Opinions on parking spaces

Pipp

Hello all,
first post in this forum:D
Its parking related, and apologies if its in the incorrect place - feel free to move it if necessary.
My question is: what is your attitude to people with the blue badge parking permit parking in designated disabled spaces and then getting out and walking?
The reason I ask this is that I personally have this permit, and I have a disability, but since this disability isnt immediately obvious I get very strong reactions from other car-park users, mostly negative Im sad to say.
I suppose my motivation is that Id like to make a point that just because a person looks well it doesnt mean that they are, and it doesnt mean that they are a total chancer/scammer using the blue badge permit when they shouldnt.
Id like to read people's opinions on this matter if possible.
Thank You

maidhc

I have always assumed a person with a permit is entitled to it. I am not a medical doctor, so I tend not to judge whether someone is entitled to it or not. I certainly don't think having a wheelchair should be the only condition where a permit is supplied.

Incidentally I really think people who qualify for the free travel scheme should be allowed park free in non-disabled spaces.

delly

Wouldn't see it as a problem as I know someone who has the disk and is a healthy 38 year old, but picks up and drops off her mother who is the one with the disability, so its common for her to park in a disabled space and hop out to get her mother from the shops etc.

Victor

Take off your wooden leg and beat them to death with it.

Stephen

My local eurospar has a very large car park that always has lots of free spaces. There's about 8 disabled spaces by the door, and I always see bastards in vans and 4x4's with no blue badge to be seen hogging them every time I'm there. Makes my blood boil :mad:

Lex Luthor

I sat in Spurs restaurant a few weeks ago up in Liffey Valley at the window and you wouldn't believe the amount of people who take advantage of the disabled spots.

eg. Girl in her 20's in a sports coupe pulls up and parks in the disabled spot. Takes the blue disc out of her glove box and sticks it on the dash. Gets out of the car and limps away from the car towards the entrance. I see her walking past the front door inside the centre walking perfectly. Spot her then coming back from inside the restaurant towards her car walking ok until she gets near the exit doors, puts on the limp, gets back in the car and drives off.

eg. Woman drops her mother off to do a bit of shopping. She sits in the car for about 45mins with the blue disc on the dash waiting for her to return. Mother comes back, disc removed they drive off.

If there is something to take advantage of, then people will do it. I don't think there is enough policing of these dedicated spots in the big shopping centres to free them up for the genuine people who actually need them.

While I was sitting there, a woman had to wait at least 10mins for a space to be freed up so she could park in. She genuinely needed the spot and she took nearly 10mins to get out of her car, get her wheelchair set up and go about her business.

p.s The Chicken & Ribs combo meal was great;)

Eoin

Pipp wrote:

Hello all,
first post in this forum:D
Its parking related, and apologies if its in the incorrect place - feel free to move it if necessary.
My question is: what is your attitude to people with the blue badge parking permit parking in designated disabled spaces and then getting out and walking?
The reason I ask this is that I personally have this permit, and I have a disability, but since this disability isnt immediately obvious I get very strong reactions from other car-park users, mostly negative Im sad to say.
I suppose my motivation is that Id like to make a point that just because a person looks well it doesnt mean that they are, and it doesnt mean that they are a total chancer/scammer using the blue badge permit when they shouldnt.
Id like to read people's opinions on this matter if possible.
Thank You

I'd never assume that just because someone can walk OK, that they are not entitled to the permit. Apart from the fact that there are a host of other ailments (respiratory etc) that would require a permit, the person may also be picking up someone who does require the permit.

Wishbone Ash

Lex Luthor wrote:

I don't think there is enough policing of these dedicated spots in the big shopping centres to free them up for the genuine people who actually need them.

If it's in private property there is nothing the Gardai can do about it as no offence is being committed. It would be up to the Centre management to enforce it. They will tell you that if they contact a private clamping company, the inconsiderate person is usually gone when they arrive (but still have to get paid).

Fey!

eoin_s wrote:

I'd never assume that just because someone can walk OK, that they are not entitled to the permit. Apart from the fact that there are a host of other ailments (respiratory etc) that would require a permit, the person may also be picking up someone who does require the permit.

