Does the Blue badge scheme need reform?

One small town near me seems to be full of blue badge holders, yet the only reason they appear to have is their inability to park. Seriously the double yellow lined streets seem full of cars displaying the badge - quite often causing a blockage - at the weekend there was a queue of cars mounting the kerb to get past them.

The crazy thing is, a large amount of the cars in the disabled bays in local Supermarkets are taken up by people without badges.

I'm not sure how one abuses this,you will need to be claiming certain benefits,seen by an DSS dr,refered back to the adjudicator who will then make a decision,on your disibility,you surely just cannot say i'm disabled give me a badge.this is the sun and the like making things up.
may be as an after thought,identity theft or fraud may be away to abuse this benefit but there is a checking system in place surely to deal with this.( back to checks again),

Yes it needs reform, the amount of large 4x4s and executive cars that seem to have them is laughable. To qualify you should required to have an adapted car, for wheelchair, or a small car such as seen in Europe that holds two persons and has a small 800cc diesel engine.

As a badge owner myself im in full agreement that people who are caught using these badges without the person with them should have the car clamped and a large fine.And their should be a limit on what mobility car they purchase with their benefit. Who needs a massive 4x4 in a council estate ?And why do some disabled buy a 3ltr large engine just for transport..total abuse of a system that is to help disabled get around.

Yeah, few weeks ago saw two young girls park just off Princes Street in Edinburgh in a disabled space. Neither appeared disabled to me so when they can back I challenged them. Torrent of verbal expletives and a claim they were running errands for the badgeholder so it was okay.

Its human nature for some to lie, cheat, steal and abuse whenever the opportunity arises.

There is a plethora of pervert cctv machines. perhaps these could be used to catch fraudsters using faked blue badges or even obviously healthy people abusing the system. OOPS I forgot a lot of the people abusing the system are people who are in power are the ones issuing the badges or they wish to perpetuate their CCTV fantasies

Unless you're using a wheelchair there's no need for a Blue badge, I'm sick of risking injury trying to cross roads between a sea of badly parked cars left of yellow lines, when there's a perfect amount of assigned disabled-parking in the car parks. Only cars modified for wheel-chair use should be allowed them, everyone else by definition can walk therefore can use a normal parking space.

post 3 by John Mc

envy by any chance?

there are people with a badge that do not need/use a wheelchair

blue badges are not related to your financial state but to the conditions needing to be met

i have a badge and drive a range rover - under your proposals i should perhaps have an 'invalid carriage'?

i'm not going to justify why have a range rover apart from saying - because i want one

but many people with lower limb problems find a 'high' 4x4 to be far easier to enter/exit than a standard car

2. At 11:19am on 14 Feb 2011, bud wrote:
'I'm not sure how one abuses this...'

Passing the badge to relatives, friends, not handing it back, once the blue badge holder has died etc..

Yes, the system does need reforming to stop the abuse and those found abusing the system need to be severly punished. If a genuine badge holder has allowed their badge to be used by someone else, then they should loose the right to a blue badge.

Not everyone who is entitled to a blue badge is in a wheelchair or has an obvious disability.

It is illegal and should be enforced that the person whose name is on the badge is actually using the car at the time. If it is abused then the right to use the blue badge [no matter how disabled the person is] should be taken away for a set period of time.

It is the person who has the blue badge not the car.

I'll do the first generic hys comment to save most the people who post here's time.

"It doesn't benefit me, why should others get it easy, they're all probably just scroungers anyway, ban them."

There you go guys, don't even need to take time out from being bitter and twisted to type today.

post 1 by ProbMan

i see many non badge holders who seem to have an inability to park correctly

as a badge holder you can still be issued a ticket for obstruction/parking on a pavement etc

and its not all free parking - privately operated car parks at some shopping centres/retail parks still require badge holders to pay - something i have no objection to doing

The majority of the cars with blue badges that I see are occupied by perfectly able-bodied people. I assume these are the carers/son/daughter etc. of the disabled person. Abuse is widespread and this is not fair for those who really need disabled parking.

Another system not working is the parent & child parking bays we now see scattered everywhere. Since when have parents and small children become unable to walk a little distance to the shops? No wonder this country is full of fat kids...

The Government should tackle this the other way around by encouraging able bodied people to use their legs or cheap, reliable, and convenient public transport for shopping. That way there wouldn't be any abuses or a need for unsightly car parks. But then MPs and their ilk are the biggest offenders when it comes to cars, parking, and convenience.

3. At 11:44am on 14 Feb 2011, John Mc wrote:
Yes it needs reform, the amount of large 4x4s and executive cars that seem to have them is laughable. To qualify you should required to have an adapted car, for wheelchair, or a small car such as seen in Europe that holds two persons and has a small 800cc diesel engine.
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I think you are missing the point here. The badge is awarded to an individual, not a car (see post 2). My mother in law is a blue badge holder, she drives the Jaguar he husband left her. Are you suggesting that drivers of such cars are not allowed to have disabilities? Or are you saying that disabled people should be banned from driving such cars?

My mum has a blue badge for when my sister or I take her out in the car. She has to use a wheelchair, which is normally stored in the boot whilst we help her into the frount seat (so no John MC not all cars should be adapted).
What I find annoying is when we are out trying to park at all in blue badge bays. They are quite often full of fancy sport cars and blue badge free vehicles. I have often come across people "waiting" in these bays whilst someone is inside the shops. Those incosiderate people tend to pretend they cannot see you. Yet despote signs saying it is monitored to stop this ect no one ever seems to check carparks or remove offending vehicles. This is a real problem for those who really do need these space and the level of disrespect shown by those who use them without need is appauling.
People using disabled bays wrongly should be fined as a parking offence and points put on their licenses plain and simple.

Motability, now there is a gravy train for some.

The blue badge scheme needs reform but so does parking enforcement in general. At the weekend I saw a parking warden ticketing a BMW parked in a half empty side street (probably for not having a residents permit... I've been got for the same offence in the same street). He then hopped on his little moped and drove past the 3 minicabs parked on double yellow lines (illegally touting for business) outside a cinema and forcing a dual carriageway to be compressed into one lane at a busy junction.

