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Up to the local trails for some solo lockdown exercise post work. Car park is full to brim , but I got lucky and found a space. Put bike together, get changed and its a bunfight with people driving round and round getting angry they cannot park etc.
1 guy parks in a disabled spot. Line of signs say ' Blue badge Holders only' and a picture of a wheelchair.
Its pretty obvious these 5 spaces ( out of maybe 200) are designated for disabled users. Guy and son say 45 and 12 get bikes out the car , no sign of any disablilty whatsoever , No blue badge on windscreen either. Son on a HT , Dad on an EHT time is pressing so off I go muttering about taking disabled parking but would not want to take their disablity .
Had a good ride considering amount of nobbers walking on the trails , great to see mum and dad and kids out on Decathlon / Halford specials ( mum always has the set 6" too low but hey its a start)
Riding up a linking fireroad see a commotion in front . Guy in high viz jacket on floor , group of 4 or 5 people milling around not doing anything much. I have done a few first aid courses over the years so better than nothing and my first thought was Heart attack.
Its the guy who parked in the disabled spot isnt it ..OK hes a dick but he is in trouble on the floor and no - one is stepping up
So the first aid training is of some use . Quick check , hes OK, hes breathing and can talk and hasnt lost consiousness. No damage to helmet just shoulder / rotator cuff.
It transpires he had his E-bike in boost for some reason , stood up on the pedals to honk up a tiny rise and the pedal went away from him and the bike / karma police sent him OTB.
Got his back pack off , confirmed he hadnt landed on his head , just shoulder so got him on his back , . He could move shoulder around fairly well and get it above horizontal so sat him up. Did the deep breath test for ribs , which was fine so he felt ok to stand so got him up off the floor and left him to sort out getting to his car. Nice lady gave him 2 x paracetomol. Advised him to go to minor injuries if he had restricted movement next morning.
So park in disabled bays at your peril, you never know if the karma police are going to get you. Bike appeared fine and very new.
Be ironic if he was left disabled.
Did you tell him he was a **** while jabbing him in the ribs 😃
If you park in the mother and baby spaces does karma make all your condoms split?
It transpires he had his E-bike in boost
I tried to report someone in our village who can run, climb ladders and carry heavy loads who uses a disabled badge and parks in the bay.
The local authority stipulates that the user must have difficulty walking.
On speaking to the man on the phone I was told that the man may have a disability that is not visible. Such as ,I asked.
He may be blind, was the reply. At that point I hung up.
There are tossers who park in disabled spaces because they feel entitled and then there are genuine unseen disabilities. It could be that he just forgot to display his blue badge. I would get one if I applied due to lesions on my spinal chord causing weakness and altered sensation in my right leg... but I can still ride a bike, play football, go walking/running
I see this person everyday. He has at no point looked anything less than perfectly able.
I see this person everyday. He has at no point looked anything less than perfectly able.
You're possibly failing to grasp the concept of a "a disability that is not visible." 🙂
He may be blind, was the reply. At that point I hung up.
Judging by the way I have seen some cars parked in the disabled spaces I did sometimes wonder this.
"You’re possibly failing to grasp the concept of a “a disability that is not visible"
If he does have one , it certainly doesn't fulfil the criteria of "having difficulty walking"
Difficulty walking is not the only criteria.
MrsSteve has a blue badge. We won't use disabled spaces if there are regular ones available though. Comes in handy sometimes.
I have a blue badge, my forum name was earned not given, and I ride an E-Bike so I might have something to contribute.
The main challenge I have with cars is getting to the standing position from sat in the car. Walking after that is painful but lets skip that for the moment. If I park in a supermarket blue badge space I can fully open my door. swing my legs round and use the door frame to lift myself to standing. I then walk off without any obvious disability.
If I park at the next available space that will ensure I can open the door fully I have to park miles away and struggle to reach the supermarket.
Basically I look like a fake if I use the space or like a cripple if I don't.
I have never managed to crash my e-bike as described so can't really comment on that bit.
Back to the point though, people who park in disabled bays without the right are like people who drop litter or break all the other little laws designed to make life nicer. They don't really care so either confront them when they do it if you feel strongly enough about it or wimp out and piss off.
Don't go posting about it 6 hours later on a forum the offender will never see*.
* Still love you 🙂
Is it ok to park in the parent & child bays when your 40 years old and your dad's 85❓
I used to leave a child seat in the car. No need for everyone to know it was to pick up the grandchild once a week from nursary.
Out of interest, anyone know why Parent and Child places are close to the door than Blue Badges?
Surely a failed body out ranks a failed condom.
I'm definitely of the opinion that disabilities cannot always be seen.