Have to agree with that - my aunt has severe MS, and her husband has to drive her everywhere. There are times when they can't get a disabled space, so they have to stop at the kerb, unload her wheelchair, get her into it, bring her to where she needs to go, then go back to the car and find parking. A lot of the time this can cause problems with wardens/gardai for causing an obstruction (they're generally decent about it when they find out what's happened, and try to sort it out). However, when he has to pick her up again, he has to get the car, and if there's a disabled space free at that stage he'll stop in it and go to get her (he has the blue sign up on the dash). He's fairly able-bodied, and I've seen people abuse him when he's gotten out of the car, assuming that it's a fake sticker!

Last week I saw a young lad in an audi quattro run out of a video shop, into his car (parked 1n a disabled spot), zoom of up the road into another disabled spot, run into a shop, back out again and up the road, and into yet another disable space. No sticker, and no sign of a disability (except the obvious mental one).

blastman

It's people who park there without a sticker that really make my blood boil.

ZENER

Am I right in recalling that there used to be a thread here where the pictures of these offenders and their cars were posted - or was that a website elsewhere ? Maybe we should start such a thread ??

At Sportslink in Santry there are only 3 parking spots for disabled drivers. Almost every time I visit there are cars - w/o stickers - parked in them. Regular offenders are - 4x4s - MPVs - delivery vans. It gets law abiding drivers a bad name !!

ZEN

Archeron

I honestly thought people respected the disabled spaces. Any time I'm in Liffey Valley, I always see about 4 or 5 empty spaces. Even the town that I live in has 3 spaces scattered across the main street, and there is never ever anybody parked illegally in those. Even on busy days, when people just double park, and abandon their cars everywhere, they always leave the disabled spaces free.

To the OP, as another poster said, I wouldnt be qualified to know if a person needs the space or not, so if you have the badge, then thats someone who knows more than I do confirming it.

unkel

Lex Luthor wrote:

Girl in her 20's in a sports coupe pulls up and parks in the disabled spot. Takes the blue disc out of her glove box and sticks it on the dash. Gets out of the car and limps away from the car towards the entrance. I see her walking past the front door inside the centre walking perfectly. Spot her then coming back from inside the restaurant towards her car walking ok until she gets near the exit doors, puts on the limp, gets back in the car and drives off

:eek:

No amount of policing, clamping etc. can do anything about the anti-social behaviour of a cynical selfish person who has procured a blue disc :mad:

maidhc

unkel wrote:

:eek:

No amount of policing, clamping etc. can do anything about the anti-social behaviour of a cynical selfish person who has procured a blue disc :mad:

Don't know the position at the moment, but a letter from the insurance company acknowledging that a person has a particular disability and that they are aware of it would have a deterrent effect.

Eoin

Lex Luthor wrote:

eg. Girl in her 20's in a sports coupe pulls up and parks in the disabled spot. Takes the blue disc out of her glove box and sticks it on the dash. Gets out of the car and limps away from the car towards the entrance. I see her walking past the front door inside the centre walking perfectly. Spot her then coming back from inside the restaurant towards her car walking ok until she gets near the exit doors, puts on the limp, gets back in the car and drives off.

That's pretty bad.

I saw a woman pull into a disabled space at our local shop, no disc on her car as expected. When she was walking back to her car, she slipped and twisted her ankle on the pavement and had to limp back painfully to her car. Pretty sure that Karma exists after seeing that.

franksm

Is there a website to name and shame people parking in these spaces without badges ?

KeRbDoG

franksm wrote:

Is there a website to name and shame people parking in these spaces without badges ?

Didnt someone mention this on the Ray Darcy Show on todayfm awhile ago? Something like they took a picture of the car/reg and posted it on the net for all to see.
Best not to do it on Boards though, they might get sued or something by the Daddy of someone whos plates where posted

unkel

Lex Luthor wrote:

p.s The Chicken & Ribs combo meal was great;)

I indulged in the Steak (rare, of course) & Ribs combo meal tonight. Oh yeah

ZENER

I'd say you were glad you'd parked in the disabled zone after eating that lot

ZEN

digweed

i've the same opinion as the rest here, the way i look at it i'm healthy and can walk any distance thats needed, i don't have to park in a disabled space. its my pet hate to see a car in a parking space without a disc!!!!

D.