It does seems to appear from the comments on this board.---That the Blue Badge is NOT fully understood.-- Well it is for the disabled that have difficulty in walking very far and CAN use ANY persons Car if they do NOT own their own providing that THEY are an occupant of that car.---this means that anynCar owner that likes to help them, CAN.--They do NOT have to have a Car adapted for their use,---Perhaps they cannot afford one anyway, so why should they be denied the privalige of going shopping
when there ARE some people that CAN HELP and ARE willing to

In my area the main reason for people possessing one of these badges appears to be little more than laziness - can somebody please tell me when this became a disability?

Sort out these cheats, then look at keeping parent and child spaces free for these who actually need them!

Does the Blue badge scheme need reform?

Speaking as a disabled person since birth. Yes!

From my own observations in the town where I live, I estimate that the abuse is probably bigger than benefit fraud. It is very rare that I see a true invalid get out of a car displaying the Blue Badge. The double yellow lines in the centre of town where I work are chocker block with Blue Badge holders and I see probably one or two in a 100 that have to use a walking stick or wheelchair. It is a total disgrace and is long overdue for action by the authorities.

post 4 by ace riley

another misconception by someone who does not understand the badge system

the vast majority of badge holders do NOT have a motability car (you even got the name of scheme wrong)

also people on the motability scheme get an 'allowance' - if they decide to have an 'upmarket' car that is their choice and they PAY the difference

its called freedom of choice

you like a previous poster would like to see all disabled drivers in the old style 'invalid carriage' otherwise called 'cripple carriage'

yes, the little blue fibreglass three wheelers - talk about stigmatising the disabled - maybe we should wear a big 'f' off badge on our coats saying 'DISABLED'?

#8 Well said! Actually trying to get a wheelchair into "a small car such as seen in Europe that holds two persons and has a small 800cc diesel engine" is damn near impossible. We of course have 'small cars' in Britain too. My wife has a Daewoo Matiz. Thats 800cc. (My Honda is 1400)

There are plenty of injuries and illnesses that limit mobility but do not require a wheelchair. Lose one leg and you can probably manage with a prosthetic rather than a wheelchair.... however I don't begrudge 1 legged people being allowed to park a little closer to Tesco. Spinal injuries are the same. I have a friend who's spinal column is disintergrating due to auto-immune disease. At present he has 6 verterbrae held together with steel plates. He can barely walk but doesn't yet need a wheelchair either.

As a badge owner myself.I see blue badges in Vauxall Tigra,s, Mini Coopers.Well I am telling you they must be contortionists to get in and out of those vehicles,as I need help getting out of a Vauxhall Astra.

Post 13 the country is full of fat children because i assume it is the same in the rest of the country as by me.Children being taken to school by car 300 metres.

2. At 11:19am on 14 Feb 2011, bud wrote:
"I'm not sure how one abuses this".

It quite obvious actually. Quite often the abuse comes from people who do the driving for a disabled person (friends, relatives etc) using it when they shouldn't. Post 5 is a typical example.

post 7 by neilm001

now YOU are setting the conditions for the granting of badges?

As a badge owner myself.Why is the photo on the reverse side of the badge so it can not be seen.

13. At 12:20pm on 14 Feb 2011, David_L wrote:
"Another system not working is the parent & child parking bays we now see scattered everywhere. Since when have parents and small children become unable to walk a little distance to the shops? No wonder this country is full of fat kids..."
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I think the idea is that the lanes are wider to make it easier to get pushchairs in & out of the car. If you're parked alongside a car with a small child flinging his door open you'll probably appreciate it.

In any case supermarket car parks are private property. They can do what they like regarding allocation of spaces as long as it doesn't violate the law. If Tesco want to allocate spaces to reliant robins only thats their business.

just reading the comments so far i'm amazed at the number of posters who spew vitriolic bile against the disabled

YOU

want to decide what car they drive

you want to decide the level of disability to get a badge

tell you what - i'll happily swap my disability with you and give up my badge?

14. At 12:22pm on 14 Feb 2011, Aneeta Trikk wrote:
The Government should tackle this the other way around by encouraging able bodied people to use their legs or cheap, reliable, and convenient public transport for shopping. That way there wouldn't be any abuses or a need for unsightly car parks. But then MPs and their ilk are the biggest offenders when it comes to cars, parking, and convenience.
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That would only work in places that have "cheap, reliable & convenient public transport", none around here.

Post 8 by locust.Being disabled myself I can see the virtue of having a land rover or range rover much easier to get in and out of than my Astra.

does this debate not fall under the same area as disability allowance i.e. that the badges are given without proper tests being applied to those that use them

What about all the able bodied people who park in disabled spaces?

7. At 12:11pm on 14 Feb 2011, neilm001 bleated:

Unless you're using a wheelchair there's no need for a Blue badge, I'm sick of risking injury trying to cross roads between a sea of badly parked cars left of yellow lines, when there's a perfect amount of assigned disabled-parking in the car parks. Only cars modified for wheel-chair use should be allowed them, everyone else by definition can walk therefore can use a normal parking space.

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Typical ignorant attack on those less able in society.

I have a Blue Badge because I am registered blind. The badge belongs to me, not the owner of the car that I may be travelling in. I have the badge and use it when somebody takes me shopping in a designated disabled parking spot. Note that most designated disabled parking spaces are nearest the point of exit from a car park. This is so that I (and other disabled members of the public) am less at risk from vehicles as we leave the car park (from past experience many drivers seem to find pedestrians invisible in car parks and drive straight at them). I have had to put up with aggressive, disturbing abuse from drivers who, because I have an invisible disability (and am a strapping six footer) are unable (or refuse) to understand that I am blind, even when I am out with my white stick.

I can assure you that I would much rather have my sight back than be a holder of a Blue Badge and have to put up with the vitriol, spite and pointless envy from the likes of you. You are lucky enough to have the sight that enables you to cross the road unaided. I do not have that luxury.

