Probably just my prejudices showing again but we were on our way back to the car past the disabled spaces this afternoon and it struck me that all seven of the cars parked in the spaces were new (63 plate or later), premium German 4x4s or estates, Merc’s, Audi’s, BMW, passing inspection showed they all had a badge on the dash, but none of them looked to be adapted or like they made much sense for a disabled driver, other than maybe boot space? They all looked more like status symbols TBH.

Whatever happened to the days when disabled spaces were occupied by reliant Robins? Or the obvious choice of a berlingo?

Now I am sure that I will be accessed of suggesting the disabled must also be poor, that’s not my point, more that I was wondering where the middle income disabled drivers were all parking today, or indeed if those occupying the spaces were really disabled or just aware of some wheeze that means they can park closer to the lift…

Flame away folks…

Probably just my prejudices

You answered your question right at the start.

Bloke opposite our shop has one and can run,carry heavy loads and climb ladders on top of doing a full day’s work.
My f.i.l has had open heart surgery ,can’t stand too well let alone walk and can’t even get a temporary one. I think you have to know the correct answers on the form rather than actually need one.

It’s pretty hard. I hope you are never in the position where you have to find out.

I’d imagine that it’s one of a few things. The badge holder is rich. The badge holder has a good job, or the badge holder is married to someone with a good job. I don’t think type of car is a good indicator of level of disability though.

There’s probably a load more scenarios to look at, some which probably include the badge holder having nowt wrong with them.

Seems like hard work. I had a chat with a lady as she was gingerly walking her ninety year old mother along the lane to see if she could walk a certain distance. She had to give up with the other six pages of form filling as her mum was too knackered after Q1.

My Dad drives a Freelander it’s a 63 plate he has a blue badge but pays for the car himself. Due to massive cardiac issues his car is one of his few pleasures in life, it’s needed as they live in rural Northumberland so if the snow comes bad it really is bad.

If you seen him walking into Sainsbury’s you’d think he was fit and didn’t deserve a blue badge, if you seen him how he spends a lot of his days unable to walk into the kitchen at times you’d ring him an ambulance.

So yeah I’ll leave it there before I have to ban myself for a few days.

It’s not unheard of for relatives of the disabled person to have the badge, it’s even possible the person entitled to the badge was in the car as well……

Relatives can use the card to park as long as the disabled person is with them in the vehicle at the time of use.

My dad was registered blind, so i used it to park when i took him out,and because i drove a van, got numerous pathetic remarks from fellow road users about abusing a blue badge, they soon shut up when i stuggled to get a frail 86 yesr old into his wheelchair or into the van.

You could have a badge because you the driver for a disabled person.
Being disabled doesn’t/shouldn’t limit your income.

So you could have a nice new car, be able to climb a ladder, and have a blue badge.

There will be some piss takers out there thou there always is.

The guy who almost knocked me off ages when he flung the door open of his car wasnt disabled in any way although he had a disabled badge on his dashboard and was parked on double yellows.

It was OK though because his mum (who was at home) was.

Too easy in some cases, too difficult in others! I send some serious abuse of them and yet I know two people that need them but can’t get them!

I did a double take when walking past a Ferrari, parked outside Kendals in Manchester, with a blue badge on the dash. Didn’t seem like the obvious choice of vehicle for the disabled. I’m sure it was genuine though.

I know of a guy who runs marathons who is classed as disabled. If questioned about his disabled status he pulls back his clothing and shows where the shrapnel went in and out of his body and where the remaining pieces still are.

I think the good book has something in it about “judge not lest ye too be judged?”

A real good book would

Presumably he doesn’t have a blue parking badge though ?

I did ask my missus, she works in local government in a related area, and reckons it’s a pretty tough benefit to get hold of actually now, full physical capacity testing, medical background checks, etc…

It just struck me, nothing in those bays exactly screamed “motorbility”. Not that it should, but seriously not one ford, vauxhall or fiat, all £30K+ German motors… Just seemed off…

Er’indoors reckons it’s about the worst time to be truly in need of any sort of state assistance in the last twenty odd years, as anything which can be capped, cut or have extra red tape attached is being held back in the name of stopping fraud, and such things also tends to inadvertently penalise those with a genuine claim too…

I dunno, caught between wealth envy, and unfounded suspicion of benefit recipients…

#closetkipper.

He could have one for the same reason I could have one yet I still manage to ride a Mtb quite well, and to look at you’d not consider I was classed as disabled in any way.

It seems all to cock to me.

Surely the reason for giving someone a disabled badge should be because they are of restricted mobility. I don’t care if your soldier is full of shrapnel, if he can run a marathon he can walk the same distance from a car park as anyone else. I’ve got an impressive scar on my angle from a mtb break but I don’t have a disabled badge.

