Abuse of disabled parking bay -who do I report it to?

[PacificOcean]

If I always paid attention to disabled parking spaces I would never be able to park.

Just to echo, just because she doesn't look disabled.............

 

[zenie]

It is not our place to attempt to judge their disability needs.

but it's ok to judge someone else is it?

 

[trashpony]

hey - it's not for knatchbull to explain his neighbours.

we shouldn't judge why they need that space: the council has deemed it necessary that they have it. Perhaps one of them is registered blind and and somebody who drives them around needs to use it occasionally. Perhaps they're on holiday for a couple of weeks. It is not our place to attempt to judge their disability needs. And besides, the council have already done that.

I'm not judging. I'm just nosey

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Tbh, if I had an unseen disability and someone shopped me because I looked too fit, I'd actually be quite gutted. On the other hand, I do think it's very wrong for non-disabled people to use disabled parking spaces. Tricky one, really.

 

[Stobart Stopper]

I know in the scheme of things its not very significant bit it is inconvenient for the people next door who have had to fight hard and prove a need in order to get th bay

and my British sense of fair play doesnt like to see people undermining the system!

Maybe she's slipping the old folk a bit of cash to park in the space, you never know. So if you grass her up, they lose a bit of money. I would check with the old folk first.

 

[Jambooboo]

You can be perfectly able bodied and still get a disabled parking badge. For instance I know agoraphobics can qualify for one.

 

[Fullyplumped]

You can be perfectly able bodied and still get a disabled parking badge. For instance I know agoraphobics can qualify for one.

The rules specifying entitlement are fairly clear, spelled out on direct.gov.uk

You are automatically eligible to apply for a badge if you are over two years old and either:
- receive the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance
- are registered blind
- receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement

You may also be eligible for a badge if you are over two years old and either:
- have a permanent and sustainable disability which means you cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult
- drive a motor vehicle regularly, have a severe disability in both arms, and are unable to operate all or some types of parking meter (or would find it very difficult to operate them)​

Someone diagnosed with agoraphobia would not be eligible for higher rate mobility component of DLA becase of it, and it would be very hard to argue successfully that a diagnosis of agoraphobia amounted to a "permanent and sustainable disability which means you cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult" or that it stopped them using their arms to operate a parking meter.

 

[Fullyplumped]

Maybe she's slipping the old folk a bit of cash to park in the space, you never know. So if you grass her up, they lose a bit of money. I would check with the old folk first.

Well all a marked parking space does is give them a certain amount of right to park in that space. It doesn't give them any right to let it out it as a source of income! It's a pretty remote possiblity of course.

 

[Urbanblues]

People do believe they own disability bays. Visiting my sister a few months ago we parked in a ‘disabled’ bay on a residential street; of course, displaying my Blue Badge. Sadly, this was not enough for my sister’s neighbour, the ‘owner’ of the bay; who, aggressively and rudely took my carer to task when she went to get something from the car.

Hearing a disturbance outside, I came to investigate; there on the pavement by my car stood a man with a walking stick and an attitude problem. He was towering over and remonstrating with my carer, who though diminutive in stature, punches well above her weight; enjoying the spectacle I stayed put for a few minutes; watching the twat with the stick getting a drubbing by ‘S’.

Fearing for the safety of the disabled bully I intervened after a few minutes. Turns out my sis’s neighbour thinks the parking bay is his, as it’s sited outside his house. However, I disabused him of this misapprehension; pointing out that the bay was for the use of any legitimate Blue Badge holder.

He wasn’t ready to accept this fact; and, continued to argue. Pulling out my phone, I proffered it to him; telling him to phone the police; and, we’d get it sorted out that way. Of course, he declined.

 

[Urbanblues]

this is what is confusing me, too.

knatchbull, please explain.

He did qualify this with "These past few days I have been at home and noticed every morning at 8am..."

But anyway, why can't elderly people be away from home earlier than 8am?

 

[lighterthief]

You can't tell whether the driver is a legitimate holder of a Blue Badge, but the issuing Council (Southwark) will be able to do so.