I have a good friend with MS and most of the time you wouldn't really know (she does as she is in constant pain) BUT there are times that being able to park a bit nearer the shop or whatever is a godsend for her.
I'm not 100% on this but I think some anxiety disorders also allow the use of a blue badge these days.
Lots of cars reversing out of spaces and small people walking behind them is not a good mix
Not sure of WCA is trolling with 2nd post or not...?
Out of interest, anyone know why Parent and Child places are close to the door than Blue Badges?
Disabled spaces are a statutory requirement. Parent and Child spaces are courtesy / enticement.
Its not so much the placing of the Disabled spaces that matters as much as that they are the right size and shape and that there are enough of them. They'll nevertheless be close to the entrance anyway - because why wouldn't they be.
Parent and Child spaces are usually about placing those spaces in a position that means theres as traffic-free a route as possible to the door - so its not distance, or even the size of the space that matters as much as having those spaces adjacent to a walkway thats out of traffic and with the least number traffic crossing points to the door
Supermarkets are required to make those concessions to disabled users, but they provide parent/child spaces because they're competing for the custom of parents with young children. Children are an absolute doddle to market to and parents accompanied by children are pestered into spending more money - so the supermarket that makes it easiest for those harangued parents to get to the front door sells the most cheese strings and petit filou.
Not all disabilities are visible and you cannot judge someone on grounds like "well, he can climb a ladder." Maybe he can, today.
However, that's what the Blue Badge scheme is for. The question you need to ask is "are they displaying a badge, yes or no?" and anything else is whataboutery.
Is it ok to park in the parent & child bays when your 40 years old and your dad’s 85❓
I've done this with my mum. In my defence, she was recovering from a stroke and multiple other issues so I felt it fair game.
I see no reason why "parent and child" spaces need to be right next to the disabled bays, they should be at the back of the car park with a segregated pedestrianised route to get to them.
I see no reason why “parent and child” spaces need to be right next to the disabled bays, they should be at the back of the car park with a segregated pedestrianised route to get to them.
They don't need to be anywhere (there doesn't need to be parent/child parking spaces at all). They are where the supermarket wants them to be. The supermarket values their custom over yours because they spend more money - they are trying to make their carpark as attractive to parents with young children as possible. They want those young families to feel catered for, even prioritised.
not visible
I see this person everyday. He has at no point looked anything less than perfectly able.
My brother is entitled to one as is my Dad. You’d never tell seeing them every day they have a disability, my brother won’t have one as he doesn’t want to be judged by self entitled people
I see no reason why “parent and child” spaces need to be right next to the disabled bays, they should be at the back of the car park with a segregated pedestrianised route to get to them.
Not got kids have you.
If you did as you suggest the risk assessment would-be horrific.
Kids are erratic The risk assessment would dictate they are where they are.
Minimum exposure of kid to car park is just common sense.
Let those without kids or disability walk further.
confront them when they do it if you feel strongly enough about it
Or you could not do this, because it's none of your business, and they may be sick to death of having to justify themselves to people with that attitude?
My wife having a temporary(in the grand scheme of things, ~3 years though) non visible disability that meant that some days she couldn't walk more than a few hundred metres without being laid out immobile and in pain for the next day certainly changed my attitude to this.
I'd been guilty of the judgemental 'they don't look disabled to me' attitude at times prior to this.
Marking an injury as karma for parking in a disabled space doesn't sit very well with me tbh.
submarined - I get questions quite often because I drive a tarty little convertible and can walk quite normally once I am up and out of the car - but only for the first 10 yards - but it doesn't bother me that much. A cheerful - " 'Fraid I am a cripple and would love to swap my ankle for yours." is normally enough to elicit a shrug, smile or apology
Just a reminder amongst the wider discussion that the OP said “ No blue badge on windscreen either”. I’m not buying a hidden disability in the subject person of this particular thread.
Not got kids have you.
If you did as you suggest the risk assessment would-be horrific.
Kids are erratic The risk assessment would dictate they are where they are.
Minimum exposure of kid to car park is just common sense.
Let those without kids or disability walk further.
Yup, my daughter is pretty well behaved when it comes to staying close by, her little brother (1yo) is a liability.
Also regular spaces are too narrow at the best of times, nevermind when you're wrestling a 1yo into his car seat that really doesn't want to be getting back in!
Even with two child seats in my car I don't use the parent child parking unless I have the kids with me.
Parent and child spaces are primarily about having space to actually open the doors and help the sprogs into/out of their car seats. With the little ones, it's not uncommon for the whole car seat to come out with the kid. Imagine you have two kids, seats on opposite sides of the car and you can't open one or both doors far enough to get them in/out. You're then left with the fun of leaving your kids in the car park whilst you move the car to somewhere where you can get them in our out.