Here's an idea. Try a little understanding instead.

post 13 by David L

you like some other idiots are 'deciding' by looks alone the validity of a car user to have a badge?

i suggest you get a job in assessing disabilities - would save the country a fortune as at one glance you can make a clinical/medical assessment?

post 16 by Karen

totally agree with you

unfortunately in car parks such as Tesco's etc there is no actual offence committed by the able bodied parking in disabled spaces

and the supermarkets do not enforce their own parking policies

but you my have noticed that parent and child spaces are now taking precedence over the disabled - their spaces are far closer to the front doors

If all the "Blue Badge" spaces in our local TESCO were taken up by the genuinely disabled, then there would be a health and safety issue within the store!!

Go to France, and an equivalent sized store to TESCO Extra (E Leclerc)has 8 disabled spaces, and none of those pesky mother and child spaces! Do the French have fewer disabled people, or do they only give blue badges to the genuinely disabled? And are French kids still born with usable legs?

Overall it is a good scheme. My Father in law has one and it is a godsend has he has poor circulation so can not walk far, so without it he wouldn't be able to go out as much. However some people do abuse it. Often people who have a blue badge because they have an infirm relative continue to use it even when the person who qualified for it isn't in the car. Difficult to see how you could stop this abuse though.

"Does the Blue Badge scheme need reform"? is the HYS question.

Several points:

1) You don't have to be in a wheelchair to be 'disabled'.
2) Loss of limbs are mostly covered up by disabled people who are often stared at in shops.
3) Heart defects/heart failure and other organ defects/failure qualify for Blue Badge.
4) Terminal illness qualifies for Blue Badge.
5) Just because someone doesn't 'appear' visually disabled - it doesn't mean they are not disabled.

Yes, it's true that Blue Badge is abused and often stolen. But, if there is any doubt - those with a Blue Badge should have their 'passport type' photograph on the Blue Badge and is easily checked.

In fact, many would suggest that the symbol of the 'wheelchair' on Blue Badges is often offensive to those who are disabled from loss of limbs to heart or multiple organ failure; transplant patients; chronic conditions who don't use wheelchairs - and those who do?

The disabled person cannot apply for a Blue Badge without their GP.

Am fairly certain there are many 'fake' or stolen Blue Badges out there. That has to be stamped out - but as explained above - it's simple enough to check the validity of a Blue Badge.

If badges are being abused then that should be stopped. However I also think the current regulations need to be changed. Double yellow lines are meant to be painted where parking is dangerous (e.g. on a corner, brow of a hill) or will cause an obstruction (for example the road is too narrow). As such I don't think allowing blue badge holders to park on double yellow lines is a good idea. Single yellow yes, but not double yellow. If there is a need in certain places it should be time-limited (say 30 minutes max). There are many places where you see rows of cars parked on double yellow lines all day because they are displaying a blue badge often reducing two way roads to one way and causing congestion as a result.

The biggest problem with blue badges seems to be the number of people who let family members use the badges. I can't count the number of times I have seen perfectly fit and healthy young couples get out of a car and put a blue badge in the windscreen which I can only assume belongs to someone else just so they can avoid paying to park elsewhere.

There’s nothing wrong with the scheme itself.
If those that administer it are incapable of doing so then it is them that need replacement NOT the scheme.

more lets bash the weakest in society my wife has a blue badge you can have it back if all her health problems are cured since when was abuse of a blue badge so bad lets tackle things like knife grime ASB poverty and a good few others before time effort and MONEY is wasted on blue badge abuse. Those that want laws and enforcement to stop abuse can tell us all where the money to provide blue badge wardens on every street come from
?

my adult child has a blue badge because she is autistic has learning disabilities challenging behaviour (polite way for saying that she has tantrums laying in the middle of the road and attacks other people) and is incontinent. wheelchair users and those who have difficulty walking are not the only people who need blue badges..useful intelligence criteria used to be applied when deciding on whether an applicant was worthy of the blue badge scheme and evidence was sought from professionals who knew the disabled applicant

WHo really cares, if they have a blue badge let them park and its up to the authorities to find out! Nothing to do with anyone who has no connection to disability and blue badges!

post 20 by WHU are ya

keeping parent and child spaces free? - your joking - i hope

children are a CHOICE

disabilities are not


hang you head in shame sir/madam!

No subject better displays how sick our society has become and how many jealous people hang out on HYS. There are a few people who abuse this system, just like any and every system from tax, through benefits and to the product return policies at M&S or John Lewis. Anything that has generosity of spirit at its heart will to a small extent be abused.

That is not a reason to stop it nor to acuse and abuse those who really benefit from it. So many of the comments here are petty and small minded. Perhaps that is a disability of the mind that you should receive some benefit for and then you would go away and be happier elsewhere.

I've been told that relapsing / remitting conditions such as multiple sclerosis are no longer eligible until the condition is grave enough that remission still leaves one unable to walk more than 100m. Having a blue badge enables me to avoid exhaustion from doing day-to-day chores. This in turn leaves me able to work full-time in a demanding job, pay taxes, pay for domestic assistance so I can continue to live on my own etc.. Without a blue badge, I'd soon have to retire from my job and live a life on benefits. Incidentally, I'm lucky to be in a job I can still do - if I was a shop assistant / builder / nursery nurse / train driver etc etc I'd be dependent on the state by now...
Blue badges don't only allow people with disabilities some limited freedom, they can keep us in paid work!

If someone warrants a Blue Badge, I have no problem with it. However, I object to the people who abuse disabled parking blatantly. I sometimes observe peoples' parking habits and have come to the conclusion that if supermarkets had a drive-in facility, many bone idle idiots would be only too happy to use it. These people do circus tricks to attempt to park as near the entrance as possible, including disabled bays. I always park as far away from the bulk of traffic as possible to avoid scrapes and dings from these self-same idiots.

