be 5 minutes" when justifying why a non-disabled person parks in a bay for BB holders.

Mupette

I think if i was in a mood and saw a non bb in a bb parking space and there were no other spaces available, i would of blocked them in, and they could wait until i was ready to get back into my car

Brassedoff

My views on blue badges are well known, maybe she was being over zealous, but if you applied the shame hypothesis to double yellow or a red route would you get away with the same reasoning.

That said, I thought there was a formula i.e the population v blue badges they use when marking out zones. I certainally would have thought one or two max would have been the right amount of spaces.

hippygran

People just shouldn't judge.
I for one am guilty of leaving my (disabled) husband in the car, whilst parked in a blue badge bay, and entering the supermarket alone. Whats more I do this quite often!
This is because, at the end of the minimum 16 mile journey to the supermarket, he is often UNABLE to get out of the car on arrival, as the process of sitting for any period of time causes him pain. Usually (but not always), this pain will be relieved, after he sits partially out of the car and moves his affected leg around for a time. Then he will get his crutches and join me (albeit at the latter end of the shop). Yes we have had looks, and even been on the receiving end of abuse, but frankly I dont give a fig! If we parked further away from the door, there would be no chance of him getting into the shop ever, rather than the 8/10 times he manages it now. He refuses to use a chair, which dismays me on occasions as it means we cant do things other couples our age do. A day out is completely out of the question. But on the otherhand he is a great believer in trying to be as 'normal' as possible, and trying to live as normal life as his disability allows.
No-one has the right to judge him, and if this is abuse of his blue badge, so be it.
And Ive been known to park in the parent and child spaces when all the blue badge spaces are in use, and make no apologies for that either!

steve_sona

Hi hippygran,
first off i would like to say a heart felt thank you to you.

I have received many "odd" looks & comments as i have a BB & use disabled bays,on occasion on the direction of a parking attendant we have used a mother & baby bay.

i do pretty much the same as your husband does,my wife does exactly the same as you do.

your post has made me feel a lot better about myself & my wife's defence of me.

calleyw

I was in a local shopping area a couple of months ago and it was a bad day for my husband so he wanted his wheelchair. No disabled spaces left.

So I parked in a normal one and proceed to pull out his chair. The private parking attendent came over to me. I thought oh no what I have done wrong.

And he could not have been nicer. Told me if the disabled bays where all full to use a mother and baby space and that was ok.

So that is what I will in future.

Yours

Calley

hippygran

Steve,
Nice to know people feel the same as me!
Just think my hubby struggles enough on a daily basis with life.
Have watched him go really down hill over the last 14 years, and he wouldnt (and still wont) give up on things.
14 years ago he had a slight limp, and was working full time driving lorries, had to give that up on the advice of a specialist, worked as a security guard, reducing his duties and hours as his condition worsened, until that wasnt even possible any more.
Now he cant work, cant go fishing, or do any of the things that added so much to his quality of life.
Then you have to go through all the nightmare of DLA applications, tribunals etc, and the pathways to work stuff (as his problem is unique, the advisors cant even over-ride him because he doesnt fit the standard tick box situations on the system - so he has to have a telephone interview every 6 weeks!).
He knows he will not get better - only worse - until amputation of his leg from the thigh becomes the only solution (as circulation worsens). \Plus he now has numerous other health problems caused by the mis-alignment of his body.
So ANYTHING to make his life easier, more rounded, and to give him back some quality of life is my motto.
So (and I really mean this), I will not put up with any attitude from anyone, and in any circumstances will ALWAYS do the best (or what I feel is the best) for HIM in any given situation, and am not a bit bothered by other peoples views, looks, opinions, comments, stares etc. Thats their problem!
I think disabled people get a rough deal in life overall, and that is my probem to deal with as best I can!

SingleSue

calleyw wrote: »

I was in a local shopping area a couple of months ago and it was a bad day for my husband so he wanted his wheelchair. No disabled spaces left.

So I parked in a normal one and proceed to pull out his chair. The private parking attendent came over to me. I thought oh no what I have done wrong.

And he could not have been nicer. Told me if the disabled bays where all full to use a mother and baby space and that was ok.

So that is what I will in future.

Yours

Calley

As a parent but also as someone who uses a crutch full time, I can see two sides to the use of mother and child spaces.

When my children were young I had a double buggy, this was needed for an extended period of time as both of them are disabled but not enough (according to my local authority autism is not a qualifying disability) for a blue badge. Obviously, a double buggy needs a lot of room and it was my biggest bugbear to arrive in a car park and see people with no children parking in the spaces designated for parent and child. An awful lot would be the disabled car users who could not find a space in the disabled spaces.

My argument used to be.....I too need the extra room to get the children out of the car safely and into their double buggy but if all the parent and child spaces are taken but there are disabled spaces, I would not use a disabled space (despite both of them being disabled), as a parent and child usage is not allowed, so it should work the other way round too.

Mind you, if someone knows where I can get a sticker which says "Driver uses crutches, please do not park too close to drivers door", I would be eternally grateful!

*I do not have a blue badge (haven't applied as I don't class myself as disabled, just the body falling apart a bit) so thus, park in normal spaces.