Parking and Blue Badges in disabled bays.

Mupette

yesterday found a a disabled bay to park in that i used last Saturday too, I took this picture as the comment about blue badges being invalid.

Slightly confused, as it was a disabled bay clearly marked, i thought that as long as you have a blue badge you can park in any designated disabled bay, am i wrong?

Tigsteroonie

My (layman's) understanding is that Blue Badges only carry significance on the road and in Council owned car parks; on private land they have no significance. That works both ways - having a blue badge doesn't entitle you to park under locally agreed conditions (eg free) in a private car park; but equally you don't need a blue badge to park in a bay marked as disabled in a private car park.

I'm probably wrong. A parking expert will be along shortly.

Fruitcake

Much as I hate to say it, it is actually refreshing to see a private parking scammer who knows the the blue badge scheme does not apply on private land.

The booklet that comes with a BB explains this, along with the UK Gov website on the subject and other sources such as the House of Commons Library.

People with blue badges should read their booklets so they don't get caught out by private parking scammers.

Fruitcake

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

My (layman's) understanding is that Blue Badges only carry significance on the road and in Council owned car parks; on private land they have no significance. That works both ways - having a blue badge doesn't entitle you to park under locally agreed conditions (eg free) in a private car park; but equally you don't need a blue badge to park in a bay marked as disabled in a private car park.

I'm probably wrong. A parking expert will be along shortly.

Good morning Tigs. Layman? When did you have the operation? Does M'boy know?

You are absolutely spot on. A blue badge is not the only indicator of a disability and it is illegal to discriminate against a disabled motorist if they or a passenger has a disability or other protected characteristics (eg, breastfeeding mother of a new born baby) as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
The landowner or parking company have no obligation to recognise a blue badge, but must make concessions for disabled/protected characteristic users whether they have a BB or not.
There is also no reason to assume that a BB holder gets free parking on private land.

Mupette

So although @Bristol are discriminating against me and other disabled people, i shouldn't park there. Is that the gist of it?

Which case i won't park there again, i honestly didn't notice the sign before even though it was in a clear place, (I have MS my brain is really screwed)

shaun_from_Africa

Mupette wrote: »

So although @Bristol are discriminating against me and other disabled people, i shouldn't park there. Is that the gist of it?

Unless someone has a valid permit to park in that bay then it is prohibited for both disabled and non disabled drivers alike so there is no discrimination.

Fruitcake

However, there are loads of other things wrong with that sign. If anyone gets a ticket here they should complain to the landowner and DVLA about the breaches, as well as sending the IPC template letter from the NEWBIES sticky thread.

Car park companies cannot use CCTV to obtain keeper details. The font size and 100 quid charge is too small. There is no mention that they are IPC members. In any case the sign is prohibitive so there is no offer of parking for non-permit holders so they have no chance of winning in court if they were stupid enough to try.

Tigsteroonie

Fruitcake wrote: »

There is also no reason to assume that a BB holder gets free parking on private land.

Don't even get it in council car parks round here - Tameside is one of those councils who still expect you to pay, but give you an extra hour. I've learnt to check every council's website before we go on holiday!

Mupette

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Unless someone has a valid permit to park in that bay then it is prohibited for both disabled and non disabled drivers alike so there is no discrimination.

ok that's fair enough.

just saying to husband that this wasn't always a private owned road, I remember as a young child the road being there, a good 20 years before @Bristol was there, I can only assume that @Bristol bought the road and land from someone, it was very much derelict land for years, it was also not always a no through road.

Umkomaas

Mupette wrote: »

So although @Bristol are discriminating against me and other disabled people, i shouldn't park there. Is that the gist of it?

Which case i won't park there again, i honestly didn't notice the sign before even though it was in a clear place, (I have MS my brain is really screwed)

I believe it means that parking is only for those who have an actual permit (is it a private housing complex?) and this is truly private land where there is absolutely no invitation to park for anyone other than permit holders. Further it confirms that a blue badge cannot be argued to be equivalent to a permit.

If the blue badge holder has no permit and has no business to be on the property, there is no obligation on the part of the landowner or PPC to make any adjustments for him/her under the Equality Act.

That's how I read this.

Fruitcake

Mupette wrote: »

So although @Bristol are discriminating against me and other disabled people, i shouldn't park there. Is that the gist of it?

Which case i won't park there again, i honestly didn't notice the sign before even though it was in a clear place, (I have MS my brain is really screwed)

shaun has got it in one. Nobody except permit holders should park there. The disabled bays are concessions for disable permit holders, not disabled non permit holders.
You are not being discriminated against. The sign says blue badges are not valid on this land. They are absolutely correct. A disabled permit holder could park in a disabled bay irrespective of whether they had a BB or displayed a BB. It wouldn't matter. They are entitled to park there. You are not.

You should read the Sticky thread for NEWBIES in case you ever get an unfair private parking ticket. This will teach you everything you need to know about the unregulated private parking scam industry.
As already mentioned, if you do get a ticket you can beat it because the parking company has breached it's trade association and DVLA Kadoe contract rules.