Parking on double yellow lines is the main source of irritation. The yellow lines are there for a reason probably because it causes obstruction for vehicles to park there. But show a Blue Badge and you can park as long as you like even though, as I understand it, you should only park there if the driver is the disabled person and cannot walk more than 50 metres unaided, ie with a stick, crutches or wheelchair. I see no end of people park on yellow lines take the badge out of their glove box, jump out and run or walk briskly into town. It is a very abused system and the authorities sit on their hands and do nothing, so consequently it gets worse and worse. I certainly think that genuine invalids should have this badge, but unfortunately they are very much in the minority.

My father has a blue badge - he has difficulty in walking anything more than a short distance. However, he despairs of fellow Blue Badge holders who seem to think they can park anywhere irrespective of other road users. They cause obstructions by parking on double yellow lines (they are there for a reason - allowing 3 hours to park in such places is ridiculous).

Although it's not just Blue Badge holders than park without applying common sense - there are many other drivers on the road willing to park on the pavement, on bends, opposite junctions and even double park - causing dangerous obstructions that are against the highway code. I would actually say this is a bigger problem than Blue Badge abuse - but is this likely to be addressed? I doubt it.

There are people who use another family member's Blue Badge - but we don't do that in our family. The only time it is used is if my father is in the car or being picked up (e.g. from hospital).

Some sense and a little less laziness in the world from both Blue Badge holders and the general motorist would be appreciated.

I think half the people in the town where I live have access to a blue badge. The streets are full of cars displaying tham, parked all over double yellow lines. The car parks are mostly empty.
From my office window I could see people of all ages park up, display their badge, then walk the quarter of a mile to the shops. I would also see them come back laden down with shopping. The team who distributed the blue badges queried the one held by a childrens entertainer, and were told to leave well alone.
Also, I cannot understand how a high vehicle such as a range rover is easier to get in and out of...... if the owner has a bad back. I have tried it and you need to climb in and out. To those people who say that their particular car is not comfortable or right for them - if you read the paperwork that comes with the motability vehicle you would know that you can change your vehicle for one that is - and you dont have to wait until the present agreement expires.

"39. At 12:54pm on 14 Feb 2011, ATNotts wrote:
If all the "Blue Badge" spaces in our local TESCO were taken up by the genuinely disabled, then there would be a health and safety issue within the store!!

Go to France, and an equivalent sized store to TESCO Extra (E Leclerc)has 8 disabled spaces, and none of those pesky mother and child spaces! Do the French have fewer disabled people, or do they only give blue badges to the genuinely disabled? And are French kids still born with usable legs?"

_________________________________________________________________

I take issue with a couple of your comments. First of all, how does having a large number of disabled people in one place become a "health and safety" issue? Would I be right in assuming you are one of these people who exaggerate and apply H&S laws innapropriately so we have the "couldnt make it up guvnor" stories in the tabloid press? Do you assume the "genuinely disabled" to require complete care, a nurse assisting them and the access to a crash team just in case?

My local tescos extra is the size of a large corner shop, which has a total of 8 parking spaces. Try to get the type of store correct before making comparisons with people on Europe.

If message boards like this are a true reflection on people in this country we really have become a nation of selfish jealous sods. see someone getting some kind of benefit that they don't have causes wails of indignation. What a wonderful place we have become.

Reform?

Probably a euphemism for make them pay for them.

Badge or no badge, double yellow lines etc exist for safety reasons, so why is it acceptable for a disabled driver to park on them?

2. At 11:19am on 14 Feb 2011, bud wrote:
I'm not sure how one abuses this,you will need to be claiming certain benefits,seen by an DSS dr,refered back to the adjudicator who will then make a decision,on your disibility,you surely just cannot say i'm disabled give me a badge.this is the sun and the like making things up.
may be as an after thought,identity theft or fraud may be away to abuse this benefit but there is a checking system in place surely to deal with this.( back to checks again),

===========================

Firstly, you're incorrect in one of your assumptions. You don't need to be claiming benefits to get a blue badge. I have 2 family members in this position.

And aside from the inequalities as to how different areas of the UK give out badges there seem to be two problems we encounter when parking:

1) Badges being used by 'family and friends'
2) Disabled bays in supermarkets being used as waiting spaces and generally by those the thing they're entitled to do exactly what they want.

The problem really is down to enforcement.

We all know who the biggest abusers of the blue badge are doesnt take much working out my wifre has total kidney failure and cannot walk more than 10 yards yet at the hospitals i see them jumping out of thier cars and running across the road, yes have a sort out but make it fair and dont penalise the worthy!!

3. At 11:44am on 14 Feb 2011, John Mc wrote:
Yes it needs reform, the amount of large 4x4s and executive cars that seem to have them is laughable. To qualify you should required to have an adapted car, for wheelchair, or a small car such as seen in Europe that holds two persons and has a small 800cc diesel engine.

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What utter garbage. Its bad enough being disabled without having to drive in a rubbish car too. Most disabled people do not need adapted cars, and many of them have families. Your comment is utterly disgraceful.

35. At 12:48pm on 14 Feb 2011, worldlywisewoman wrote:
What about all the able bodied people who park in disabled spaces?
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I agree with you, in a lot of cases it's pure lazyness & inconsideration with these people. Why should lazy drivers get away with using Disabled spaces, Mother & Child spaces and Motorcycle spaces.

I don't have an issue with people using a blue badge if they need one - my grandfather has been offered one, even though he happily walks miles each day. He refused it.
Other people are not so honourable.

11. At 12:16pm on 14 Feb 2011, Matt wrote:
I'll do the first generic hys comment to save most the people who post here's time.

"It doesn't benefit me, why should others get it easy, they're all probably just scroungers anyway, ban them."

There you go guys, don't even need to take time out from being bitter and twisted to type today.

=========

Sorry but John Mc post 3 beat you to it.

I agree that the blue badge is definitely abused and that many people have them that should not. The only justification in my opinion is for people in wheelchairs. Surely people who are only slightly disabled should be encouraged to walk to keep their bodies moving and stops things seizing up. Walking with a limp or with crutches does not warrant a blue badge. I have myself borrowed a blue badge when going to the hospital as an emergency or routine appointment as a disagree fiercly with having to pay to park at a hospital nothing to do with having to walk any distance.

