A pet peeve of mine — Scope | Disability forum
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A pet peeve of mine

Topkitten
Topkitten Community member Posts: 1,285 Pioneering
Before I start this please read the whole thing and not just the first few lines or you will not understand what I believe is an issue.

Generally there are too many Blue Badges issued and definitely some are issued for the wrong reasons. However, having a Blue Badge does not entitle the holders to be as selfish as those that don't. The biggest annoyance I find is that people will take a disabled parking space then trot off into town or round the various supermarkets obviously able to walk more than the specified 50 metres.

Before anyone points out about invisible conditions I have one myself so I understand them. I also understand that people have good days and bad days and on good days may well be able to cope with walking much further.

My point is this. I am able to drive but require the use of either a wheelchair or scooter to even go the 50 metres. If I need to use the wheelchair I have to get it out of the passenger rear door with it fully open. The scooter is winched in and out of the back door. Neither of these are possible to do safely (or at all) in a normal parking space. However, if there is only a very short distance to the building and only a short distance inside I will actually park in a normal space and walk, even if it causes me to suffer sometimes. I do this because there are people worse off than me who can ONLY park in a disabled space. I get very annoyed with people using a Blue Badge to justify parking in a disabled space when it is obvious that on that particular day they don't need to. It is selfish and it punishes those that do not have an option. I also find that the worst offenders are the elderly some of whom seem to think it a God-given right to have every advantage of the disabled yet whose only real issue appears to be slowing down due to age.

Only this week I saw a case in point. I needed to visit the place I purchased my scooter from to get it repaired. It was damaged on the flight back from Italy. I decided to stop at McD which was only a small place. The closest parking was a row of 10 spaces only the first 2 were allocated to the disabled. Both were occupied but I figured I could probably manage from the next available normal space, which I did. What vexed me was that inside there was no one in a wheelchair, no disabled children and, apart from mine, not even another walking stick. When I left one of the spaces was empty the other has a large white new Audi still in it. The occupants were what looked like mother and daughter. The mother was around my age with no apparent walking difficulties and the younger woman healthy. Not only did they leave the building in a hurry but they continues to occupy the space until a while after they left because the younger woman was sitting in the car with the door open fiddling with a mobile. Personally I was disgusted by the pair of them as it was obvious that, on that day, they did not require the space but it did ofc save them walking an extra 5-10 metres. The total distance from my car to where I sat was longer than I should have walked but I could not open the door to get the wheelchair out and the road behind the car was so narrow that getting the scooter would have been very dangerous.

A Blue Badge should only be used when needed and by someone who cannot be mobile enough to manage 50 metres. Use of them outside these limits are just as selfish as the healthy people that use disabled spaces for convenience.

TK
"I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell" - from Wrong side of heaven by Five Finger Death Punch.

Comments

  • Nystagmite
    Nystagmite Community member Posts: 596 Pioneering
    You can get one if you're blind, which doesn't make you unable to walk 50 metres. 

    Mobility isn't just about being able to put one foot in front of the other.
  • Matilda
    Matilda Community member Posts: 2,593 Disability Gamechanger
    Also, the Blue Badge holder doesn't have to be the driver although they do have to be 'present' when the car displays a Blue Badge.  For example, the Badge holder could wait in the car while their able-bodied driver, or passenger, goes and does the shopping.

Brightness