Blue badges for disabled

[jambutty]

Originally Posted by Ianto.W.

This is my last and final post on this subject, a great many people got this allowance before the rest of us 'cottoned' on to it, I would love to see some of you take the medical again. My late father got it and he was the best con man in Accrington, he took the test at Brun House Burnley he was supported by my brother (physicaly) and two walking sticks, he did sumersaults for weeks after so stop the old soldier crap jambutty,

What’s got into you Ianto.W.?

You had a dig at me in a previous post on something totally off topic and now this.

I was only quoting the rules as they stand Gayle. However your point mystifies me also. Maybe it to encourage Blue Badge holders to use a car park if there is one close enough instead of the highway. I mean would you pay to go on a car park if you could park for free on the road?

[forceten]

I've read this topic with interest.

I have a blue badge for my son, and my mother also has one (she doesn't drive so my sister and myself take her everywhere).

Now where we park is different at to who we have in the car with us, my mum can't walk very far so the closer we are to where we are the better, plus we have to have the car door wide open for her to get out of the car.

With my son, we also need to park close by, but don't need the car door to be open as wide, so could also park in a normal spot so to speak.

It all depends on the disability, and the sensibility of the people involved.

Some disabilitys are easy to see, others are mental and are not so easy to see.

There is a rigent critereas for the blue badges and they are not dealt out like dolly mixtures!

Yes some people do "work" the system, but the vast majority that do need them and use them use them legally. It's only the ones that abuse the system that you hear about.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by jambutty

I’ve had mine for about 10 years now so I can only say what happened then.

I was not asked to do a disabled driving test.

I think that it depends on the disability whether you have to do that test or not.

A person with no or unusable arms can have a car adapted so that everything is foot controlled but I’m sure that the DVLA would need to know that the person is competent with them. Similarly for someone whose legs don’t function in the normal manner or is a double lower limb amputee. All controls can be put on the steering wheel.

How things are these days I have no idea. When my Blue Badge expires and because I get the higher rate of DLA I just get issued with a new one.

Not much help was I?

Sorry!

Thanks very much for replying.

I must say I'm still a little confused regarding the criteria as to who is, and who isn't classed as disabled, were the DVLA is concerned.

Surely if someone's condition qualifies them as being severely disable bodied enough to qualify for higher rate mobility allowance, and thus a blue parking badge, then all those drivers should also have to undergo the disabled driving test that I underwent, and will continue to undergo every one or three years dependent on ability? Firstly to make sure they are safe enough to be on the road, and secondly that their car is suitabley adapted to allow them to drive safely with their disability.

[Ianto.W.]

This is my very very last post on this subject jambutty, I have only one axe to grind with you so here goes, the off topic comment was about Prince Edward Island geographical position which I got right and you got wrong, the answer and I repeat myself nobody is always right not even a learned man as you, give us not so learned men/women a little credit for seeing that this system of mobility is abused, anyone wanting lesser benefits has to undergo the same medical as the free car people. jambutty I am not having a go at you, but once in a while you and I are wrong, as is the criteria for qualifying for these benefits. Please do not take this personall as I said previously your contributions to the site are invaluable, in my opinion. Regards,Ian.

[garinda]

The more I find out about this the more discrepencies there seem to be at work here.

Surely all drivers that are classed as disabled enough to qualify for a blue parking badge, should also have their driving ability tested? To make sure that their disability that entitles them to a blue parking badge, doesn't compromise the ability to drive safely.

There seems to be a two tier system in place here. Those like myself, who have to regularly have their licence renewed after strenuous testing, and other drivers who are also classed as disabled, whose driving ability is not tested.

I think I'll start a campaign. Either I won't have to retake my test in October, were my licence could be taken off me, renewed for one year, or the maximum three years, or all you lot with a blue parking badge will be forced to join me.

[jambutty]

Originally Posted by garinda

The more I find out about this the more discrepencies there seem to be at work here.

Surely all drivers that are classed as disabled enough to qualify for a blue parking badge, should also have their driving ability tested? To make sure that their disability that entitles them to a blue parking badge, doesn't compromise the ability to drive safely.

There seems to be a two tier system in place here. Those like myself, who have to regularly have their licence renewed after strenuous testing, and other drivers who are also classed as disabled, whose driving ability is not tested.

I think I'll start a campaign. Either I won't have to retake my test in October, were my licence could be taken off me, renewed for one year, or the maximum three years, or all you lot with a blue parking badge will be forced to join me.

The award of the Blue Badge is about not being able to walk a short distance without suffering pain severe enough to make you stop and rest or needing help in walking, like in the case of a blind person. You can still get a Blued Badge even if you have never driven anything in your life and have no plans to do so. It has nothing to do with having the ability to drive.

A child over the age of 2 years can receive a Blue Badge if s/he meets the criteria.

The badge is issued to a person and it gives them parking privileges for the car that they happen to be travelling in. Thus I could take my badge and travel in my daughter’s car or anyone’s car as a passenger and the car could still be park where the badge allows.

Does that help?

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Gayle

Now this is one thing that I don't understand. I completely understand how people with disability can park in special spots in car parks that are nearer the shops/buildings etc, yellow lines etc but why do they get to park free?

I agree with you their Gayle. It does seem sort of unfair that some people can park free and others have to pay.
It must just be my paranoia about being a constantly prejudiced against straight white male coming out again.

[garinda]

I know someone who is the same age as myself, we share the same neurologist, and were both diagnosed with the same condition at the same time. As advised we both informed the DVLA that we had Parkinson's Disease, yet he was never made to be retested. The fact that we are both at the same stage of having the disease is neither here nor there. All you tell the DVLA is that you have whatever condition, not how it affects your ability to drive.

There does seem to be an awfull lot of varience as to who is considered disabled, either to be regularly retested, or to qualify for the blue parking badge.