The parent todler parking is also a joke - you are not ill you only have children - walk, the exercise is good for you!!!!!!!!!

We have a blue badge for my son. He doesn't need a wheelchair, and looks entirely normal, usually. He isn't. On his 'good' days we don't use the badge at all. I don't use it unless he is with me.

It isn't about the parking location - although that matters. It's about having the door open wide enough to get him in/out. It's about getting him back to the car quickly if we have to. It is also about parking costs. I'm a carer. I get about £50 a week to look after him. If I had to pay for parking - and public transport is totally out of the question, we wouldn't get out. At all.

So all you people who complain about people looking ok, and having a go, take a step back. Please. All that is happening as a result of this, is that people like us are getting abuse and can't find parking. Now I'm worried that we might lose this benefit as well. Still, I suppose that since the libraries are all closing, we'll just have to stick with the television anyway. Odd, how all these cuts and moral panics end up hitting the vulnerable the most.

If a review is done well, we will be fine. Who else has faith in the public service systems?

"Does the Blue badge scheme need reform?"

No

I'm not disabled but I don't begrudge someone who is from having a blue badge if they need one.

As with so many problems in our society these days, the issue is not the scheme but the enforcement of it.
Those that abuse it should be punished but you don't need to change the scheme to do that.

As for the rise in the number of applicants, disabled people living longer would be one explanation but the increased availability of information due to the internet is the more likely the reason: People that didn't think they were entitled as they weren't in a wheelchair, finding out that they were and applying.

Given the number of commenters on here that think you have to be in a wheelchair to be disabled, it's not a huge leap to assume that disabled people didn't think they were disabled until they read it on a forum.

29. At 12:42pm on 14 Feb 2011, Toxic Tel wrote:
As a badge owner myself.Why is the photo on the reverse side of the badge so it can not be seen.

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Do you want people to be able to take one look at your car in the carpar and decide whether you are an easy target for mugging or carjacking?

At 11:44am on 14 Feb 2011, John Mc wrote:
Yes it needs reform, the amount of large 4x4s and executive cars that seem to have them is laughable. To qualify you should required to have an adapted car, for wheelchair, or a small car such as seen in Europe that holds two persons and has a small 800cc diesel engine.

What utter tosh. Don't disabled people have children? Partners? Friends? Luggage? I drive an automatic which is sufficient adaptation for me, provided I'm in remission and can drive at all.....

57. At 1:23pm on 14 Feb 2011, nationalwealth wrote:
Badge or no badge, double yellow lines etc exist for safety reasons, so why is it acceptable for a disabled driver to park on them?
________________
I'm fairly sympathetic to blue badge holders but in most circumstances I agree with you on this. Parking on double yellows puts everyone else at risk by forcing you onto the other side of the road AND risks the badge holder themselves by making them get in & out of the car with other cars squeezing past the open door.

Perhaps a blue badge holder can explain where they are and aren't allowed to park? I suspect some blue badge holders don't understand themselves because they seem to park in places that are totally unsuitable.

post 54 by LancashireLass

whats the problem - cannot afford a range rover?

envy?

regarding getting in/out of a range rover

i have severe osteoarthritis in one hip and a knee

the higher up nature of the range rover makes getting in/out of the vehicle so much easier

and not to be too pedantic - the air suspension on my model means you can raise/lower the vehicle height when parked - a god send

not forgetting things like the seat being automatically 'set' to slide back about 4" to help getting in/out

any more questions and i'll send you the range rover pdf - LOL!

There is much abuse of the scheme. My mother and mother-in-law, both in their mid 80's, have blue badges due to poor walking abilities, but neither have a car.

However, when relatives take tham out we take their blue badges so we can park conveniently for them. We do not abuse the scheme and only use them when our mothers are in our cars.

What also should be cracked down upon is the misuse and abuse by non blue badge holders using disabled parking bays, especially in supermarket car parks. Why don't the supermarkets have patrols to stop the misuse of both disabled bays and mother & toddler bays?

We are far too soft in this country. Give the misusers and abusers very heavy fines.

63. At 1:31pm on 14 Feb 2011, j davies wrote:
I agree that the blue badge is definitely abused and that many people have them that should not. The only justification in my opinion is for people in wheelchairs. Surely people who are only slightly disabled should be encouraged to walk to keep their bodies moving and stops things seizing up. Walking with a limp or with crutches does not warrant a blue badge. I have myself borrowed a blue badge when going to the hospital as an emergency or routine appointment as a disagree fiercly with having to pay to park at a hospital nothing to do with having to walk any distance.

The parent todler parking is also a joke - you are not ill you only have children - walk, the exercise is good for you!!!!!!!!!

================

Unless your post is a joke then you're a complete hypocrite, and next time you 'borrow' a badge I hope you get caught.

63. At 1:31pm on 14 Feb 2011, j davies wrote:
I agree that the blue badge is definitely abused and that many people have them that should not. The only justification in my opinion is for people in wheelchairs. Surely people who are only slightly disabled should be encouraged to walk to keep their bodies moving and stops things seizing up. Walking with a limp or with crutches does not warrant a blue badge. I have myself borrowed a blue badge when going to the hospital as an emergency or routine appointment as a disagree fiercly with having to pay to park at a hospital nothing to do with having to walk any distance.
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So not only are you a hypocrite you're also defrauding the NHS? The car parks aren't maintained for free. Get 'free' parking as in Wales or Scotland and it comes out of the drug budget.

'People with a limp don't deserve blue badges but because of my political opions I am' seems to sum it up nicely.

Incidentally I WORK in a hospital and pay £300 a year to park here.

"57. At 1:23pm on 14 Feb 2011, nationalwealth wrote:
Badge or no badge, double yellow lines etc exist for safety reasons, so why is it acceptable for a disabled driver to park on them?"

Answer - Thousands of miles of yellow lines have been painted on our roads, not to prevent parking congestion but to force motorists into expensive car parks.

