if the blue badge system was fair and all those who have a blue badge/free brand new car/personal parking space outside their house/etc really deserved it, then I think most able bodied people would not mind at all.

it's the fact that the majority do not really need it creates this ill feeling and hence the comments.

the criteria needs to be tightened up and only the needy catered for.

Iain


ps you can get a blue badge without actually being really disabled if you know how to work the system, that is what annoys most people.

every system for anything isnt foolproof, I believe we have to put up with the cheats and in order to allow those in need it the facilities deserve.

yes that is a surrender attitude but what you going to do? Ability test everyone who parks in such a space? dont forget some peoples conditions give them good days and bad ones.

An ex employee of mine is very poorly with parkinsons , somedays he can be out in the garden tending his plants otherdays he cant get out of his bed.
He is a proud man and has never sponged cheated or fiddled any system, yet if you saw him using a disabled place on a one of his better days you might wonder why, the truth is on his bad days he doesnt go out at all.
Also what would happen to the poor chap if he used a normal space while feeling well but had a bad turn whilst away from his car. let him park in the disabled space all the time I say. At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Just a small point on hospitals building car parks.

Whenever we expanded our services, and we had the land not to need to build on car parks, the local council would not grant planning permission for extra parking spaces. Even to build the necessary buildings we had to have a green travel plan that met the council's ideas for using public transport.

This worked well if you lived in their small city in the rural SW, but if you lived in the countryside as the public transport was cut and cut you had no hope of meeting the council's aspirations!

We even approached the council for the ability to use their park and ride car park which was less than 1 mile away and put "hopper" buses on to the hopsital. Council response... use the park and ride but only if your patients use the service into the city centre and then take the other bus out to the hospital!

We obviously must provide disabled parking close to amenities for those less fortunate than ourselves, I feel lucky that I can park at the far end end of any carpark to avoid the trolleys and door bashing and walk effortlessly to wherever.

Everything everywhere gets abused, parking, driving, benefits, the list goes on and you would too if you thought you could get away with it. Live with it as it won't ever go away and accept that not all disabled people are abusers, just a minority and it happened that you came across those few.

I believe it's another form of jealousy from able bodied people who feel aggrieved that they cannot park in the store entrance due to being lazy, next time you are in a car park, look at every car going round and round attempting to get as close as possible to the entrance door as if evolution has already begun to wither and waste their legs.

As I said earlier, bays must be provided but I would expect disabled to pay as we do.

to get back to OPs subject, yes all should pay in car parks but nobody pays at hospitals up here in Scotland, I think they have put it under our wierd extortion law(s) nobody should have to pay to visit ill or dying relatives the same as nobody should pay to cross a stretch of water that is the only link to the mainland, the skye bridge, or go miles out of the way (a green issue) to avoid tolls, the forth road bridge and nobody should be held to ransom (extortion) to get thier vehicle unclamped, contrary to popular belief you can clamp vehicles up in Scotland but cannot ask for money or anything else for that matter to get it released but you can make them wait a long time. I think I should stand for the Scottish parliment as an SNP SMP
Yes EYorkshire I think we are seeing evolution but I think evolution could also remove some of these people from the gene pool

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

Its off the point a bit, but you used to have to pay to use the car park at Raigmore until recently.

Now it's jamed packed, workers with nothing to do with the hospital park there all day and take a bus into town to avoid paying in the multistory.

The Skye bridge again you used to pay until recently, unless you were Robbie the Pict.

They are all different arguments.

Please don't stand as a SNP SMP, we have enough serving bigots in the party as it is!