^ So right dunkley201, glad to hear your hip was sorted.
Bays provided for disabled, all pay, no exceptions.

dunroof wrote:

Accepted there are always exceptions, but Blue Badges are so widely abused, it justifies the scheme being withdrawn. Likewise with Mobility Cars. Unfortunately, for every genuine person, there are 99 working the system. That's a broad generalization, but many, many people on here will relate to this. It's been a long time since I've seen the people with disabilities you describe using the local Morrisons car park. Most could show me a clean pair of heels. A lot are rude, arrogant people, like the one who approached my wife, who'd just parked in a mother and baby spot. He roared and shouted at her that he needed the spot as he was disabled and a blue badge holder that he had her in tears and the baby crying before she moved out to let him in! The Store Manager took her into his office for half an hour before she could compose herself. Unfortunately, it's not an isolated incident.

Thanks, its appreciated. I did the usual thing, why not call the Police, lock the doors, but common sense went out the window when Mr. Angry was having a go. She didn't even take the car number!

I grant you it might have colored my opinion about Blue Badge holders. To be fair, we both have valid comments.

i have had similar, just about to pull into a parent spot and a blue badge holder came round the carpark in the opposite direction of traffic and pulled into the spot, got out and walked off fine.

she must have seen me been annoyed at this, as 1 she pushed in, and 2 she obviously didn't have a baby or need a spot so close to the door.

Anyway when she saw me in the shop she apologizes and got a both barrel response on how the don't have a blue badge to park anywhere and parents parking is mean for just that, and how i have had to squeeze in to a normal space, leave my car sticking out, put the kids in a trolley, leave my kids in relative danger in a unattended trolly, whilst i pulled my car into the space and will have to do the same again when I return to it due to not been able to open the doors far enough to get a baby out of its car seat etc

Hopefully, my rant at her shocked her in to thinking that bit more next time she is coming in to park  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

the other side of the coin i suppose,

my mother has a blue badge although she doesn't have a car or drive, and it is for when I take her shopping, etc

quite often there are no disabled spaces vacant and I need to park in a normal space leaving plenty room on one side for the wheelchair.

but when we return there is normally some numpty parked too close to my car and unfortunately because it is such a tight squeeze with the wheelchair, their car can get a scuff or two

Iain

but you should show more respect to other peoples cars and property , if they have parked too close, they don't know the reason you have parked there and needing to gain access with a wheel chair

too close or not I would never squeeze in due to the other person car and cause a scuff or two even by accident, you move your car so you can get in ok, at least your mothers wheel chair has an adult in it and brakes on the wheel most supermarket trollies don't in my case and my local super markets parking is on a slope.

No excuse for doing something that might cause a scuff on someone elses car, no matter how they/you have parked

So pet hate rant over  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

npinks wrote:

but you should show more respect to other peoples cars and property , if they have parked too close, they don't know the reason you have parked there and needing to gain access with a wheel chair

too close or not I would never squeeze in due to the other person car and cause a scuff or two even by accident, you move your car so you can get in ok, at least your mothers wheel chair has an adult in it and brakes on the wheel most supermarket trollies don't in my case and my local super markets parking is on a slope.

No excuse for doing something that might cause a scuff on someone elses car, no matter how they/you have parked

So pet hate rant over

then you should never park too close to other cars, it may be me and my wheelchair

Iain

ps and my blue badge

Some of the comments that have been said about the disabled on this topic are absolutely disgusting. From reading the posts it would appear that the fact that I am disabled should mean that I am not allowed to own a new car, because I look normal and dont need a wheel chair I should not have a blue badge. To be honest with you I would much rather not have a blue badge and be healthy!

I have a benign brain tumour that makes walking distances difficult and sometimes painful so the blue badge helps me park closer to where I want to go. There are of course other symptons and sometimes I am too ill to drive, before anyone says it my consultant has said that I am ok to drive and to make my own mind up - ie if I feel ill I do not drive. The point I am trying to make is that not all disabled people can't walk without aids or are in a wheelchair. A lot of them - like me will look healthy most of the time but unless you know there medical history you can not say that they are not disabled. Oh and by the way I am nearly 6ft and weigh less than 9.5 stone so I am not fat.

I agree there is a lot of abuse (mainly by friends and family) in the blue badge scheme and it does really need sorting out soon. The blue badge does enable you to park on double yellow lines as long as you are not causing an obstuction - a lot of badge holders do seem to ignore this point and should be ticketed - I have never parked on double yellow lines even though I am allowed to do this - but you can't park on all single/double yellows if they have certain markings on them.

Parking in a parent and child space with a blue badge is not on and neither is it the other way round and I have seen it happen both ways.

WOODY179 wrote:

Some of the comments that have been said about the disabled on this topic are absolutely disgusting. From reading the posts it would appear that the fact that I am disabled should mean that I am not allowed to own a new car, because I look normal and dont need a wheel chair I should not have a blue badge. To be honest with you I would much rather not have a blue badge and be healthy!