I have seen many yellow lines painted on roads where they are totally unecessary. They then enable disabled motorists to park on them without disrupting traffic.

post 63 by j davies

another self appointed medical assessor?

best keep quite - rather than confirm you are a fool!

Regarding "parent and child" spaces: The point of these in car parks is to provide some extra space to get toddler/baby out of car without having to be a contortionist. Supermarkets have them to entice mums to shop with them. As to distance from the shop have you tried walking any distance with shopping and a fractious toddler?

Not that mums can actually use them, at my local supermarket they are filled with cars belonging to those who have just "popped in" to get a couple of things (read weekly shop).

Blue Badges are abused no doubt. I see many who are plainly not entitled to use them. I recall a friend who was confined to a wheelchair who came out of a shop to find another car belonging to someone as fit as a fiddle (no badge) parked so close to hers that she could not get to the door of her car. It was raining so she went back into the shop to politely ask the person to move their car. What she got was an earful of abuse mainly centred around how was she entitled to a parking space......

"3. At 11:44am on 14 Feb 2011, John Mc wrote:
Yes it needs reform, the amount of large 4x4s and executive cars that seem to have them is laughable. To qualify you should required to have an adapted car, for wheelchair, or a small car such as seen in Europe that holds two persons and has a small 800cc diesel engine.
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I think you are missing the point here. The badge is awarded to an individual, not a car (see post 2). My mother in law is a blue badge holder, she drives the Jaguar he husband left her. Are you suggesting that drivers of such cars are not allowed to have disabilities? Or are you saying that disabled people should be banned from driving such cars?"

I think what he poster is saying is that if you can afford one of these tanks, you can afford to pay to park the rotten thing.

post 63 by j davies

someone who ADMITS to the misuse of a blue badge - because he/she objects to paying to park at a hospital

you are the lowest of the low - you disgust me!

I would like to see Supermarkets use a clamp on vehicles without any blue badge using their disabled spaces. I believe that ASDA do something about it, but not the others.

I am disabled - I sometimes use crutches, sometimes a stick, sometimes a wheelchair, and luckily sometimes I can walk unaided for a short distance - I am always in pain.
I am fed up with the dirty looks when I draw in to legitimately park in a disabled bay, just because I look smart (I work) and am relatively young, doesn't mean I'm not disabled. I don't really think I should need to carry my medical records / X-rays with me to satisfy the challenges and nosiness of others. It's even worse if I take my 4yr old nephew out with me ... apparently disabled people aren't allowed to have children. Most people calm down when they see me actually walk.
Three things -
(i) parking dangerously is always wrong, no matter who does it - the blue badge rules say you can park on yellow lines WHERE IT IS SAFE TO DO SO AND DOES NOT CAUSE AN OBSTRUCTION
(ii) the blue badge rules are very clear that THE DISABLED PERSON MUST BE GETTING INTO/OUT OF THE CAR, it is NOT alright to use it to go shopping for someone, to use it when the disabled person is not there, OR for the disabled person to stay in the car while someone else goes in to the shop - this is the abuse that saddens me the most, as a genuinely disabled person blocks the space for another genuinely disabled person
(iii) I have a Nissan Qashqai because its height means I can easily get in and out of it, I pay an additional amount over the DLA higher rate for mobility to get the car I need / want / which suits my needs - I could not get into or put my wheelchair in a smaller car.

So, yes, the system needs review to ensure consistency, to cut out the abuse of the badges (in use (I'd be happy if my picture was on the front not back), not in getting), and indeed to ensure that disabled people are using them correctly. HOWEVER, can I please make a plea for the 'general public' to make fewer assumptions and show a bit more compassion?

Wouldn't be the first time I've driven home again without parking becuase others are abusing the disabled spaces.

During my spells at various supermarkets, waiting in the car as my wife did a five-minute shop, I have frequently observed perfectly healthy motorists using the disabled bays. They vacate their vehicles effortlessly, and march off to the entrance showing no sign of any problems with their health.

Not all of them had a disabled badge on display, and it seems that a few of those that do show evidence of system failure and the need for a drastic shake-up. Clearly, there are low-lifes who obtain the badges legitimately, but then pass them onto family members for their illegal use. I have never yet seen anyone in authority policing the disabled bays - something that can and should be done by volunteers concerned about such abuse.

Replacement badges that can be security-scanned against the vehicle registration number instantly should be issued. This would entail fresh applications by everyone who needs one, and that process alone might weed out some of the cheats.

Constant vigilance at disabled bays during busy periods would quickly single out the determined fraudsters, and the best way to handle them would be to clamp the vehicle and release it only on production of proof of entitlement, or simply let their tyres down.

Not before time. Id like to see photographs on the badges as well WERE THEY ARE SEEN. so other members of the family cant use them.Im sick of driving round looking for ordinary parking spaces.only to see some one park up.throw a disabled blue in the window and walk off.it really annoys me to see the miss use these badges now are getting.were every one in the family who drives can `borrow` it for a day out...Lets see more cars clamped that abuse the badge,,soon put a stop to it,

I have read some of the comments on this post & am frankly amazed at how lacking in information many people are.
1) A person does NOT have to claim benefits to be a blue badge holder so forget telling people what car they MUST have to qualify for a badge.

2) A blue badge MUST be shown in the front of the vehicle to qualify for the specific parking. I forgot to put my badge up one day & got a large parking fine, MY FAULT, no one elses, so I paid of course. Teach me to forget next time.

3) A blue badge can only be used (displayed), IF the person for whom it is issued is with the vehicle at the time of use. It's NOT for the use of carers or others who think they can use it.

4) I'm NOT in a wheelchair but I qualify for a blue badge because I can't walk far. You don't need a wheelchair to have one. How many times do I get people staring at me when I park up & display my blue badge, UNTIL I get out with my walking stick. Even then they think you have to be OLD to have one.

5) I have never parked on a yellow line, double or otherwise, it's NOT a right, it's for an EMERGENCY, read your blue badge booklet.

