Nosey people and blue badges.

sheeps68

OK let me a quick rant. Got harrassed tonigt for parking in a blue badge bay with my badge on show in an almost empty car park by an older chap as I had nothing wrong with my legs!" True" I responded! "Good job you cant see my lungs". He muttered and got in the car he'd lept out of to block me in. Very sad person. Even if he had a badge there were another 5 spaces.
Just got me cross after listening to all the adverts on how to travel during the olympics clearly promoting walking, cycling or running. Nice idea and I wish I could! However I'm taking a few days holiday from work as I cannot get to work, cannot walk far enough. And no I do not get an olympic bonus either although if I could get there and work different hours I would.
OK now thats got that off my chest I'll get on with living my life.

scrimpingandscraping

New here and saw this thread, I have bilateral hip dysplasia, I am 35 and awaiting my second hip replacement, I have a blue badge and the amount of times I have people jog over to question my using these spaces is untrue, people should mind their own business, I had one woman ask "whats wrong with you then?" Look at the badge, not the person, not all disabilities are visible, and all of then are non of your business.

eskimo26

Soapn wrote: »

so we've got some posters droning on about people having the cheek to ask them if they really need to be in the disabled space, and another one spitting feathers because a PO van was parked in one, and they challenged them and were told to jog on?

There is a difference between asking someone WHERE there card is and harassing someone who has it displayed.

If you want to check a badge you can discreetly wait for the driver to leave and get the details of said badge and pass it on to the relevant people if you feel it's being misused.

You do not CONFRONT a possibly vulnerable disabled individual who is trying to get on with the business of living their everyday lives.

make your minds up what you all want!

We can't have differing views on an internet forum? :rotfl:
If you weren't such an obvious all out troll from the day you made your first post i would honestly be laughing in despair.

Also who exactly are 'you all'? Disabled people? What are we some kind of Borg entity with a single hive mind?

If I had a BB and was aggressively challenged when my badge was obviously on display i would pretend i couldn't speak english [no doubt this would open me up to racial abuse as they presume i don't understand them. Bigots are bigots through and through whether with the disabled or ethnic minorities.]

Then i would get out my phone as i was walking away and have a very loud conversation in english with someone on the other end about how some nosey, rude cretin just approached me aggressively about my BB and exactly what i think of them.

If the fool hadn't had enough by then, heard me speaking english and came over to heckle me i would say 'excuse me,' down the phone. Turn around to the guy and say,'sowy no anglish...' and resume my conversation about him in very loud english as i walked away.

Parva

I haven't read the whole Post Office van disabled badge stuff but one would have to question why someone is mobile enough to be in and out of the van as part of their job. That said, it's obvious that disability takes many forms, many of which are not obviously visible. Life is too short, report it to a staff member if you feel it's an obvious abuse of the parking spot, otherwise let's just get on with life.

fedupconsumer

sizzler1893 wrote: »

Yes but people on this forum seem to think its wrong to question possible abusers. If a BB Holder parks in a bay and forgets to put their BB on display should we confront them or not???

Just out of interest, thoses who think people should keep their noses out of others business how would you feel if say (for arguements sake) someone mugs you and I were to witness the unfortunate event should I stick my nose in to your business or not????

Again your not grasping the point, who are you to question anyone on their disability. It is not my place to do so, it is not my place to judge people on their disability, whom I honestly would not know the first thing about, their life story how they became disabled. Again you questioning people regarding "alleged abuse" of people using blue badges is wrong and unlawful, from defamation of character, misuse of data under the data protection act, harassment of an individual, hate crime and also disturbing of the public peace.

There is also a glaring difference between "alleged" blue badge misuses and a violent physical assault the two are not comparable.

"[FONT=&quot] Now according to some folks on here I should be minding my own business and leaving it to the authorities!! I have no rights querying peoples validity as anybody (theatre ushers included) may have hidden disabilities and after all it is dark and a bit cweepy by the time they leave...[/FONT]"

There is a difference to what you experienced to what the thread of the discussion on this thread is trying to say. If say someone who as eskimo26 pointed out rightly has displayed their blue badge and time disk correctly and you are then asking them about their disability; On the basis you do not think they have one for whatever reason i.e not struggling walking, despite having a blue badge. That is wrong in my view.

To have a car parked without a blue badge on display is a different case entirely.

"OK let me a quick rant. Got harassed tonight for parking in a blue badge bay with my badge on show in an almost empty car park by an older chap as I had nothing wrong with my legs!" True" I responded! "Good job you cant see my lungs". He muttered and got in the car he'd lept out of to block me in. Very sad person. Even if he had a badge there were another 5 spaces."

Thats his issue and ignorance, don't engage these people walk away they don't deserve the time of day.

"I had one woman ask "whats wrong with you then?"

As you correctly point out in your post scrimpingandscraping, its none of their business. You are obliged to explain your disability to a legal court, police or local authority if they question you not to Jane Doe on the streets.

Errata

Personally, if someone wants to kick off in some way about my use of a BB I'd ignore them as they're clearly fully paid up nutjobs.

Skinto_7

Interesting arguments for both points of view here.

I personally wouldnt confront anyone with a blue badge, no matter how they looked, as many have said disabilties arent always obvious, however must admit i am suprised that almost all BB holders seem to resent anyone questiioning their fellow BB holders right to have one. I would have thought genuine BB holders would welcome tight controls and any measures that would help weed those giving everyone else a bad name out (obviously these measures should be down through official channels and not random members of the public having a go on the street)

With regards to the priority parking, IMO these should only be for people with mobility issues, which obviously all disablilities dont neccasirily fall into this category, perhaps the blue badge criteria is already based on this, however if its not i think it should be.

Not meaning to minimise the seriousness of mental disabilities, but someone with a mental disability but is fully mobile IMO should not be given priority parking when it is not needed for them and is merely depriving those with mobility issues of needed spaces as much as those without BB's do when they park in them.

tiamai_d

Skinto_7 wrote: »

With regards to the priority parking, IMO these should only be for people with mobility issues, which obviously all disablilities dont neccasirily fall into this category, perhaps the blue badge criteria is already based on this, however if its not i think it should be.

Not meaning to minimise the seriousness of mental disabilities, but someone with a mental disability but is fully mobile IMO should not be given priority parking when it is not needed for them and is merely depriving those with mobility issues of needed spaces as much as those without BB's do when they park in them.

Have you ever seen a teenager with severe Autism kick off? I have and while I agree with the thoery that the Autistic person does not need the blue badge, their carer does when they have to try and calm this person down and get them into the car safely.

I think the rules regarding blue badges are fine as they are, the only thing I would change is the free parking, I don't see any need for it. Though we don't have hospital carparks that charge for parking, treatment/therapy/medical appointments are the only reason I can see why someone would benefit from free parking. Going into town shopping etc, I do think you should pay just like everyone else.

tacuma

my dear mum god rest her soul had a great putdown for people like that
she would look at them with a serious face & tell them that their shoelaces were undone , then when they looked & say no they not, she would simply say your ignorance is showing through lol the walk away , worked everytime .

Spamfree_2

I seen a van today parked in a disabled space. Logos and stuff on it and it was for industrial carpet cleaning.

I couldn't see it, but when I got round the front there was a blue badge on display.