I think it's a bit of a generalisation to say blue badge abusers are all a certain demographic.
Yeah, I agree, and I would normally avoid such stereotyping, but actually, I [i]have[/i] noticed a trend (See; Messr Hatton referred to above). Knobs will be knobs, but knobs with nice cars will attempt to protect them in ways that a) knobs with shit cars won't bother with, and b) decent people with nice cars wouldn’t think of doing.
Just a hypothesis. Happy to accept that I have no evidence to support it.
I'll certainly keep an eye out from now on.
My emergency hard stare/tut combo is on red alert.
🙂
I've only ever seen that 'parking across two bays' ****tery a couple of times in real life, long after I'd noticed it being mentioned on here.
Is it a big city thing?
Rusty Spanner - Member
My emergency hard stare/tut combo is on red alert.
Nice one Pete 🙂
My wife used to say if she could be free of MS she would happily drive the MK2 Escort Van she had at the time for the rest of her life.
[i]Devil’s advocate here[/i]
I do agree that there seem to be a lot of nice cars who 'forget' to show their blue badges.
I have no issue with being challenged about having a blue badge. It happens and most of the time you show the badge and they apologise/feel embarrassed/give you the thumb up. I always make a point of thanking these people to remove apologies and embarrassment.
[i]Rusty Spanner - Member
My emergency hard stare/tut combo is on red alert.[/i]
I remember as a student organising coordinated 'tutting' and newspaper shuffling to show our disapproval of something or other. Can't remember the cause but having 20 students walking up and down tutting and raising their eyes to the ceiling actually stopped a number of lecturers doing wrong things.
I think the worst we ever had was in Swindon when some idiot shouted at my wife for taking a disabled space from his mother!
The fact that "his mother was walking without any form of support" and my wife was in a wheelchair & recovering from a DBS operation (don't look it up if you are squeamish) nearly made me punch his lights out. But I felt sorry for his mother for having to suffer such a **** of a son.
Stop posting and sort your duck out!
Paraplegic lad in work has just recently sold his 3rd (or 4th, can never keep track) Nissan GTR and replaced it with an AMG - sounds like you're doing it right to me
If it's any help, somafunk's post is the first time I've used the Share button on STW.
Sister one has Stage IV melanoma and a blue badge. She can't drive now, but when she was parking in Bath a kind spirited older gentleman said the ubiquitous "you can't park there, you're not disabled" as she unloaded the Grand Espace of one and all. Cue sister two (the lawyer) march over and basically read the medical riot act about Sister one's illness, life expectancy etc... if he could have wilted and shrivelled away he would have.
Not all disability is overt, and of course blue badges can be for passengers not drivers.
And good for the young man above. I hope he enjoys his cars, because I'm sure he'd like to enjoy things he can't.
WorldClassAccident - MemberStop posting and sort your duck out!
Sorry it was delish & enough leftovers for a stir fry tomorrow 🙂
When I worked in Homebase we tried to police the disabled spots as best we could, especially if someone came in and mentioned it to us. When we got a car park warden we used to make sure they all got tickets if they didn't show a badge (if they had just forgotten we could have the ticket cancelled).
The best time ever was when a youngish lad parked his Ferrari in a disabled bay. No blue badge. He didn't get a ticket BUT it was quite satisfying when a trolley came loose (the space he used was next to the trolley bay) and smacked into his car causing a nasty scrape/dent.
He created hell for us for a few minutes, but as it was a shared car park with other stores (usual caveats "park at your own risk" etc) we just said "nothing we can do". I still wish I'd said "if you hadn't parked in the disabled spot...."
The ensuing "discussion" was brief but it did reveal that he had only hired the car for a day or two. Oh how we chuckled - damage repair to a new Ferrari? £££££££'s!
I'd say you're not trying hard enough. Your pickup is measly and doesn't have a V8.
I think it's a great message to send, just because someone is less physically able than the 'norm' doesn't mean they can't earn decent money and have a bit of flash. Makes me smile inside when I see a proper motor with a blue badge.
I have to drive a wheelchair converted car for work to carry service users and also to go on errands on my own,
I've been shouted at for not parking in a disabled space when I've been out on my own, (blue badge on dash but folded up)
Apparently I was taking up a 'normal' space when I could've parked in a disabled spot..
Some people are just dicks..
[i]Apparently I was taking up a 'normal' space when I could've parked in a disabled spot..
Some people are just dicks.. [/i]
The gym I go to also has a creche. At baby pick up time the car park gets very crowded. One time I discovered the 8 disabled bays were all occupied (2 with badges, 6 with baby seats - possibly forgot to display their badges?). I parked in the only space which allowed me room to get out which happened to be a parent and child spot. I displayed my blue badge and went to leave when a woman got really irate for 'stealing' spaces reserved for those who 'needed' them.
I told someone to move the other day. She'd parked a 1 series at a jaunty angle across the hatchings between the two disabled spaces. There was a car on one side of the two spaces and a low fence on the other side, so she'd rendered the only two disabled spaces on that side of the retail park unusable to anyone like the OP who needs the width to swing out of the car. Probably unusable to anything except a motorbike tbh.
She was sitting in the car texting (no blue badge on show). I told her she was blocking both disabled spaces. "It's ok, I won't be long". 👿
I wouldn't say anything to anyone who actually had a blue badge though. I know there are plenty of'invisible' disabilities that mean someone may appear to be walking easily, but they may only be able to manage a short distance. And the choice of car has nothing to do with it either. I had a lecturer at college who had a posh jag adapted for his wheelchair. I think he bought the car with some of the payout from the insurance company of the driver that smashed up his spine.