As I work for Adult & Community Services, I do see some misuse of the blue badge. E.G. a chap using his wife's badge and we knew she was in a nursing home and never went out. I do think the system needs an overhaul and it's silly to have the photo on the back as well. You are not allowed to park on double yellow lines with a blue badge either, some people seem to think they can park anywhere!

My old mother is a blue badge holder. However, I personally believe blue badge holder should not park on yellow lines but in allocated spaces. Yes, it does need tightening up. Park in supermarket you see anyone and anybody pop out of their car in a disabled spot. I do think supermarkets should tighten up and fine those who park in disabled spots who are clearly not disabled.

But I disagree with comment 7 “Unless you're using a wheelchair there's no need for a Blue badge”. My mother does not use a wheelchair but has trouble walking and can’t walk far… just because she doesn’t use a wheelchair she can’t have a blue badge is a bit on the discrimination side.

You can say the same for family car park spots. Why should some mother or father park closer to the supermarket entrance just because they have a kid– the only real way to solve it all would be to have none of them.

Our young baby son has a severe heart condition and due to this, he is eligible for DLA and thus also a blue badge for our car.
We are very keen to apply for this as he regularly needs specialist treatment at a London hospital. The journey on public transport is a very inconvenient 2.5 hours each way (assuming we don't get trapped among rush hour commuters).
The blue badge would enable us to drive and park at the hospital, which ONLY has disabled bays, and also to waive the congestion charge. All in all, a great help to our family.
A requirement for a mobility test is not going to be suitable to our situation now or later in our son's life. I'm not sure if putting his photograph on the badge will be that much use either.
Finally, in response to other comments here, if my son had only been diagnosed as an adult and he happened to drive a high spec 4x4 or sports car, so what?
It's quite something when people envy those with a disability.

If you're disabled but being dropped-off or picked-up there's no need for a Blue badge. Only a person using a wheelchair with a modified car needs a Blue badge. We also need to point out the aged population is the fastest increasing population, the demand for disabled parking is going to go through the roof.

For all those moaning about misuse of Blue Badges, why do you not report the miscreant?

I live in Dorset and there is a dedicated part of the Dorsetforyou website just for this very issue:

https://www.dorsetforyou.com/369267

I would guess that your local council have exactly the same facility. Instead of moaning about it, if you have a GENUINE grievance then take responsibility and do something about it (Dave's Big Society and all that). Or are you just envious that disabled people actually might get something that you are not entitled to?

Yes the word or term disability, is often taken out of context, nor does the badge show level of need/dissability the passengers/driver has. You can be registered disable in need of a blue badge, even when you cannot drive, as in the case with my father in law who was encouraged to purchase one, although dependanton me, I often remarked, in our local community/town there is very little need for with quantity and ease of free parking.

In my original career as a nurse then laterly as a voluntary driver for a well known severe disability charity, I found they are extremely easy to get, often users have little awareness of restrictions or blatantly ignoring other road users due to having one.

Any system designed to help those of us who are disabled is open to abuse by neanderthals.

I am disabled - Parkinsons. I have a correctly issued blue badge and do not allow it to be misused by others.

I also drive a reasonably large car ( A Scenic). This is because firstly it is high enough off the ground for me to be able to get in and out easily and secondly there is plenty of room for the mobility equipment I need to carry with me. Most small cars are not disabled-friendly from either of those points of view. It also has an automatic gearbox (as I would have problems changing gears with a damaged and weak left shoulder otherwise) and finally it also has a 2L desiel engine which allows me to overtake safely for everyone elses benefit and safety.

The Blue BAdge scheme makes sense when applied to seriously disabled people, it makes no sense when the criteria are set so that so many qualify.
A fairly simple solution would be to reduce the number of places where parking is banned.

To those saying you need a wheelchair to have a blue badge.... I regularly take my grandfather out, and he has severe arthritis, so has a blue badge, and a collapsible wheelchair. We always take his chair, but he doesn't always use it - for example, if we're simply walking into a coffee shop - and uses his two sticks instead. He is unable to walk far, so would you have him always confined to the house/wheelchair? If there are no spaces available, I will get him out of the car, and settled, and then move my car to somewhere safe and appropriate. He doesn't mind waiting.

Oh, and, I have a small 4x4, as have horses, and need to offroad a fair amount... Should I have a special other car just for transporting him?! Ridiculous!

Re the comment below by Lancashirelass

Also, I cannot understand how a high vehicle such as a range rover is easier to get in and out of...... if the owner has a bad back. I have tried it and you need to climb in and out.
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I have a bad back, actually I have a very bad back, no, I have a back which has had 5 operations on it & I need a higher vehicle than normal. Why you ask ?, I'll tell you, BECAUSE I cannot bend down to get into a lower vehicle. A 4 x 4 is perfect for me to lean backwards & haul my legs as I twist into the car. A lower car actually make my back worse, so please get your facts right before spreading them around like your a doctor or some other medical professional.
I would suspect that your not aware that many people are DIFFERENT heights, so a higher vehicle fits some but not others.

"54. At 1:21pm on 14 Feb 2011, LancashireLass wrote:

Also, I cannot understand how a high vehicle such as a range rover is easier to get in and out of...... if the owner has a bad back. I have tried it and you need to climb in and out."

What you can or cannot understand is not relevant. I have a bad back (but not a blue badge) and for some years now I have had to have a 4x4 for reasons of comfort. My daughter has a Corsa which I occasionally either drive or travel in as a passenger and I can assure you it is hard to get into and damn near impossible to get out of. People with bad backs need to sit up straight. You cannot do this in a modern car - it's far too close to the ground.

By the same token, I am far more comfortable sitting in a proper dining chair than a modern, low-slung "easy" chair. Why do you think firms manufacture special upright chairs for people with bad backs, etc.?

60. At 1:27pm on 14 Feb 2011, sweetAnybody wrote:

3. At 11:44am on 14 Feb 2011, John Mc wrote:
Yes it needs reform, the amount of large 4x4s and executive cars that seem to have them is laughable. To qualify you should required to have an adapted car, for wheelchair, or a small car such as seen in Europe that holds two persons and has a small 800cc diesel engine.

