Giving disabled drivers a bad name.

Just been shopping. I park in the Co-op car park which is fed by a narrow

Jackie...

Even with a blue badge you must be sure you are not causing an
obstruction - she should be fined!

Jeff Gaines...

I'm sure I read somewhere that if you park more than 30CM (or was it
Kilo-Grammes) from the kerb you are committing some sort of offence.

Ponder...

I agree. She was misusing her badge and acting illegally. When with the
blue badge and parking clock the car must be parked reasonably and contrary
to popular belief it does *not* give you an automatic right to park on

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6...

So I wonder why the two policewomen weren't prepared to do anything?

Gareth...

They probably didn't want to fill in the paperwork or were they just
Community Support Officers? ;-)

yellow lines.

Foxy at w*rk...

snip

What bad manners and what a silly woman

cul-de-sac. There is also a second more used car park opposite the Co-op
car park. The car park attendant was in a foul mood. He's usually in a
great mood, but today a disable driver (woman in her 50s I reckon) had
parked her car ½ way along the short road on yellow lines but about a metre
from the kerb. He reckoned she got out the car and strode off looking not
disabled at all. Anyhow when I arrived he said the car had been there for
at least 2 hours, causing tail backs of cars wishing to get to one of the
two car parks. These tail backs - only about 30 metres long were preventing

Rabbit...

I knew somebody who was a legitimate Blue Badge holder but didn't look
obviously disabled so I never judge their disability now.

traffic moving on the main road (major bus and tram route). I returned to
my car about 30 minutes later after completing my shopping, and there was a
right to do going on. Two fully uniformed policewomen had turned up and the
'disabled' driver was sitting in her car using her mobile phone,. and also
out the driver's window - 'You can't make me move, I've got a
disabled driver's badge'. The police women agreed and said there was
nothing they could to. So the traffic pile up continues. Fortunately the
out going traffic was let out a couple of cars at a time, so I got home OK.

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6...

Sorry about the Quotefix attachment - that'll teach me to copy and paste
from quotefix. :(

Pam the goose...

It was a lovely little .gif:))

As for that woman, surely there's some way of the law deciding she was
causing a hazard. What would have happened if some blues & twos had wanted
to get the other side of the car?

It can't be that you can park on a yellow line if you obstruct the traffic,
surely? Or are those the little bits they forgot to put in the law?

Gareth...

The woman driver was in the wrong and so were the police.

The Blue Badge booklet from the Dept of Transport states:

Where NOT to park.
You must also NOT park where it would be obstructive or cause a danger

Rabbit...

I don't believe the police couldn't have booked her, blue badge or not, see
Possibly in this PC age they were afraid to :-(

to others. The following are likely examples:

*where it would make the road narrow e.g. by a traffic island or where

Tickettyboo...

hmm, and the car park attendant has his medical degree ? You don't have to
walk funny to be classed as disabled, there are lots of illnesses which
have no obvious outward signs but which could prevent you from walking far
on a bad day and therefore entitle you to a blue badge- but hopefully
there will be good days too.

Troy's Human...

Reminds me of an incident a couple of years ago when we were on holiday in
Northumberland. We had a holiday cottage in a very small village by the
sea. Parking was for people staying in the cottages only except for one
disabled parking place. There was a large public car park up a hill from
the village. We were leaving the village one morning and I saw a car
parking in the disabled spot. 2 youngish people got out and began putting
outdoor rambling type gear on - looked as if they were going to have an
energetic day. I got a little angry and pointed out to them that they
should not be using the disabled spot. We then left before I got angrier.

When we got back later in the day a note had been put through the door of
our cottage - it was from the girl in the car. She said that there was a
disabled badge on the car (I hadn't checked) and that she was indeed
disabled (she gave details) - but her condition gave her periods of being
OK - this was one of those periods. She was not happy that I had had a moan
at them.

Felt bad to start with but on thinking about it I don't think she was right
to use that disabled parking place when she in an OK period - it should
have been left for those who needed it on that day.

Was I right or wrong to have a moan ?

Tickettyboo...

No idea, but your moan was based on your interpretation, without any
knowledge or facts. I don't know anything about her condition, but maybe
the ok periods can stop as soon as they start ?
I had a very dear friend who had a disabled parking badge, used it all
the time. To look at her you would be very sceptical about any sort of
disability, she could leap out of the car like Linford Christie at the
starting pistol lol - yet a few mins later she could be in a heap,
suddenly without any energy or oomph at all, unable to move and the great
pain she suffered all the time would overwhelm her.
Things are not always as they appear at first glance.

BoyPete...

I frequently see apparently able bodied people using diasabled bays at
Morrisons, Asdas, and B+Q, and feel annoyed. The case highlighted here, I
would think is a minority situation. Disabled bays are constantly abused at
places I have mentioned,and the management are not intersted if you point it
out to them, so why do they bother to provide the bays in the first place??

Gareth...

Because I believe the law says they must provide such bays.

Ali...

Disability discrimination legislation.
Public relations.

Gareth...

Wrong! :o)
She was entitled to park there and you don't know that her 'OK' period
may have become a *Not OK* period after five minutes into her walk.

I have a similar condition whereby I look ok but can be rendered
totally incapable of walking at any time. I'd have to hobble/crawl back
to my car and drive home (if I can drive). It affects the left side of
my body which is why I bought a new automatic car with PAS, as I don't
have to use my left leg for the clutch nor change gears.

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6...

Yes you were right to have a moan. If she was OK at that time, she was just
as bad as a non-disabled person using the parking bay, so depriving a
genuinely disabled person from using the bay.

Pam the goose...

Yep, I'm with you FN:)

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6...

I can't see it any other way either Pam. There's so many people these days
who just do what they want and don't give a thought to anyone else.

oh and hmm again, disabled people are just people who have a disability,

Gareth...

I agree! I don't 'look' disabled but have a blue badge.

Michaelangelo...

I notice you're making no reference to the 'mean and bad tempered' bit.

which means that some of them are mean and bad tempered just like any
other section of society, I don't think they give out haloes with

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6...

Well if she was having such a good day, I can't think for the life of me
why she should pick the most awkward inconvenient place to have parked and
then when she got back to her car after 2 hours, refuse point blank to move
after requested to do so by two policewomen, and try to enter into a
slanging match with them. I'd hate to meet her on one of her bad days.

Anita...

Ron has a disabled badge - and he is allowed to park on double yellow
lines for 3 hours - as long as there are not any yellow lines on the
kerb too. But, you can only park on them if you are not causing an
obstruction to other drivers.
Had she been in London she would have been prosecuted.

Gareth...

Even if you are not causing an obstruction on the double yellow lines,
you must move it if a police officer or trafic warden in uniform
requests it.

Ali...

London has different rules for disabled parking.

disability :-)

Gareth...

I am *NOT* mean and bad tempered!!! rofl ;-)

roadwork is in progress
*where it would hold up traffic e.g. narrow stretches of road or
blocking vehicle entrances

It goes on to say...
REMEMBER
If you park where it would cause an obstruction or danger to other road
users your vehicle could be removed by the police. You could also be
prosecuted and your badge withdrawn.

...and here's the bit on page 9 that most certainly applies:

*The vehicle must be moved if a police officer or a traffic warden in
uniform requests it.*

Taken from Leaflet No: T/INF/222