Blue badges

[PTR]

I get sick of people complaining about this. My sister has fibromyalgia and has one. On a good day if she isn't in pain and manages to go to the shops she uses it. And there are plenty of morons who feel the need to comment about what they perceive to be her lack of a disability. Absolute gobshites.

that's the problem though - because people cannot "see" if there's a reason to have the badge, it makes it much more open to abuse to people who might sell, or forge them.

Literally nobody has a problem with anyone who's been provided legitimately with a blue badge mate. Well, maybe a minority of dickheads, but that's a demographic that's best ignored anyway

Give free parking to Blue badge holders. If you are ill enough to need a blue badge, I don't mind you getting free parking. Of all the parking that raises funds, the few disabled parking spaces wouldn't raise that much money in the bigger picture,so let's let them be used for free. Sorted.


All I'd ask is that you leave them free for genuine badge holders and only genuine badge holders should use them.

And incentive the black market in forged/sold badges even more?
People using them every day could save thousands per year, so its not as trivial as it sounds - its not just someone nipping out for a pint of milk.

 

[Scimmy]

I always assume a severe limp and grimace in pretend pain when abusing disabled bays.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

the most openly abused benefit around
Good Friday was sitting in the car outside of st Marys church waiting for wife who had run round to m and s
Yes I had paid for my ticket
of the 3 cars parked in the bay's and 4 cars parked in the loading bay and disabled bays there was only one person who looked anywhere near disabled an old guy trying to walk with sticks
One women got out of the car and ran across the road to avoid a bus coming down fawcett street
Everyone of them fraudsters
Most are using them as free parking and relying on people been too afraid or embarrassed to challenge them
Today in morrisons bloke and wife and kid who had obviously been walking on the beach dodged in front of me and all three climbed that small wall up into the car park and got into a car with blue badge being displayed
Government needs to think this one through again as it openly and blatantly abused

others with valid reasons for using blue badges should be doing their bit and challenging the fraudsters as they are giving the genuine users a bad name

So what does "anywhere near disabled" look like? My wife is in her 40s, never smoked, not obese, exercised regularly (nee pics!). She has terminal cancer and undergoes chemotherapy every third week. She is only well enough to go out for the two or three days before each treatment, yet this drug doesnt make her lose her hair or make her need to use a stick or wheelchair, however she can not walk more than a 100 metres or so. Having a blue badge means we can park close enough for her to be able to get to where we need to be. She gets extremely anxious about going out, but things like going to the cinema allow us some sense of normality for a short time. Being approached by a complete stranger for not looking sick enough to have a disabled badge would bring about an end to her going out again as she hates confrontation. It is not a finanacial benefit, one that allows her to be able to at least to live her life like others. By encouraging people to confront those that dont look ill enough you are not considering that you could be condeming those that really are sick to not venture out and negatively impact the end of their life. I havent come across a car park that doesnt charge blue badge holders, but some on road parking does come with an exemption. In these instances there is a time constarint. Having a blue badge also permits me to park in a parking bay without her being present, as long as I picking her up. Councils do have enforcement so I would ask everyone to never confront a blue badge holder, you may unwittingly have an impact upon their quality of life.

 

[peachy]

And incentive the black market in forged/sold badges even more?
People using them every day could save thousands per year, so its not as trivial as it sounds - its not just someone nipping out for a pint of milk.

Ahh, didn't think of that, I was trying to be kind. Hadn't really thought about the dishonest side of giving free parking to Blue Badge holders.

 

[Effrafax]

Ahh, didn't think of that, I was trying to be kind. Hadn't really thought about the dishonest side of giving free parking to Blue Badge holders.

Its not free in most cases

Love my blue badge and the shit I quite often get off ignorant f***ing toss pots