Blue badge parking

I use a blue badge, use a walking stick, because I can't walk well, I have arthritis and Osteoarthritis, plus fibromyalgia, so the pain is constant, I was going to have a new hip, but was too young, now I am told, that I have arthritis in my spine, so he won't do the hip op, because it will make the way I walk, hard and I often see people using the badge, who seem to walk really well, no stick, no wheel chair .etc..how do they get away with it, when there are people who need one, can't get one it makes me so angry. you must complain to the taxi firm and ignore the idiots, Daphnebroon xx

An elderly friend has a Blue Badge, her son keeps it in his car in case she loses it!!! Oh yeah??
Also saw a car parked in the Parent and Child space at my local Morrisons. MOther looked about eighty, daughter about sixty....when does Parent and Child stop???

All for Blue Badge, Disabled parking etc etc but I get really narked when these spaces are misused.

On a slightly different note (& hopefully not too controversial) can anyone tell me why disabled toilets or changing rooms cannot be used by able bodied people at busy times? It seems silly to have long queues at the others & an empty disabled bay. I have been told it might want to be used by someone disabled but why should they not have to wait like everyone else? Same thing in a larger M & S changing room when I wanted to use it so I could take my baby GD in in her pushchair. Sorry but don't get the reasoning on it.

I don't think there's anything stopping an able-bodied person from using the toilets meant for disabled people as long as there isn't anyone waiting.

My late MIL was given a special key to access some locked facilities, but I'm pretty sure she never used it.

Non-disabled people often use the disabled loos at busy times in my area. Sometimes the disabled loo is within the ordinary loos anyway.

I have a condition that isn't visible so get lots of looks using a blue badge when parking. I found some patches on Ebay for my car which say" Not All Disabilitys Are Visible " . My daughters answer to anyone who says "you don't look sick" is "you don't look stupid" tends to get wide berth after that.

Our local Morrisons directs able bodied people to the disabled toilet when the others are busy or being cleaned. Makes sense to me, interested in opinions.

Well, I prefer not to use toilets meant for people with disabilities, cornerback, because I've seen someone in a wheelchair waiting for an unfeasibly long time for an able-bodied person to emerge. Does anyone else ever speculate as to what some women actually do in the cubicle for so long? Not a pleasant thought, I know, but my goodness some of them take an age

Maggiemaybe the person in the disable toilet may be someone like me, I look absolutely fine but I have a stoma and a colostomy bag and need the facilities such as a washbasin in the cubicle. Most of the time I can be in and out as fast as a healthy person but just sometimes the appliance malfunctions and requires attention.

No, harrigran, I mean the perfectly able-bodied women we all see heading straight for the disabled toilets as soon as they see a bit of a queue they don't fancy joining at the Ladies. Usually with a nod and a wink and a "let's use the disabled loo" to their mate. They're pretty easy to spot.

Marmight. I do not understand why a quadriplegic man could not get a blue badge. I presume he was on DLA on high mobility he would automatically get a blue badge in England at least.

Thrillednanny "why should they not have to wait like anyone else" - some disabled people have conditions which means they simply can't wait. If you think about it, if you have a condition affecting your legs the condition may affect the rest of your lower half including continence issues. I carry a card with me in several languages asking people to let me use the loo. I can assure you the consequences would not be pleasant if I had to wait.

I have applied for a blue badge... Several months ago and still no sign of it. I'm waiting for a hip op ..three more months to wait! In the meantime I can hardly walk to and from the supermarket car park. I'm ok once I have a trolley as I use it as support to get around the shop! . It seems highly unlikely that I will get the blue badge as it seems if there are still a few muscles twitching in your body you are deemed not disabled. I do park in disabled spaces. Do people think this is wrong?
I tried to buy a mobility aid online recently and discovered that unless you are catatonic you have to pay VAT . Having a temporary disability is not enough. It has to be a life long condition! Government guidelines! It seems outrageous that the government should be making profit from the equipment required to deal with the increased disabilities that inevitably come with old age.
Generally in our culture there seems very little understanding,care or provision for the aging process. Mobility is not a luxury, it is of utmost importance in maintaining a positive outlook and a happier older person is going to cost the NHS a lot less!, Having been almost housebound for over a year has been a very testing time and I'm aware that I have a lot of internal and external resources. How must it be for those who dont!