I have a benign brain tumour that makes walking distances difficult and sometimes painful so the blue badge helps me park closer to where I want to go. There are of course other symptons and sometimes I am too ill to drive, before anyone says it my consultant has said that I am ok to drive and to make my own mind up - ie if I feel ill I do not drive. The point I am trying to make is that not all disabled people can't walk without aids or are in a wheelchair. A lot of them - like me will look healthy most of the time but unless you know there medical history you can not say that they are not disabled. Oh and by the way I am nearly 6ft and weigh less than 9.5 stone so I am not fat.

I agree there is a lot of abuse (mainly by friends and family) in the blue badge scheme and it does really need sorting out soon. The blue badge does enable you to park on double yellow lines as long as you are not causing an obstuction - a lot of badge holders do seem to ignore this point and should be ticketed - I have never parked on double yellow lines even though I am allowed to do this - but you can't park on all single/double yellows if they have certain markings on them.

Parking in a parent and child space with a blue badge is not on and neither is it the other way round and I have seen it happen both ways.

I have three members of my immediate family who are disabled but only one of which is using the blue badge system, I too was reading this thread with disgust but I didn't dare put down what I was thinking! I would never have been allowed back on here in fact I may not come come back anyway.
Well done woody for writting down without the expletives I would have used. It is not the disabled who abuse the system it is the able bodied that abuse it. Better stop now as I feel myself going off on one

Ghyllie oo! Shiney!
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55 Nissan Navara SE Black - My Toy.
08 Freelander 2 XS Santorini Black - Her Majesty's Toy.

I have refrained from joining this thread till I had time to calm down, some of the comments from w s who have no experience of any form of disability is appalling in the extreme, if all you're worried about is weather blue badge holders should pay for parkKing Get a life.

There are a few posts on here from people who know about disability first hand and I appreciate their input as for the cretins who made offensive comments I am not interested in your comments if all you can contribute is to call people crips etc.

I appreciate that the system is flawed and open to abuse but it is totally wrong to call for the scrapping of the scheme when clearly there is genuine need.

Just to make things clear my late wife had a blue badge and a wheelchair when she was receiving Chemotherapy 12 months before she died so I do know what I am talking about. Gone, 2007 TD4 SE Auto Baltic blue, clear side repeaters, full sized alloy spare.

English by birth..... Yorkshire by the grace of God.

You will never get a perfect system, it all relies on the people using the system being open and honest, and it relies on everyone outside of the system trusting the system users. This obviously does not apply solely to the "blue badge" scheme.
Both of my parents had disabled parking privileges, My Father abused his constantly, never getting out of his car and using his "badge" for the benefits of his lazy passengers. My Mother was always scrupulously fair with hers. It's all down to whether you are a user or an abuser, as it is in all manner of activities.
Back to the OP, I do not believe anyone should pay for Hospital parking, I feel the use of car park levies to support an inadequately balanced budget is an abuse of position of Hospital trust management, displaying a quick fix attitude to problem solving, and is a real disadvantage to the smooth running of a Hospital.
There have been many instances of clinics starting late because the consultant has managed to park, probably in the allotted consultant car park, and the support staff are still circling the car park looking for a space.
Remember all hospital staff have to pay to park too.

And having to arrive an hour before the appointment time just to get e parking space with or without a blue badge. Gone, 2007 TD4 SE Auto Baltic blue, clear side repeaters, full sized alloy spare.

English by birth..... Yorkshire by the grace of God.

I have refrained from joining this thread till I had time to calm down, some of the comments from w s who have no experience of any form of disability is appalling in the extreme, if all you're worried about is weather blue badge holders should pay for parkKing Get a life.

There are a few posts on here from people who know about disability first hand and I appreciate their input as for the cretins who made offensive comments I am not interested in your comments if all you can contribute is to call people crips etc.

I appreciate that the system is flawed and open to abuse but it is totally wrong to call for the scrapping of the scheme when clearly there is genuine need.

Just to make things clear my late wife had a blue badge and a wheelchair when she was receiving Chemotherapy 12 months before she died so I do know what I am talking about. Gone, 2007 TD4 SE Auto Baltic blue, clear side repeaters, full sized alloy spare.

English by birth..... Yorkshire by the grace of God.

The problems lie in several areas, nobody voluntarily uses an inferior mode of transport so that's buses and trains out the window, nobody volunteers to travel to hospital in a bus when they are not feeling well etc .So the hospital needs a bigger car park. Unfortunately the Hospitals are having to get bigger to cope with the NHS's development plans, and so they need even bigger car parks.
Hospital expand by building on the car parks because the original buildings had foundations which will not support the buildings expansion upwards.
So why not guild multi storey car parks , with lift access and disabled spaces on each floor next to the lift?
MONEY. Some of the more fortunately placed hospitals are building satelite car parks on redevelopment land, and obviously this should lead to these car parks being used for able bodied mobile visitors patients and staff, freeing up the original on site car parks for the less able.

St James in Leeds did just that build a multistory next to the hospital, Not sure on disability spaces in there though, as i have never used it as we use the staff car parks when i have to visit with my wife working for the NHS. But they also have close ground level parking too which i know does supply disability spaces.

They also ticket illegal parked vehicles who who space they are not supposed to, such a staff space etc, the only problem is it only about £10 if you pay quickly, only a few quid more than what you would pay if you have to pay for a full day in a car park

I think this is alway going to be a emotional subject where some people won't agree on what others have written due to direct interaction with blue badge holders Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis