Do you regularly park in disabled bays?

The Government claims that "Respect is a key British value" - able bodied scum parking in disabled bays demonstrates how out of touch the Government is.
 
Dimple said:
I've never done it but once I got that fed up with a Nurse parking in a disabled bay that I felt I had to do something about it. Every morning she would get out with no visible disability but place a blue badge on her dash. A parking attendant was now primed to watch her over several days and eventually confronted her. It appears it was her husbands and she thought she was allowed to use it even though he wasn't with her.
Click to expand...

That sort of thing really, really annoys me.

Every single disabled badge that I've seen, for at least the past 20 years has come with a booklet explaining exactly where and when it can be used.
And one of the key things (IIRC on about the first inside page), is that it's for the benefit of the person named on the badge and they must be in the vehicle.

I would have hoped that a nurse would have had an idea about the restrictions, or at least been able to read the booklet.
 
Stretch said:
I've never parked in a disabled bay, but I do feel there are far too many of them provided. Especially at supermarkets, I never seem them more than 20% full.

.
Click to expand...

You may be going at the wrong times, or be very lucky in your area, our local Morrisons has about 12-15 and they're almost always full, our local Tesco's has about 30 and they're often full.

Mind you those are in car parks that are about 300 and 600+ spaces respectively, and thus the disabled spots are roughly in line with the percentage of the population that would likely be eligible for them.

What thoroughly annoys me, to the point of my wanting to get out of the car and remonstrate with somone, is the fact that in our town centre there are about 7 disabled spots (spread out nicely), but two of them are near a taxi rank.
The taxi drivers have taken to parking their people carriers behind the disabled spots thus blocking them, and I've seen people sat in their car waiting for 5+ minutes before the taxi driver notices that there is in fact someone in the car they've blocked in.
I would love to know what the licensing authority would make of it (I suspect it's against the rules completely, but probably never enforced).

I actually miss the days when the local parking was enforced by the police, and the local traffic wardens (one of whom run the local Beavers) patrolled the centre every day, as the parking bays and loading bays were respected.
Now it's like spotting a tiger in paris when the traffic enforcement are around, it's so rare you can mark it on your calender, and the panic that ensures is pretty good fun to watch (on one occasion I saw someone run past and almost dive into his car, it confused me until I realised he'd parked in the lading bay, and the traffic warden was slowly walking towards it making notes of almost every car).
 
Werewolf said:
You may be going at the wrong times, or be very lucky in your area, our local Morrisons has about 12-15 and they're almost always full, our local Tesco's has about 30 and they're often full.
Click to expand...

12-15 seems like a very low number for a supermarket.

I assume there is legislation which dictates the % of spaces they are required to provide.

This may well be the problem. This areas has a relatively low elderly population, and I'm fairly sure it's the same for disabled people in general.

One size fits all legislation will inevitably lead to an over/under provision dependant on the area.

It is very frustrating driving by empty spaces time after time when the rest of the car park is packed. Especially when it's raining.
 
Last edited:
I do it pretty frequently but I normally go and do my shopping quite late in the evening and I just don't believe that there are genuinely 20+ disable people in one ASDA at midnight.

In normal hours I wouldn't do it.
 
never park in them, child parking can do one though, why do you need to park closer with kids?

Suppose the only real benefit is they'll smash the doors against another child owners car
 
LockyOK said:
The Government claims that "Respect is a key British value" - able bodied scum parking in disabled bays demonstrates how out of touch the Government is.
Click to expand...

Able bodied people parking in "disabled" bays doesn't make them scum, it just makes them inconsiderate. If you use scum to refer to things like this, then it's lost all meaning.

On top of that, supermarket parking bays are legally enforceable anyway if they aren't operated by the council.
 
I dont but there is a local florist that parks their van in a disabled bad outside the shop. I went in once and told them I never buy anything from them because of it.
 
I am deaf/blind I have a blue badge so we park in a disabled bay sometimes. However I look perfectly normal so for those saying oh able bodied well not all disabilities are visible. On the other hand a relative has a visible disability, the thing that concerns us though is she is nearly 71 and 5 ft tall she decides to confront these people that do park in disabled bays who shouldn't.
 
The rare occasion I drive to work and nip into Tesco at 6:30am en route and I'm in pressing for time to get to work yes, but never the closest one to the door for some reason, always the 2nd one along. Any other time then no I usually park as far away from the entrance as possible so I don't get morons dinging the panels on my car.

I did once get some really nasty looks of an old gent and it made me feel very guilty. The situation was I had a doctors appointment, during work hours, so I'd left with minimal time to get there anyway. Arrived with about 3mins to spare and no spaces, bar two disabled ones, were available in the car park. So I say waiting until 1minute before my appointment and thought sod it I'm going to have to do it as much as I really didn't want to as it was prime visit time and a disabled user may well turn up. As I parked up the old gent was watching me and I got out he just stood staring at me. I explained I've sat waiting to see if a normal space became available and must dash as I have only seconds until my appointment. I felt so ashamed and my excuse must have come across as feeble :(
 
No. I have legs, which work.


However...


One thing which annoys me is when cars with badges pull into the space, then the able-bodied person in the vehicle gets out and walks to the shop, leaving the actual badge-holder in the car. Apparently those spaces are there to provide the disabled with better views.
 
I park in the P&C bays at tesco at times when my shop will take a whole 1-2 mins. (And theres many available)

At asda i park 6 miles away as the parking isn't free and the Ticket nazi won't walk down that end of the carpark. He likes to sit around the disabled area ticketing anyone parking there when there not allowed.


If its a long shop i park normally were i should (Preferably far away from store to keep idiots in there 106 kicking doors into mine) and go do my shop
 
Hades said:
My wife annoys me as she parks in P&C even without the children, using the excuse that they are for parents who have children regardless of whether they are in the car. We've had a few arguments about that one!
Click to expand...

Ask her if it's ok if my mum parks in them when I am with her (I am over 25 years old). She is a parent and I am her child and it doesnt state what age the child has to be.... See what she says to that ;)
 
Hacks me right off. Shows a general contempt for society. That and the people that are now starting to park up right outside the main entrance of Tescos and walk straight in! I wish the supermarkets themselves would / could actively enforce it somehow.

For those that think that their cars are too precious to be parked in a normal space, park at the back of the car park where it is quiet.

shauncr91 said:
I do it pretty frequently but I normally go and do my shopping quite late in the evening and I just don't believe that there are genuinely 20+ disable people in one ASDA at midnight.

In normal hours I wouldn't do it.
Click to expand...
So why do it in quiet times? Surely the normal spaces are also widely available or are you too lazy to walk an extra 30m? The more that able bodied people do it, the more others will see it and think that it is also acceptable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom