Blue badge parking

It's a problem here in the U.S. I have friend who has one and she really needs it and often has trouble finding a place to park. I think they need to expire if it's a short term disability and have people reevaluated.

I think that if you are sure that somebody is a fraud, they should be reported to the authorities.
sorry to hear about FB and horrible remarks DaphneBroon

I believe blue badge holders can park in mother and child bays. As these bays are normally on private land I very much doubt anyone will complain. I dont think private landowners (supermarkets etc) have the right to fine people do they?

A neighbour, who, on the face of it, looks well enough to walk, suffers from COPD and spends many days unable to stand due to severe gout. She has a blue badge.

I've taken many people out who have no immediately visible disability and are not wheelchair users. It never occurred to me to wonder what others thought of the use of a blue badge parking space. The badge was always displayed so I guess if anyone was curious they could check. It infuriates me that genuine use of a badge should leave individuals thinking they have to justify themselves and saddens me that abuse of the scheme makes people so suspicious.

I do agree how frustrating it is when people park in disabled bays without a badge but not all disabilities are immediately apparent. As a registered blind person I have a blue badge, if you saw me get out of the car you might think there was nothing wrong with me- till I fell over the curb!

parker. ...maybe get a 3 wheeled walking frame when out shopping or at least
a 4 prong walking stick. I've got one and they're much supportive than the usual type of walking stick.
Keep telling yourself..."I Do Not Feel Guilty
For Having a Blue Badge" I hope you'll find
my thoughts useful.

I have a blue badge but do not appear disabled, I have a blood disease that affects joints and major organs. How do you manage not to feel guilty because you do nt look disabled?

There is a difference between Blue Badge & Child spaces. Blue Badge spaces are legally enforceable while child spaces are simply a courtesy. Someone with a baby can still park albeit in an ordinary bay esp if they go to the less popular spaces at the far end of a car park.

Disabled people on the other hand may be unable to park anywhere else if they can't get a BB bay and may end up having to go home.

Well, they shouldn't. Their blue badge doesn't entitle them to park in - "Parking places reserved for specific users such as resident’s bays or loading bays. (However you may wish to check whether a particular local authority has chosen to exempt Blue Badge" so you (or the vans legitimately delivering) would be entitled to report anyone who does that, just as you are entitled to report anyone abusing a badge or a disabled parking space. It is not the fault of the blue badge scheme itself, or the mostly responsible holders of one.

See what are the rights and responsibilities of blue badge holders. www.gov.uk/.../uploads/system/uploads/.../blue-badge-rights-responsibilities.PDF

Bear in mind, everyone, before you criticise badge holders too readily, that the purpose of the badge is to even out some of the difficulties faced by those who are unable to get around without pain or exhaustion, or other disabitiies. If you have had temporary mobility problems, you will know how unpleasant it is. Multiply that to cover ALL mobility, 24/7.

Inevitably, some people have less disability than others, and a few are swinging the lead, but you cannot know exactly what their position is.

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.

Chrishappy You might like to read my post again.

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.

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.

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.........??

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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...

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 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!

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.

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.