Bearing Disability: Ignored Abuse of Disabled Parking Spaces

It’s odd that generally good people would think nothing of parking in a disabled bay marked for blue badge users, but I have seen it happen too often.

Over the years, I have noticed a massive decline in respect for disabled people. More and more people are abusing disability faculties. From toilets to priority seats to the disabled parking spaces that, in theory, you need a blue badge to use.

This has become an alarmingly regular event.

There are several spaces, probably 10-15 at a local supermarket and many of the disabled parking spaces were gone. Only two or three people displayed a blue badge.

There have been many queries as to why we need those spaces because many people find them “empty” or the person in the bay is not what they think a disabled person ought to look like.

Why are there so many disabled parking bays?

One of the complaints many able-bodied drivers have is the amount of disabled parking bays in supermarket car parks. Big car parks may have 20 or more. But here is my theory as to why there is “so many” bays.

Whenever I go shopping, I am lucky if I find a free disabled parking space.

As I walk past, I check the cars. Probably 3/5 cars do not have, or display, a blue badge. Roughly 3/5 bays are being abused by people without a blue badge.

So, maybe that is why there are so many disabled parking spaces. The supermarkets are trying to estimate how many people are going to abuse the space.

Wheelchair users especially will find abuse of these spaces annoying and inconvenient as the extra space makes it easier for them to get in and out of a car. The chevrons are measured so that someone who needs more room can have more room without hitting a car… after all, normal spaces are so closely-knitted together.

Why do people abuse disabled parking spaces

It all boils down to not meeting the expectations of the abuser’s idea of disabled. When most people think of disabled, they think of a wheelchair or an elderly person. They do not think of someone who can only move short distances but can indeed walk. So when I come to use a disabled parking space, I will get a wag of the finger from a nosy old couple.

To that couple, I am too young. Or my legs seem to be working.

I’ve been asked why I don’t just use normal bays, because I’m not in a wheelchair. So I won’t need the extra space. But that’s not true. My right leg gets stuck when I am in normal bays, and as it will be my right leg first, I am probably going to bang my door on the neighbouring car door. Yep, no I don’t want to risk that. We live in a culture that judges a book by the cover.

These people see what they think are capable people using a space close to the store while they have to park at the back, or in another car park entirely. So they feel annoyed, don’t think it’s fare and decide that they will use the space themselves. Then they complain there is too many spaces for disabled people.

There are also the people who think to themselves, “well, I’ll only be five minutes”. An hour later and someone who needed the disabled parking space is waiting for them to move.

I don’t think many people are aware of how many people are actually disabled. For information about applying for a Blue Badge click here and for information about who is eligible for a Blue Badge click here.

Problem with the law and disabled parking bays

Here’s the problem we have in the UK.

As the law stands, if you park in a private car park, such as Aldi, Sainsbury’s or most shopping centres, then even if the owners of the car park give you a fine you DO NOT have to pay. No one can force you unless ordered at a court. And really, private car park owners have more to do than to take someone to court.  They don’t want the hassle.

This gives the owners no motivation to give a fine to the people abusing the spaces. I was having a conversation with a security guard and one of the managers in Aldi’s and they say people just ignore it and they do not have time to give everyone tickets, which is fair enough, especially when they can just be chucked in the bin.

People are aware of this and as a result, do not fear to abuse the system.

This goes for private parking at residential properties too. I live in an apartment block, and more often than not, I return to my home to find one person in particular in the disabled space without a blue badge. It’s annoying and something needs to change.

Council-owned roads and car parks

People don’t park on yellow lines or without paying on public streets if they know it is heavily monitored by traffic officers. They won’t park in disabled bays. And  hey don’t risk it in a council car park. This is because they will have to pay the fine by law.

Why is it different for private parking? Why? They’re abusing the same rules, the only difference is the organisation that manages it.

Yes, it means that if the car park is full, the person without a blue badge would have to walk further to their destination, but if you were in a wheelchair, if you could only walk short distances or if it was a family member, how would you feel if someone took a space that you or a loved-one needs because they were too lazy to walk a few hundred more yards?

Those of us who have a blue badge did not ask to be disabled. We just are and that means we need the extra help. Able-bodied people are blessed to have legs they need to walk those extra steps.

Edit 20/07/2018: Until I went through PIP, having Cerebral Palsy meant that I was automatically eligible for a disabled parking permit known as the Blue Badge. This may be taken off me if I can not win my appeal once it expires. Find out more about PIP here.

Edit: I lost the appeal but won my tribunal in 2019.

Thanks for reading

Thank you for reading this post. What, if anything, annoys you about disabled bays and people’s attitude to them? What do you think could and should be done about it?

Do let me know in the comments.

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