blue badges are given to those who pass the criteria whether or not it is obvious to an onlooker. My particular gripe is those who use someone else's badge for their own convenience. My mil had a blue badge which her sister kept in her own bag and the sister used it for herself. I kept saying to mil she should have it with her as when we visited the badge was always with the sister and we not only had to pay parking but find it close enough to whatever for mil who used a wheelchair so needed space to get in and out of the car. We often had to give up and go home. Mil's fault for not asking for it back of course, and it caused some aggravation. My mother had one too but kept it herself. Both badges were returned when they died.

I'm in a wheelchair and when I need a loo, I REALLY need a lo asap! So I am not amused when a woman comes out of the disabled facilities, with a son about 10, chatting merrily about what to buy today and whether he has been good enough for an ice cream...I raised an eyebrow. Her answer was 'he's scared to go on his own'. Said child could have made mincemeat out of me...

My mum had a blue badge when she got to the later stages of cancer and quite often got abused by people saying she wasnt disabled because she could walk without aids but she could only walk very short distances before she struggled to catch her breath so not all disabilities are visable. Slightly off topic but as a grandma i get very angry with other grandparents (wbo dont have a blue badge) who feel that having a carseat in the car means they can park in the parent and child bays when they havent got their grandchild with them. See it all the time at our local garden centre.

Your last paragraph is spot on, Philippa. One of our local supermarkets has the mother and child spaces next to the disabled ones and it infuriates me when we can't get a space (DH has a blue badge) and have to drive to the farthest end of the car park while a young mother with a fit and healthy child can park just a few steps away from the entrance.

I can see why it's useful for M&C parking to have a wider space each side to make it safer for toddlers/buggies etc., but they have YOUNG LEGS. It wouldn't kill them to walk a bit further when more disabled spaces are needed.

Merlotgran mother and child spaces have to be wide like the disabled ones so you can get baby seats out and lift toddlers out of car seats. Imagine trying to do that in today's small car spaces its impossible

My husband has a blue badge as he is on oxygen and has a heart condition and needs a wheelchair. My daughter also has a blue badge as she has fibromyalgia and arthritis and uses a wheelchair. However I never park in a disabled bay when I am on my own as I can walk. I have seen others using a blue badge which belongs to someone else as they are doing the disabled person's shopping.

I do think there should be different spaces for general blue badge users and wheelchair users. My granddaughter is 6 and a wheelchair user. Often the disabled spaces are full up with blue badge holders who can actually walk a good distance whereas my daughter cannot even get my GD out of the car unless she has a decent amount of space to lift her out.

I have found that people feel they can post whatever rude comments they want when they are on the Internet Daphne, things they would never say to your face. Most of the comments probably came from the taxi drivers who worked at the firm, although unfortunately there does seem to be a general feeling that many Blue Badge holders are fakes which is obviously not the case!

I have a Blue Badge as I also have numerous back conditions and have had major surgery twice on my back and hip and I really get annoyed when I see the disabled car parking spaces being abused!!!!!! It's not as if there are usually that many to start with either, but, I have to say I disagree with blue badge holders using parent and child spaces though, because I don't think that we would be happy if they used our spaces. Does anyone know if they have changed the rules or are the blue badges still renewed every three years? I think abusing blue badges is totally wrong, but as often happens, some people think it's one rule for them and one for the rest of us. I have to say though I am a big believer in Karma so.........??

Even without the need for a wheelchair it can be difficult for some physically disabled people to get in and out of a car if the door can't be opened wide enough.

If the taxi firm is carrying a disabled person who as a blue badge I think they are entitled to use it for them. I reasontly renewed my blue badge and it is much harder now than it was to renew them. You either have to visit the local authority or fill a form in on line and there are lots more questions to answer.

Chrishappy You might like to read my post again.

What makes me mad about blue badge holders is they park in Loading Bays then when vans call to deliver goods the vans end up with parking tickets because they have had to park on double yellow lines.