Blue Badge 'police'

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Comments

  • lucylucky
    lucylucky Posts: 4,908 Forumite
    sunnyone wrote: »
    I answered your question above but dont let that stop you from defending blue badge abuse.

    I hope its on street or a council car park and then maybe the abuse would stop and a sixty pound fine will make people remember that they cannot park in a disabled bay unless the disabled person is leaving the car , I would report them to the issueing office for the blue badge (as it tells you to do in the literature you recieve with the badge) and the local council so that the enforcement officers have the details to look out for the car.


    As long as disabled people allow their badges to be abused other able bodied people will use that to justify abusing disabled bays and disabled people will (in one example Im familiar with many times only) continue to have to wait an hour to get parked at my local hospital and/or miss appointments because they cant get out of the car because visitors visiting a disabled person thinks it ok to use the badge to visit them in hospital:mad:

    You have yet to answer the question I posed, and at no time have I defended or advocated blue badge abuse. You must be confusing me with another poster.
  • Madz
    Madz Posts: 37 Forumite
    lucylucky wrote: »
    I am not sure why you think my question to be disingenuous.

    I have merely asked for clarification.

    Your response is disingenuous. The question has already been answered. The defensiveness of people on this thread is interesting. It's quite clear that there are some people who now that they're in the wrong but are all bluff and bluster, trying to assuage their own guilt I guess. A scheme like the blue badge relies on people having a sense of responsibility to other users of the scheme. It relies on trust, in effect. Unfortunately disability doesn't seem to magically give the user a sense of community and we see people behaving very selfishly (as in the case of the man on this thread who thinks his wife is entitled to use the space so she doesn't get a bit tired) It's already been accepted that there could be a host of reasons why the disabled person may stay in the car (though I'm not sure any of them are legally valid when parked on the road) and that's why the scheme relies on a self - policing attitude.
  • Madz
    Madz Posts: 37 Forumite
    How would you personally know this if you've just driven up? I'm not justifying any improper use of the blue badge, but I do object to the tone of your reply, as I was asking a genuine question.

    I personally agree that if you know you aren't getting out of the car, you may as well sit in a normal parking space. However, it is entirely unfair to lose your rag over something that you cannot always have full knowledge over, as it is possible that the person has returned to the car early.

    If I were sitting in the car, reading (wish my neck allowed me to do this more) and if I smoked, having a cigarette, waiting for the driver to get back having got back first - mainly because he does the stuff over a longer distance than I do - I would not appreciate you ripping my head off.

    It's bad enough being queried whether I have my own badge or whether I deserve it, never mind having someone have a go because they haven't personally seen me collapse back into the seat five minutes previously.

    I find it interesting when people get defensive over issues such as these. I see people giving me funny looks when I use a disabled bay and it does rankle but in essence they are trying to protect people like me. Once I remember that I feel differently about them. We all know that the scheme gets abused and the people who speak out about it are only trying to address that.
  • pwales_2
    pwales_2 Posts: 523 Forumite
    edited 10 December 2010 at 9:52AM
    i honestly dont think people who can walk even in lots of pain and even if it is for a short distance will EVER understand how hard it is for a wheelchair user who has NO use of there legs, the wide spaces are a must not just more conveniant for pain but it is impossible not just hard for me(in a normal space) to lift my chair from the passanger seat across me put it next to the door (which has to be full open) and wide enough space for the chair then lift the wheels from the back seat assembe the chair and get in it then reverse to go home.
    just please think do i really need this space as much as a para, or could i park just over there if the disabled person aint getting out
    please:(
  • lucylucky
    lucylucky Posts: 4,908 Forumite
    Madz wrote: »
    Your response is disingenuous. The question has already been answered. The defensiveness of people on this thread is interesting. It's quite clear that there are some people who now that they're in the wrong but are all bluff and bluster, trying to assuage their own guilt I guess. A scheme like the blue badge relies on people having a sense of responsibility to other users of the scheme. It relies on trust, in effect. Unfortunately disability doesn't seem to magically give the user a sense of community and we see people behaving very selfishly (as in the case of the man on this thread who thinks his wife is entitled to use the space so she doesn't get a bit tired) It's already been accepted that there could be a host of reasons why the disabled person may stay in the car (though I'm not sure any of them are legally valid when parked on the road) and that's why the scheme relies on a self - policing attitude.

    Disingenuous - how so?

    I have asked a question which as yet remains unanswered.

