Blue Badge abuse

Hello!

Haringey Council have created a disabled bay outside my house at my request. A woman, whose brother is disabled in Camden, uses a blue badge on his behalf. She frequently stays in my street and leaves her car in the bay outside my house often for days at a time. This causes me extreme difficulty as I have a lot of problems getting about. On occasion, I have been unable to access my house and have even had to sleep elsewhere. I have left her civil messages on a number of occasions but she ignores them. All blue badge holders are entitled to park in the bay outside my house and it is nearly impossible to prove she is not assisting her brother while she is doing so. What can I do?

Thanks Paul x

I’m pretty sure you can report blue badge abuse to the issuing council. Not sure what happens when you do though. Juls

Hi Paul, if the bay is marked for disabled parking, anyone with a blue badge can use it, but must have the permit holder in the proximity otherwise, take videos, if possible, of her in /leaving the car, without brother at all, the address of holder would be beneficial, Brian

I would keep a diary and take a few photos, before reporting the abuse to the Council. This is on the Camden site. “Blue Badge misuse The misuse of a Blue Badge is a serious offence. A Blue Badge is only for the use of the holder and is not to be used for the benefit of friends and family. A Blue Badge can only be used if the holder is either the driver or a passenger in a vehicle (this includes carrying out tasks such as collecting prescriptions or shopping on behalf of the holder). Camden Parking Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) have the authority to inspect Blue Badges and if proof of misuse is detected the badge may be withdrawn, which can also lead to prosecution.” https://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/transport-and-streets/parking/permit-fraud.en

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If the bay is with white lines then the bay is only discretionary and can not be enforced. Only if a blue plate is by it does it become mandatory. In these discretionary bays you are reliant on the goodwill of the public and anyone, with or without a blue badge can park there legally!

My husband, who used to be a traffic warden, says they aren’t worth getting!

Sorry

it is so infuriating when people park in disabled bays when they aren’t disabled.

mothers and babies use their own parking spots.

do people park there illegally too

Yes, Carole, “mother and child” bays can be abused.

I know of a 50-something who used to park in one when he had his 80+ mother in the car.
(Well it was mother and child)

As anon says disabled bays marked in white lines are purely advisory - and anyone (BB or not) can legally park there, without any question of abuse.
Just before I left Wiltshire, the Council announced that the would create no more advisory baaaaaays and would not even paint out the existing ones. I left mine behind.

Geoff

My step daughter has cerebal palsy and is completely wheelchair dependant(non weight bearing) but as she is in electric chair i always took the view that we wouldn’t take a disabled space if only 1 or 2 available as others may need them more,as long as we can get a space where we can unload her safely she didn’t need to be right outside wherever we were going.

Since my wife has now got Ms she has a badge too and is really struggling with mobility so when out we have a choice of 2 badges now if together! After 12 years that i have been with them we didn’t even know where you were allowed to park but have now found some useful disabled spaces and i will park on yellow lines too if its better,and often the limited time spaces like half hour no return in hour etc which a traffic warden told me are unlimited time for blue badge.

A few weeks back after parking in a disabled space we ended up a little way away and on the way back i could see how much my wife was struggling (honestly dont think she could have made it!)so i suggested that i go get van and collect them both from where they were(a handy bench to wait)

When i went to get van i felt really guilty being on my own,and maybe i imagined it but seemed like people where staring and thinking i was a scumbag abusing blue badge.No one actually said anything but i really felt bad and very guilty as if i was doing something wrong!Obviously not the same as your street parking issue at home though which sounds like real abuse.

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Residential disabled parking bay my wife applied for one and got it your car has to be registered at the address anyway

Bay was marked out the council told us at the beginning it is for your use only witch was fine then later the scottish goverment reformed disabled parking now anyone with a blue badge can park there . Witch means that on occasion we come home and some ones in it I had to park almost a mile away one night and get a taxi.

I am going to speak to the local msp to see if some thing can ba down

To help make residential bays exclusive to the disabled person,

And take the stigma away from them anyone else want to do the same

It would be good.

I’m a Blue Badge holder. There are some shops that put the “parent and child” spaces as close to the entrance as the disabled ones. Often there are only a few dedicated spaces. If the disabled spaces are full, I’ll use a “parent and child” space without even a twinge of conscience. As I see it, having children is a personal choice, not a disability. Parents can walk further than I can, even when they’re pushing a pram or pushchair.

I assume that the person walking away from the wheelchair is striding away without difficulty. I’m ambulatory disabled - I can walk, only with some kind of aid.

It`s implying that people without any disabilities are using disabled parking bays. Too much of it going on. Hit them hard where it hurts. Usually the wallet or purse. Make it an amount that will make them think twice about parking there in the first place. ÂŁ100 sounds fair.