The incidence of fraud by people who are not entitled to the Blue Badge is very great. The value of the fraud consists of the saving in money, and in time and convenience, and exemption from congestion charging which involves a cost to the taxpayer in terms of lost revenue. This will often amount to many thousands of pounds.

Most Councils - certainly in London, where rules are tighter than in other parts of the UK - take this fraud seriously.

You should report your concerns to Southwark Council Disability services on 020 7525 2141/ 2306 as they issued the badge - there will be a visible reference number. They will be able to check with the person to whom it was issued. If it was issued to somebody else that may be enough to stop any abuse of the badge. If the badge was stolen or forged they will ask the police to investigate.

You certainly shouldn't confront her, and there's no need to do so. Many people have a disability that is not apparent to others. If the driver is the legitimate holder then she will already be aware of the rules and probably not surprised that someone noticed. She will recognise that it is in everyone's interest that people who steal from or defraud others are deterred from doing so.

I don't agree with people who think this is a trivial issue, or that people who complain about suspected fraud are overly officious.This kind of fraud devalues the Blue Badge scheme and disadvantages disabled people and it's completely reasonable to take action to stop it.

Excellent post.

 

[baldrick]

He did qualify this with "These past few days I have been at home and noticed every morning at 8am..."

But anyway, why can't elderly people be away from home earlier than 8am?

this is true. but they don't work, and the shops aren't open. so what are they doing?????

*phones terrorist hotline*

 

[Dravinian]

this is true. but they don't work, and the shops aren't open. so what are they doing?????

*phones terrorist hotline*

Have you ever been around old people? They get up at the crack of dawn, like 5am in the morning, fuck knows what these people do, have you never seen the South Park episode where all the elderly overtake the town, just becuase they got up way before anyone else.

Here is an easy test to see if the Blue Badge belongs to the driver/owner for that.

Does it have a disabled Tax Disc? If not then it is unlikely that person should be driving the car alone with a blue badge, so shop em the bastards!

 

[Serotonine]

Hiya!
There is something You all should know - many severely disabled have personal care assistants, "PA's", or simply a person who cares for them and assists during the day;
Such person's responsibilities and duties are getting up early to prepare a disabled person, get to toilet, get them up, wash, dress up, feed.. some of them work and need their carers to assist them or take them to work in their vehicles (with or without ramps etc.) and such person parks this car on disabled parking space for this person, etc.

Also I recommend you open up your mind a bit more as you have disabled neighbours and I can see you care for them a lot, have a read about INVISIBLE DISABILITIES here..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_disability
http://www.invisibledisabilities.org/
http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/invisible/

Another thing for everyone is to remember that thanks to those parking bays and many adaptations some disabled people actually can get better on some days, whether thanks to help or just the weather - they may want to walk, as if they were not ill, they want to feel free and ABLE to do things, this is reminding better times their body was going through.. I am sorry you may feel cheated by such behaviour.

I was many time witness of 'invisibly disabled' people being misunderstood and negatively judged.

If you really care so much about justice for disabled, hooray for you, but before you ask if she suffers, ask your neighbours if she really bothers them as it is not a private bay and they do in fact benefit from it as I understand they are disabled and the parking is on the street so the chance for taking this particular bay is lower, but still it is not private.

Thank you

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Fair points, but on the other hand there's a thriving black market in disabled parking badges and I know loads of people who have had their windscreens smashed and their badges stolen.

 

[Pingu]

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Why do I miss such epic bumpage?

 

[Pickman's model]

So a) did we ever find out if this fit woman was disabled and b) what was done about it?

 

[SaskiaJayne]

Hiya!
There is something You all should know - many severely disabled have personal care assistants, "PA's", or simply a person who cares for them and assists during the day;
Such person's responsibilities and duties are getting up early to prepare a disabled person, get to toilet, get them up, wash, dress up, feed.. some of them work and need their carers to assist them or take them to work in their vehicles (with or without ramps etc.) and such person parks this car on disabled parking space for this person, etc.

A carer cannot use a badge holder's badge unless they are transporting the badge holder at some point in the journey. They cannot use badge for parking while shopping etc for badge holder while badge holder remains at home. You also appear to be suggesting a carer can arrive at a badge holders home & use their badge to park while working inside the house & then leave afterwards without having transported badge holder, I don't think this is the case.

