Disabled Parking?

Question

Who gets sick and tired of people parking in disabled bays,children and parent and drop off bays.to me they are just bone idle.My job involves taking elderly or disabled people shopping and to get outside in the drop of bay is most time imposible.Hve a heart and take that extra little walk believe it or not it is good for you.

Answer 1

I have a disabled relative and also get very annoyed when people park in disabled bays. Only the other day I was taking my relative to a local shopping centre and there was a woman parking in the only disabled bay. When I confronted her she claimed she had a disabled badge and so I asked her to produce it. She then went into a torrent of abuse. Luckily, a police community support officer was nearby and asked her to move the car. My relative has a severe physical disability and needs to use a wheelchair. I was amazed by how ignorant and indeed selfish some people can be. Unfortunately, it is a sad reflection of our time.

Answer 2

Actually I seldom have a problem but I do live in an area with less cars per head than say London. As to free parking in car parks I am not sure why this is except that if you have a badge and you had to pay you may well choose to park on a yellow line instead. What baffles me is when you can park free if there is a disabled space but you have to pay if they are all full which happens in some care parks. As to people misusing the badges I think this is the fault of the government or local authorities. If police parking attendants, traffic wardens and these new scarecrow policemen ( Community liaison officers) were instructed that whenever they saw a person parking or leaving with a disabled badge they checked to see if it was their badge a lot of this misuse would stop. I don't look disabled but in the 20 odd years I have been using the badge I have only been stopped once and that was because the date had become sun faded on the badge.

Answer 3

I think people who park in disabled bays should be made to try getting someone out of a car into a wheelchair in an ordinary bay every day for a few weeks and see how difficult it is!
I've spent years doing it as not only have I worked in community care, where taking people shopping is part of the job, for 20+ years, I also had a disabled Mum! One thing this type of job teaches you is that 90% of people are lazy ignorant and selfish!
Most people will say there wasn't anywhere else to park but what they really mean is, there wasn't anywhere near the door and why should they have to walk a few extra yards themselves!
If you ever find a way of getting people to change please let me know, I have tried as have all the people I've worked with but all you get is stupid excuses!

Answer 4

I am disabled and have a disabled sticker card to hang in my car. I have not heard of badges. I only use the space when I am in bad shape that day and have to get something from the store. I know that given my health problems that walking is great for me when I can and so I do. Otherwise I save those spaces for the ones with wheel chairs. I have disabilities that are not obvious if you look at me and I often get looks for parking there and it makes me feel really sad, and my self worth suffers. People should realize that just because you can't see the disability doesn't mean it isn't there. People who park in disabled spaces with out a sticker or license plate, get a $500.00 fine where I live.

Answer 5

There seem to be a lot of ranting going on here and not really answering any question - if there WAS a question in the first place.

One thing I want people to be mindful of is that DON'T be too quick to judge. Like what CptToeNail said about calling out "It's a miracle" - PLEASE remember that MANY PEOPLE may be able to walk but still truly need the parking space because they might have other medical condition which might not allow them to walk long distances or they may have hidden disability.

I have parked in those spots and I CAN walk and I don't have a disability. People DO give me abuses but what they DON'T wait to see is my passenger who is in a wheelchair coming out of the shops whom I have come to pick up and take him home.

PLEASE - DO NOT be too quick to judge just because the person can walk.


Cheers from Australia

Answer 6

Where I live if you don't have a sticker in your car window authorizing you to be there it is 99.9% likely that you'll come out of the store (or whatever) and find a pricey ticket in your windshield.

Sometimes though you may see someone parking in these spaces who is in fact disabled, but doesn't look it. When I was young we got that a lot. I am blind, but unless you take a good look at my eyes you wouldn't be able to tell (this is before I started using a cane) and so when mom and I got out of the car in the handicapped space we always got stares and rude comments because it didn't look at first glance like we needed to be there. I've seen the same happen to parents of children with downs syndrom and such.

But for those among us who just use them because they're convenient... that's just lazy and inconsiderate.

Answer 7

I am disabled but young. My husband has a heart condition and has a disabled tag( we both do) I too get annoyed by the ones who park in spaces that are fully able, but no one can judge someones unseen disabilities.
I've actually had someone confront me that was older and accuse me of being too young to park in a handicap space. I wish there was an age limit on disabilities. But my point is no one can tell just what disability anyone is living with. It is a sign of the times that the honour system is not adhered to,

Answer 8

I agree with you on the subject in general.
The only time I ever park in a space for disabled people is in the evening when I would take my children to sports and we are running a bit late. But we all still feel very bad about it.
I basically just drop them.
Still, my daughter keeps reminding me that it's a space for disabled people for a reason.
So, I guess I need to organize myself better in the future.
By the way you're doing a good job, I think that it might be something I could enjoy doing, even as a voluntary occupation.
xxx

Answer 9

Just hold on a minute and have a think, how many times have you come back to your car and found that it has been damaged by the asso that has parked next to you.
Don't blame people for parking in the bigger bays, most of them do it to prevent the damage.
Get on to the people that own the car parks to provide parking spaces that are big enough to prevent damage in the first place and you moan may go away.

Answer 10

Some large stores in Scotland, call out the registration number of a car over the tannoy. If it does not have a disabled badge
showing in its window, and if it is parked in a disabled parking bay.