    I am not in anyway being defensive as I have nothing to defend so I assume your comments are addressed at other posters.
  • Sunny one,
    I suggest you re-read my threads.
    I have made it clear that if my husband has no intention of getting out of the car, we DO NOT PARK IN A DISABLED BAY.
    We only do so when the intention is for him to accompany me!
    However, there are times when actually getting out of the car takes time. Sometimes his attempt results in failure.
    And yes, we do know amputees can drive.
    He currently is not am amputee, but knows that will be the outcome for him further down the line.
    In fact he would welcome this, but it seems the NHS will only consider this option when the very poor circulation in that limb, causes problems of a life threatening nature. ie the onset of gangerine.
    I am upset that people seem to think this is DELIBERATE abuse of the badge, because have I have underlined (more than once).
    WE DO NOT PARK IN A DISABLED SPOT IF HE HAS NO INTENTION OF GETTING OUT OF THE CAR!!!!
    I think there is a great deal of the 'I am more disabled than you are' attitude here.
    At the end of the day, who can judge someone else, just on face value?
    The fact that anyone has a badge, means that people with a more intimate knowledge than us has decided that their condition warrented it.
    The whole thread started off as a discussion about able-bodied people's attitude towards the disabled, but has now disintegrated into disabled people attacking each other. All trying to say that their disability means that they need the disabled bay more!
    People should be ashamed of themselves!
    By the way, if all the bays are full, then we park elsewhere and my husband HAS to stay in the car, and I personally wouldnt even question a vehicle with a blue badge showing, as they obviously have the right to park there.
    But yes, even I find it annoying when the bays are all full, and half of the cars have no blue badge displayed, as happened frequently when visiting my father following a stroke last year.
    On one visit, (a PCT meeting to discuss personal care for dad), it was really important that the whole family (including hubby) was there.
    No disabled bays free on hospital grounds - (on this occasion I counted - sad arent I, but out of 12 bays ONLY THREE had badges!).
    One free on road outside of hospital. (quite a walk from where we needed to get).
    My BIL parked, we half dragged my husband, half carried him to the meeting, were well over half an hour late, and to add insult to injury, had a parking ticket on return because in my panic I had forgotten to put the BB on display.
    It was still in my handbag (where I had put it when moving it from our car)!
    We werent even upset over it because it proved someone was doing their job.
    On the hospital ground though, because it is private property, no penalties are ever issued, which is why the bays are used by all and sundry!
    Any way stop it now! All of you!
    The question was (originally) about whether you should have to justify your disability to others when using your badge.
    The only logical and SANE answer is NO! Its no-one elses business - not even another person with a disability.
    I agree that blatent abuse should be sorted out, but it is not for us to try and do so amongst ourselves.
    I agree that my husband shouldnt use his badge to make my life easier (I dont need it- nor would I EVER do it)
    But the badge is there to make HIS life better, and so I will continue to do everything in my power to this end. I am certainly not going to park miles away from where he need to be, in order to satisfy you lot, if his first attempt to get out of the car fails!
    Thats called throwing the towel in and giving up.
    He may succeed on his next, or subsequent attempts!
  • SingleSue
    SingleSue Posts: 11,699
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    I don't quite agree with you pwales about those who may be in pain but not in a wheelchair not needing a wide space.

    My father has been registered disabled (when you was able to be registered disabled that is) since the early 70's and up until earlier this year, could cope sort of with a non wide space. Unfortunately, this April he had two strokes which has impacted on his stability and mobility even more than he had previously.

    Since that time, it is impossible for him to enter or exit the car in a normal width parking space, he needs to have the door as wide open as it can possibly get, not only so he is more stable but also for my mum to help him to reach a standing position (he has previously been disabled on his right side from his accident in 1972 but the stroke affected his left side making things extremely awkward). Without a wide space, he cannot enter or exit the car at all...mum either has to pull the car out of the space enough to expose the passenger door, stop and then help him into the car (whilst everyone else is getting antsy) or if no wide spaces available on arrival in the car park, stop the car before going into the space, getting out and helping dad out and then pulling into the space...all the while hoping and praying he doesn't fall over while she is doing it!

    He doesn't use a wheelchair (don't ask - we have argued this with him until we are blue in the face) but has sticks.

    His use of sticks (and stubborness over the wheelchair) is also a reason why he needs to have a space close to the shop, he is not steady on his feet at all, he is mind numbingly slow to walk with and even a small distance leaves him absolutely exhausted, unable to move his limbs at all and more confused than ever.

    And I'm still looking for a sticker (thanks SH but the wheelchair one was not suitable) I can stick on MY car asking for people to allow space for a crutch user on the drivers side...for a normal, non disabled parking space, I am as stubborn as my father and refuse to accept my frailties.
    We made it! All three boys have graduated, it's been hard work but it shows there is a possibility of a chance of normal (ish) life after a diagnosis (or two) of ASD. It's not been the easiest route but I am so glad I ignored everything and everyone and did my own therapies with them.
    Eldests' EDS diagnosis 4.5.10, mine 13.1.11 eekk - now having fun and games as a wheelchair user.
  • Oh my dear god i cannot believe the way this thread has gone!!!!!!!!!!!
    It started off about non disabled people questioning the use of disabled parking spaces and has now gone to who has the most severe disability!!!!!!
    get a grip of yourselves, it has nothing to do with anyone (apart from the Police or a traffic officer) what disabiility anyone has whether it be a visible one or not - talk about the big brother state.
  • im mean impossible as in the phyisics ie my chair is to wide to fit between to cars, i could get out in a normal space and lower myself to sit on the floor which would be hard for me to do but not immpossible,
    the other point is i have no problem with ur dad using the space as he is getting out of the car:beer:
  • NickyBat wrote: »
    Oh my dear god i cannot believe the way this thread has gone!!!!!!!!!!!
    It started off about non disabled people questioning the use of disabled parking spaces and has now gone to who has the most severe disability!!!!!!
    get a grip of yourselves, it has nothing to do with anyone (apart from the Police or a traffic officer) what disabiility anyone has whether it be a visible one or not - talk about the big brother state.

    sorry did somone break wind then :A:rotfl:
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