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What utter garbage. Its bad enough being disabled without having to drive in a rubbish car too. Most disabled people do not need adapted cars, and many of them have families. Your comment is utterly disgraceful.

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What rubbish I see it everywhere in Europe where I live and the small cars are not rubbish, some are Smart cars and are the envy of some other drivers.

My father in law had a severe heart problem, had a mobility car but still had to fight for a parking space. More effort on disabled parking is required and disbaled drivers should report anyone who blocks the bays.

You should see that my comment was not personal but reflected a general trend it Europe as it says quite plainly.
The badge is for the disabled person not the family, it is to give independence in life not to be the local bus driver or as someone on here commented, 'borrowed as he did want to pay hospital charges'. The whole system needs reform.

If wheelchair access or adaptations have to be made then possibly smaller cars are not the answer but the point remains, the abuse of the system is huge. Just monitor your local supermarket and judge for yourself the numbers who have a badge and if yet manage to lug 4 huge shopping bags around.

Times are hard, there's no question. And for those of us who work hard to pay our bills the thought of someone claiming benefits and perks which they do not rightfully deserve is even more irksome now than during more affluent times. So when I recently heard that one of my neighbours, a man who claims incapacity benefit despite (miraculously) having the ability to spend all of his waking hours going off to fly model aeroplanes in the middle of a field, recently applied for a Blue Badge I was somewhat appalled. His blatent abuse of the system is bad enough, but the real crux was that when he went to our local Social Services Department (Cambridge in case you are interested) the assistant completed the application form for him stating that they knew how to answer the questions to ensure a successful outcome. A Blue Badge now resides in the window of my neighbour's people carrier, alongside his model aeroplane collection. As I left home for my journey into work this morning I couldn't help feel that he was having the last laugh.

76. At 1:45pm on 14 Feb 2011, 5XX wrote:
"3. At 11:44am on 14 Feb 2011, John Mc wrote:
Yes it needs reform, the amount of large 4x4s and executive cars that seem to have them is laughable. To qualify you should required to have an adapted car, for wheelchair, or a small car such as seen in Europe that holds two persons and has a small 800cc diesel engine.
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I think you are missing the point here. The badge is awarded to an individual, not a car (see post 2). My mother in law is a blue badge holder, she drives the Jaguar he husband left her. Are you suggesting that drivers of such cars are not allowed to have disabilities? Or are you saying that disabled people should be banned from driving such cars?"

I think what he poster is saying is that if you can afford one of these tanks, you can afford to pay to park the rotten thing.

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Not all disabled parking if free. Your post sounds like envy to me. If you want the same ability to park as a disabled person I'm sure you'd be happy to have their disability too.

I have two disabled grandparents, one is wheelchair bound, the other uses a walking stick and is unable to bend her knees to go up and down kerbs easily. Both live with my parents who drive a specially adapted people carrier with a wheelchair ramp. it is a physical impossibility to park this in a normal size parking bay and let both my grandparents out, so they need to park in disabled spaces at shopping centres. My mother has endured mouthfuls of abuse when she has asked people waiting in disabled parking spaces to move, people waiting on partners who have "just popped in for 5 minutes". On one occasion my father stopped the car at the entrance to a shopping centre in order to let my grandparents out as there were no available disabled spaces. The security guard came out and told him he had to move or be clamped. When my father explained he was only dropping off because there were no disabled spaces, the guard said "thats not my problem".
There is no problem with the issue of badges, as you have to provide specific details of your disability along with doctors details so your claims can be verified, but as has been mentioned so many times above, its when family and friends borrow the badges just so they can park a little bit closer to the door.

73. At 1:43pm on 14 Feb 2011, England is Ruined wrote:
"57. At 1:23pm on 14 Feb 2011, nationalwealth wrote:
Badge or no badge, double yellow lines etc exist for safety reasons, so why is it acceptable for a disabled driver to park on them?"

Answer - Thousands of miles of yellow lines have been painted on our roads, not to prevent parking congestion but to force motorists into expensive car parks.

I have seen many yellow lines painted on roads where they are totally unecessary. They then enable disabled motorists to park on them without disrupting traffic.

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So parking on double yellow lines 15 ft from a roundabout is ok is it? I am afraid we have to be cruel to be kind, park dangerously or allow a non diasbled driver to use your badge then you get a warning, twice get fined three times loose it. Park in a disabled bay without displaying a badge should be a fineable offence. Perhaps then everybody (or at least every sensible person)would be happy with the use of disabled badges. On the topic of mother and children bays at supermarkets its amazing how many mothers are parking without children in the car, as it is so misused how about scrapping it.

My understanding of such bays as disabled and parent/child are that they are wider bays to allow doors to be opened fully and, where necessary, wheelchairs or buggies to be used. It stands to reason that these would tend to be closer to the shop entrance, as the individuals are less likely to cause obstructions for others. I have no issue with that and am happy to walk a little further to my car. This argument has been subsumed by those who are angry at how people park, rather than why they have 'blue badges'.

As I understand it, a blue badge is given out only after due examination, and requires cross-disciplinary support for the application. There is no issue there. So I can only assume that the issue is with the actual use of the badge. That being the case there is a simple answer, however horrible it may seem:

If somebody is caught abusing such a badge's use then the badge is immediately confiscated, the owner loses their right to such a badge, and the user is arrested for fraud. If the owner believes they were hoodwinked into allowing their badge to be misused then they can apply for reissue through the court system, but without legal aid. I think this would stop most of the abuses within a very short time.

There should be at least two forms of disabled badge, one for drivers and one for those who have dependents, maybe subject to the degree of requirement. This way valid holders will be clearly identifiable and stop suspicion of every vehicle occupant who seems to be able bodied.
It may also be a good idea to stop all parking on double yellow lines regardless of holding a badge, these lines seem to be permanently parked on even though the purpose is to allow traffic flow. Provision of allocated badge holder parking bays should be the only requirement, not the current 'wherever you like' approach.