Obviously there are grey areas which is why there is so much abuse of the system & really plenty of this can fall on the badge holder themselves. It is for them to decide what might be considered 'abuse' of their badge. I know a badge holder who does not use his badge on his 'good' days for example because he hates the way people glare at him when he walks away from his car ok.

 

[JM1955]

well, IF the badge isn't for her but for another user of the vehicle, and the bay was installed in order that the elderly people who live there can park in front of their property, then by parking there herself, the elderly people have to park elsewhere. i presume that the bay was put there as there are few parking spaces which leads to the elderly people having to park some distance away, as if there were plenty of nearby spaces the council wouldn't have bothered.

Hi You all have got it wrong. First the badge is issued to the person not the vehicle. Second if you use another person's badge you are committing a criminal offence £1000 fine. Third the person who's badge it is has to be with the badge. You can't have the disabled person left in the car either. Parking violation. Badges have a code on them X for male Y for female the number indicate the DOB of the badge holder. Fourth a photos on the reverse. As regards the parking space any legitimate badge holder can use the space. You are not allowed to use someone else's badge period. So if the person is not the badge holder and does not have the badge holder in the car it is a criminal offence and the badge will be confiscated and will be charged. Hope this clears things up

 

[Pickman's model]

Hi You all have got it wrong. First the badge is issued to the person not the vehicle. Second if you use another person's badge you are committing a criminal offence £1000 fine. Third the person who's badge it is has to be with the badge. You can't have the disabled person left in the car either. Parking violation. Badges have a code on them X for male Y for female the number indicate the DOB of the badge holder. Fourth a photos on the reverse. As regards the parking space any legitimate badge holder can use the space. You are not allowed to use someone else's badge period. So if the person is not the badge holder and does not have the badge holder in the car it is a criminal offence and the badge will be confiscated and will be charged. Hope this clears things up

Has any of this changed since 2013?

 

[farmerbarleymow]

So a) did we ever find out if this fit woman was disabled and b) what was done about it?

It seems no answer was given to these crucial questions.

I wonder if she is still parking there.

 

[T & P]

I’m surprised there aren’t two types of disabled spaces, one reserved for one individual only (for instance those painted outside the homes of disabled individuals), and another for universal use.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I'm glad it's not just me being paranoid telling my Dad to lock his car so his disabled badge doesn't get nicked...

 

[pogofish]

Has any of this changed since 2013?

Some tidying up of the law/procedures, esp around enforcement/misuse and a new reporting system that means there is absolutely reason for have-a-go cunts to intervene but the fundamentals remain the same.

 

[Chilli.s]

I'm glad it's not just me being paranoid telling my Dad to lock his car so his disabled badge doesn't get nicked...

A disabled mate just had his car window smashed to rob his blue badge. It's a popular item to nick it seems.

 

[Sasaferrato]

If she has a badge then she's disabled, what makes you think she doesn't have a disability FFS? Or are disabled people not allowed to drive or have jobs?

How is she fraudently using the bay? Does it have your neighbours name on it?

I take it that you have evidence, after making such a strong statement? I 'had' a disabled badge after my father died, it had just been renewed before his death, so would have been available to me for IIRC three years of free parking. I sent it back to the issuer.

It is naive in the extreme to assume that because a car is displaying a badge, that the diver is the owner of the badge. Theft of blue badges is a major concern, as is forgery.

 

[Pickman's model]

I take it that you have evidence, after making such a strong statement? I 'had' a disabled badge after my father died, it had just been renewed before his death, so would have been available to me for IIRC three years of free parking. I sent it back to the issuer.

It is naive in the extreme to assume that because a car is displaying a badge, that the diver is the owner of the badge. Theft of blue badges is a major concern, as is forgery.

you are replying to a post from 2008.

 

[what]

I’m surprised there aren’t two types of disabled spaces, one reserved for one individual only (for instance those painted outside the homes of disabled individuals), and another for universal use.

There is a system where only a specific person can use a bay. Quite common in resi areas in london.

 

[Sasaferrato]

you are replying to a post from 2008.

Gonads!