Having the spaces close to the shop is a bonus, but it's mostly about door opening space. I can't recall seeing a shop where they were closer to the door than the disabled spaces, but there are many car parks where there simply aren't enough. I'd be happy with a longer walk in return for enough spaces.
On a related rant, why do so few car parks have adequate walking provision? Half the journeys made in a car park are on foot, so why are these so poorly catered for?
Knew wca would get on his horse about this. No badge displayed in a parking area designed for blue badge holders, yeah ok, he might have forgetten it, it might have fell off, it might be on his other car blah blah
So i wrotr no blue badge or obvious disability. What am i supposed to do, go all pompous on the guy who is out with his kid?
We have already assertained i am non confrontational, see lbs loses parts to wheels thread, and my neighbour has erected scaffolding on my land etc
If i wax a complete jerknoff i would havecsimply riddrn past whilst height have been having a heart attack. But having even a badic knowledge of first aid riding off- wouldnt sit wrll with me -
My son has a Blue Badge because he's autistic. Sometimes parking close to the store front is the difference between him being able to cope and having a meltdown. But if we are going for a real disability, no he's got both legs that he can use, so let's take it away from him and give it to a blind driver.
Depends on why you are annoyed the person is in the space. Me, I worry that disabled peeps won’t be able to park if everyone else uses the spaces. Makes no odds to me, my cake baby body needs all the exercise it can get and I’m shit at parking so I park way away from the blue bays.
If the council or whoever has seen fit to give that person a blue badge then it’s none of my business.
[i]Knew wca would get on his horse about this. [/i] - Here to perform 🙂
I normally go with a smile and 'Have you got a blue badge mate?'. I have only had one bloke get all shouty because he didn't have a badge, didn't need one and I could shove my head etc...
The rest have either said yes and grabbed it from the glove box or looked a bit shame faced and said 'I was just dropping the kid off/unloading/waiting for a space to become available.
I think the trick is to be friendly and genuine and not make it a big issue. The people who shouldn't park there know they should park there. Give them a graceful way to exit the situation rather than shaming them.
I’m not buying a hidden disability in the subject person of this particular thread
Did you read the rest of the thread?
Minimum exposure of kid to car park is just common sense.
This is why I said "segregated." Fence it off.
If you have a child that's prone to playing in traffic though, why not put it on a lead? I had reins when I was little because I was a hyper little sod. Free-range kids shouldn't be everyone else's problem.
I’d be happy with a longer walk in return for enough spaces.
Is there anything stopping you from doing exactly that? The backs of car parks tend to be deserted, certainly they are round here anyway.
Hang on... I've been over the bars more times than I can count. Does that mean I've now got enough karma to use disabled parking for a while? And do I have to buy a bmw? Sadface.
We won’t use disabled spaces if there are regular ones available though
Thus denying a non disabled driver an opportunity to park. How selfish 😉
Drac: Did you read the rest of the thread?
Er yeah, that'll be a reference to my acknowledgment 'amongst the wider discussion...'. I just wanted to support the OP's stated observations as the thread was tending towards blue badge entitlement.
That’s how conversations work the original subject changes to similar discussions.
Thus denying a non disabled driver an opportunity to park. How selfish 😉
🤣
That’s how conversations work the original subject changes to similar discussions.
Nah that'll be a sequential conversation between a small number of people. You'll know this place differs somewhat from that.
Doesn't matter
None of you were there
No one saw him, or spoke to him apart from me
Pretty much every person has a blue badge apparently and therefore this chap must habe done ad well
When clearly he might have, but he did not. I know it, most of you know it but it makes for a quiet monday to just agree and move on.
Bigblackshed. Thst must be trying and i did not know that kids on the spectrum were sensitive about parking in specific bays. That is something that i have never heard of, and must make everyday things like shopping some sort of logistic nightmare.
They don’t need to be anywhere (there doesn’t need to be parent/child parking spaces at all). They are where the supermarket wants them to be. The supermarket values their custom over yours because they spend more money – they are trying to make their carpark as attractive to parents with young children as possible. They want those young families to feel catered for, even prioritised.
^^^^^
Not all disabilities are visible and you cannot judge someone on grounds like “well, he can climb a ladder.” Maybe he can, today.
However, that’s what the Blue Badge scheme is for. The question you need to ask is “are they displaying a badge, yes or no?” and anything else is whataboutery.
Following that then they should only use disabled parking when they need it.
My Dad had one (multiple bypasses and pacemaker and ....) and used it at the hospitals because he couldn't walk after various (mini) operations but he didn't use it at the squash or tennis club.
Nearly all his customers had one....
https://www.elap.co.uk/