My Aunt has a withered hand from Polio and apparently qualifies (but she chooses not to have one). She drives an unmodified car and has not other limb problems – don’t understand why she should be able to. A good friend of mine has hearing aids after hearing damage from an ear infection – she doesn’t have a car but was told she qualified for a badge.

It seems the criteria are very loose and the system is widely abused.

A lot harder to fiddle blue badges now everything is linked up electronically.I remember the good old days when you could buy them on Newton Heath market 🙂

£30K+ German motors… Just seemed off…

Are you not allowed nice things if you’re disabled?

Bring back the sky blue plastice three wheeler for disabled types, problem solved.

I remember driving my blind grandmother to hospital in my Focus ST and using her blue badge to park in a disabled spot. Amount of guilt I felt was the square root of nothing.

I remember driving my blind grandmother to hospital in my Focus ST

Apparently it’s Ok to drive Fords.

A lot harder to fiddle blue badges now everything is linked up electronically.

Sorry? What now?

We are talking about a series of UK Government databases here, so you reckon the NHS computers talk seamlessly to DVLA and DWP systems?

…Really? 😆

My uncle had a blue disabled badge, and a couple of nice cars. Crippled by polio from about the age of 6, IIRC, he wasn’t really going to be the active sporty type, but worked hard at a job that he could manage. Don’t see anything wrong with that?

Just how hard is it to qualify for a disabled parking badge?

My mum had a leg amputated. Seemed extreme to get a few feet closer to the supermarket… 😉

IME it is very difficult to get a Blue Badge with the potential for lots of “Computer says no” conversations! If you have the higher rate of mobility DLA then you normally get it automatically. I guess local authorities are tightening up on it due to rampant abuse in the past.

somafunk – Member
He could have one for the same reason I could have one yet I still manage to ride a Mtb quite well, and to look at you’d not consider I was classed as disabled in any way.

Kenny.
You could have done with a blue badge when this happened.
You parking was a disgrace. 🙂

[url=https://flic.kr/p/38TTcb]1359435137_8552fb45da.jpg[/url] by monomaniac(tom), on Flickr

Are you not allowed nice things if you’re disabled?

I’d did realise I was probably well on the wrong track from the get go, it’s not that disabled people aren’t allowed nice things, more that my one anecdotal observation seemed to indicate there were no mid-lower income people using the disabled bays today…

But then five more minuses thought and suddenly fits, it’s “Mothering Sunday” innit…

All those infirm grannies with moderately successful son’s and daughters were probably getting picked up from their nursing homes and whisked off in the Q7 (not forgetting the badge) for a slap up trip to pizza hut or Nando’s… Mystery solved.

more that my one anecdotal judgemental and produced based observation

There that’s better.

But then five more minuses thought and suddenly fits, it’s “Mothering Sunday” innit..

But you’d thought “I know I’ll make myself look an utter tool and post on STW asking why”

Mods abusing the punters, nice 🙂

I remember driving my blind grandmother to hospital in my Focus ST and using her blue badge to park in a disabled spot. Amount of guilt I felt was the square root of nothing.

I concur,mind you with your granny being blind she didn’t suffer the ignominy of knowing she was being driven round in a Ford…unless you told her?

My mum had a leg amputated. Seemed extreme to get a few feet closer to the supermarket…

Only one foot closer surely?

Mods abusing the punters, nice

Is it actually abuse if it’s accurate.

Does the disabled badge also allow you to park for free in council parking? That’s what it looks like as the cars have the blue badge showing but no ticket. Nature of disability aside, that always seems like a pisstake with a £40k+ car showing a blue badge…

It’s a piece of pi$$ apparently. There was an article in the local paper recently complaining about how many people are abusing the system. Maybe it varies between areas?

Chap at work has one – he got it after a minor op. He pirouettes out the car like Louie Spence!

In another case a mate who hurt his back in the marines had to argue for two years to get his disability car and blue badge cancelled. They didn’t believe he had recovered. This was despite being in full time employment as a fireman!

I don’t think the type of car means much. Old people are more likely to be disabled/qualify for a blue badge. They tend to have more cash to spend on cars – hence lots of premium cars.

Not everyone has to look disabled.

When I burst my hip, they suggested I should get a blue badge. I thought it’d look weird on the motorbike though.

MrsMC got one last year. Got phoned up out of the blue, was asked a few questions about her disability – she has cerebral palsy, doesn’t have full use of her left arm and leg, which qualifies her for the lowest level of DLA – and was told that she qualified for a badge as she sometimes struggles to carry stuff any distance when shopping etc.

She was a bit surprised and so was I, given the problems some people have getting them. We actually met walking up Ben Nevis! Comes in handy though, often get to park for free, like at Glentress where she rode the green routes, but we don’t actually use disabled spaces. It all leads to Catholic levels of confusion and guilt.

But we do have a steering ball, so the OP will think we look like proper disabled drivers 😉