Parking in Disabled Bay without Blue Badge

Madmeg

Just been notified that my application for a Blue Badge for DH has been accepted. The criteria are difficult to meet nowadays. He's been bravely struggling for months, if not a couple of years. It hasn't arrived yet. It is such a relief.

However a few years ago, a friend who is manager at our local Tesco told me that as their carpark is privately owned (rather than council-owned) they have no jurisdiction over people parking who don't have a blue badge. No idea if this is true.

Yes, you can park on double-yellows providing it is safe to do so.

Glad to hear that madmeg 😊

I think also, it wouldn’t be half as bad if super market car parks had larger parking spaces so that I could swing my legs out, instead I’ve to gently slide my leg out, one at a time, put my fingers around the outside of my door, to stop it banging into the car parked next to mine, you practically have to be a contortionist to get out of the flipping car.

Madmeg it will be a great help for you both.

My husband cannot stand unaided and getting him in and out of the car is not easy. We keep his wheelchair in the boot so I have to have room at his doorside to park it so he can get in and likewise when we return. A BB is vital for him.

On the other hand, our Tesco has a row of BB spaces but the last one isn’t a BB space. I think it may be too small.
I parked there and got a very snotty note from some do gooder who was misinformed!

Our Sainsburys disabled bays are often used by folk who leap out in their gym gear and jog into the shop. When challenged they will say “im only going to be 5mins”. This store is next to the sports centre so there is no need. Sains not interested.

If it’s a privately owned car park then I don’t think there’s much you can do apart from let their tyres down - a pencil is very good for this. You used to be able to get signs that said “you’ve taken my space would you like my disability too?” Some people however are beyond shaming.
Very often car parks are now managed by private car park companies who use number plate recognition which wouldn’t detect which bay you were in, so unless there is someone on site there is no one to complain to and the police will do nothing as it’s private land.

25Avalon

If it’s a privately owned car park then I don’t think there’s much you can do apart from let their tyres down - a pencil is very good for this. You used to be able to get signs that said “you’ve taken my space would you like my disability too?” Some people however are beyond shaming.
Very often car parks are now managed by private car park companies who use number plate recognition which wouldn’t detect which bay you were in, so unless there is someone on site there is no one to complain to and the police will do nothing as it’s private land.

And the supermarkets cannot afford to send someone out to “guard” the BB spaces. Staff don’t want to confront illegally parked people either.

In fact nobody wants to do that these days. We are regularly at our hospital and every single time there are people outside the doors smoking (some in nightclothes and hooked up to drips) with No Smoking signs everywhere. They just get ignored as nobody dares to enforce it.

Primrose one of the reasons no one wants to confront these people is that you get an earful of abuse cos they are not nice people. If they were they wouldn’t dream of stealing a space from a disabled person.

25Avalon

Primrose one of the reasons no one wants to confront these people is that you get an earful of abuse cos they are not nice people. If they were they wouldn’t dream of stealing a space from a disabled person.

👍

Good for you. I admire people who speak. disability Whatever your disability if it doesn't it alify for a Blue Badge then you should not park in disabled spaces.

I also think the Blue Badge and Motability Schemes are being abused big time by the relatives and friends of disabled people

Really needs sorting out.

Well done! I have hidden disabilities and just received my blue badge a few days ago. Despite my health I never got my husband to park in a disabled bay even if it meant me having to struggle getting out of the car.

A wonderful, severely disabled, wheelchair bound guy in our town had the perfect comment to people illegally parked in disabled bays….
He would look them up and down and then say very loudly “oh I’m sorry I didn’t realise you are mentally disabled “.
This caused great hilarity to passers-by and often made the offenders get in and drive off in embarrassment!!

I'm actually a BB holder myself, simply because I can't walk more than a few feet without being in agony. However, I would like to know, if for example, someone who is blind would be entitled to one, as while this is obviously a major disability, if this is their only one, then presumably they wouldn't actually need a BB? I know we say that not every disability is visible, but surely not every disability warrants a BB, as lots of people with hidden disabilities can also walk? I'd be interested to hear from anyone who knows the answer to this.

People with autism; or parents with children with autism are now entitled to apply for BBs too.
You can’t park on DY lines everywhere. We got caught out by this when we were taking my dad somewhere and got a ticket (in London I think). So it’s worth checking.
My mum is 91 but still pretty mobile. She doesn’t qualify for a blue badge. But she just struggle to get in and out of the car and I have to help her. Car park spaces are really big enough for us to be able to get the door open sufficiently for me to get her out safely. I keep thinking that I might start parking in mother and child Spaces - as that is exactly what we are and we do need the extra space!

