Parking in Disabled Bay without Blue Badge

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

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.

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 !!

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 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!

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!

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

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''.

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!

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

👍

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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 😊

ClicketyClick

Today 19:26Mt61

keepingquiet

Apparently so for three hours. I didn't know this.

My friend is disabled, she went over on a 60 min parking bay & ended up being fined, she said she wouldn’t care but she could have parked on DY lines for 3hrs 😩
I didn’t know you could park in someone else’s BB space (outside their house) for 3 hrs if you have a BB. Is that true?

Yes and unlimited because the marked disabled bay outside someone's house is not legally enforceable even though most, if not all, councils charge the resident for the bay. So the resident paying to have a disabled bay marked outside their property is actually relying on the goodwill of people to not park there.

Absolutely. I would feel cheeky using someone else’s bay, what would be the point in having one if everyone else is going to use it. I think most people would think twice.
A house that has recently been sold opposite my mum’s hose has a disabled bay, nobody seems to park there- shouldn’t the council have the lines removed?

HelterSkelter1

I see your point Crosstitchfan....but then they would be blocking the spaces for even longer replacing the tyre!!!!!
It would be good if you could report it to the supermarket customer service desk and that they could make an announcement that car number xxxxxx is blocking the Blue Badge parking spaces without a relevant Badge. Please Move Immediately. And then involve security.

You’re right! So frustrating though.
Good plan, but they won’t agree to it, of course!

Chardy

DollyRocker

I put sarcastic notices on cars of people that do this in my road and make a point that they have been photographed and reported to the local enforcement warden.

My blue badged DD suggests if you see someone parking in Disabled spot who clearly isn't disabled, politely remind them to put their BB on the dashboard. (If they are disabled they'll say thanks!) Tell them, on the road the fine is £70 - £100. If it's a store's car park, tell them the shop banned someone recently.

That is the same advice as our Council gives on their website if you see a vehicle in a disabled bay NOT displaying a BB.

Didn’t work for me though, as I said in my OP. The driver was just arrogant and determined to stay where she was.