My late DH had a blue badge so I would never park in a disabled space. I rather like the signs that say something like ''take my space, take my disability''.

Lahlah65

People with autism; or parents with children with autism are now entitled to apply for BBs too.
You can’t park on DY lines everywhere. We got caught out by this when we were taking my dad somewhere and got a ticket (in London I think). So it’s worth checking.
My mum is 91 but still pretty mobile. She doesn’t qualify for a blue badge. But she just struggle to get in and out of the car and I have to help her. Car park spaces are really big enough for us to be able to get the door open sufficiently for me to get her out safely. I keep thinking that I might start parking in mother and child Spaces - as that is exactly what we are and we do need the extra space!

Damn - should say RARELY big enough

I think that the cheekiest example I have seen so far was a tradesman's van parked at an angle across two disabled spaces at B&Q!

My Dad many years ago had an Orange badge. Some ignoramus parked over two disability spaces. So Dad said ‘i’ll sort him’ & parked behind him. Man was irate & started being nasty when we came back. Dad told him that he had put his Orange badge in place in our car & where was this pests badge. Man just muttered & drove off after Dad moved our car to the cheers & laughs of the people who had been attracted by the raised voices. All on Dad’s side!

A slightly different topic, but I was on the bus the other day when a woman in a wheel chair was waiting to get in. There was just one pushchair in the space but the father initially refused to fold it up to make room for her. Fortunately the bus driver refused to leave until he had done so, so the father grudgeingly and slowly removed his child and folded the buggy. Amazingly there were people in the bus who were telling him not to move, despite the sign saying that wheelchairs always have priority. I couldn't believe it.

My husband has a blue badge, when we had to go to an interview at the centre that made the decisions on eligibility there was one of the centres vans parked across two of their disabled parking spaces !!

I had a neighbour who did this and often parked in the space for family with small children. He had no children. I caught him at it several times, and he said he was only in for 10 minutes. I knew this wasn't true as I was there for half an hour and he was there when e arrived and still there when I left.

The manager of our local Aldi regularly parked in a disabled space outside the entrance, no blue badge visible !

WithNobsOnIt

Good for you. I admire people who speak. disability Whatever your disability if it doesn't it alify for a Blue Badge then you should not park in disabled spaces.

I also think the Blue Badge and Motability Schemes are being abused big time by the relatives and friends of disabled people

Really needs sorting out.

Yes, I agree. There is a parent at my GCs primary school who drives up a road which is not supposed to be used around school collection times by anyone other than the disabled. There is a blue badge in her car but I believe that it actually belongs to her slightly disabled mother who collects the children sometimes. However the parent seems to use it whether her mother is with her or not.
She also leaves the engine running so that she can use the air conditioning on whilst she is parked, which is an offence in most local authorities in the UK. She was very put out when I asked her to turn her engine off, though the exhaust fumes were flowing out directly into the queue of waiting parents - she always parks right next to the gate, limiting access.

Lahlah65

People with autism; or parents with children with autism are now entitled to apply for BBs too.
You can’t park on DY lines everywhere. We got caught out by this when we were taking my dad somewhere and got a ticket (in London I think). So it’s worth checking.
My mum is 91 but still pretty mobile. She doesn’t qualify for a blue badge. But she just struggle to get in and out of the car and I have to help her. Car park spaces are really big enough for us to be able to get the door open sufficiently for me to get her out safely. I keep thinking that I might start parking in mother and child Spaces - as that is exactly what we are and we do need the extra space!

Do people with autism need extra wide car parking spaces?
I can't get a Blue Badge even though I have difficulty walking and another long-term condition and letters from two Consultants. DH had to appeal to our Councillor as he was refused despite a Consultant's letter - the badge came very quickly after that.

Apparently because I said I don't need help getting dressed and can cook I don't fulfil the criteria! What has that to do with walking?

People with autism; or parents with children with autism are now entitled to apply for BBs too.
There are already parent and child spaces everywhere which are often nearer the door of the shop than the disabled spaces.

I think this varies from place to place and it seems a rather unfair system.

The landlady in our local pub had A4 sized posters printed with really sticky adhesive on them. If they parked in her loading bay, they were stuck to the windscreen on the driver's side. She used to chuckle as they would be trying to scrape them off the windscreen before they could drive away and would be urging the traffic warden to appear. I feel like doing that to people who park without badges in disabled bays. They would soon learn not to do it.