Blue Badge BBC News

[ruth_p]

I just saw this news piece on the bbc news app:

“The Department for Transport said people with non-physical disabilities would have an equal right to free parking from next year.”

That’s good news 🙂

[AgedCrone]

Bet your bottom dollar it won't include RA...

I just saw on the news that this announcement refers mainly to mental health conditions & autism.

[Philip]

All well but the idea of the blue badge was for those can't walk far. Crackers.

[ruth_p in reply to Philip]

Some people with autism or mental health problems can get confused and rely on a carer to help them about, so why shouldn’t they have a blue badge?

[Matalow]

I went to get mine renewed and was refused because I can walk 40 meters and put money in a meter. I didn’t want free parking it’s just sometimes I have trouble getting in and out of the car in tight parking bays.

Oh well we can not have everything.

Mike.

[Hidden in reply to Matalow]

Hi Matalow have you applied for PIP ? If you have and you have scored at least 8 points for you mobility side then you qualify for a blue badge . I don't drive at the moment because of my fears about drug intake and falling asleep at the wheel but I have a blue badge as I qualified with 10 points and its hamndy when I am being driven to appointments etc , so check your PIP points and you should qualify if you can only walk 40 mtrs , hope that helps .

[medway-lady]

So is it ? around here it seems there's more with blue badges than not. I'm all for blue badges for the physically infirm but autistism does not mean unable to walk. How on earth did somebody think its ok to make it more difficult for a physically infirm person to get one but let those with sometimes comparitivelly minor issues get one ? I think this is another bit of political correctness gone mad and yes I do know a few young people with autism they all walk just fine. Confused is not a reason to issue a blue badge to someone if it means a person unable to walk more that a few yards can't get one.

[gailyb in reply to medway-lady]

Hi my 5 year old grandson has autism and adhd. It can be a real battle to take him to and from gp appointments even shopping trips. He's really anxious about busy places and traffic. I usually end up dropping him and his mum off as near as possible and then picking them up when they are done.

[medway-lady in reply to gailyb]

Why not use a baby child space ? I'm sorry about your grandson and my friend has two young grandchildren with these issues but I can't see that these additional spaces will make a difference. The drop off is a good idea and I hope that conditioning, helps him in the long term. Its so hard for immobile to get a badge its seems to me really silly to issue them to mobile people. I'd be happy if another badge definition was bought in say an orange badge for less able children as the blue badge is for immobility. I object to adults with mental health issues getting one, as that is so open to abuse. How is that definition being implemented.

[Hidden in reply to medway-lady]

It's highly unlikely that folks will get a blue badge anyway. Many are denied help. Quite a few folks with severe and enduring mental health issues had their PIP removed, or halved.

People with mental health issues have to go through the same gruelling interview system as anyone else requiring financial help. They are not more likely to be able to screw the system than anyone else. They (like those with RA) have to prove they are deserving of financial support.

We have all been through that process, it's tough!

Most folks with severe mental health issues can't drive anyway on account of their condition, and the types if drugs they take. The blue badge is therefore more likely to be awarded to carers of the severely mentally impaired. such as adults and children with learning disabilities. I would have thought.

[Ginger46 in reply to medway-lady]

I agree about badge definition, it's not labelling them, I'm not doing that but I think it would help a lot. I also think that a few more wheelchair spaces could be created, people stopping using family members blue badges and don't get me started on supermarket spaces where I got threatened by a very kind taxi driver to wrap my crutch around my head for daring to look questioningly. Sorry medway-lady and everyone else, once I started it all tumbled out haha 😊💖

[medway-lady]

I do understand but having interviewed more people than I care to admit for the LA, I do think in our politically correct world to interview and prevent the system being abused is far more difficult with mental health issues. Then some issues are treatable and its not about PIP which I do think is simply a process which is most definately not being administered properly but about physical disabilty and the fudging of clear definations regarding mobility. I have RA but no need of PIP or a Blue Badge which I would hope means that someone else who does need it or needs a badge, gets it. I'd campaign for RA patients with mobility issues etc. to have easier access to PIP and Blue Badges as the system regarding some medical conditions is simply screwing people over. Appalling decisions that hurt people who are very vulnerable.

[BoneyC]

It's the wider bay to enable doors to be opened fully and positioned near to where I need to go that counts. It can be the difference between accessing somewhere or having to drive home again. Also, some Blue Badge bays are not free - my local hospital is one of the most expensive in the country and charges Blue Badge holders if they use a disabled bay in the multi storey car parks. Outside parking, if you are lucky enough to find a Blue Badge bay are free. This also applies to some city centre car parks too, it's not all free with a Blue Badge!

If there is going to be an increase in Blue Badge holders, I would hope there would also be an increase in the number of disabled parking bays too. Cars are generally larger than they used to be, yet car parking spaces have not increased in size.

Unfortunately my GP surgery has just one Blue Badge bay!

[Hattie23]

I agree it's politically correct to do all you can for mental health these days. They wont put more disabled spaces. so it means disabled people will go to a disabled space taken by someone that can walk and have to drive home as they cant get the doors open wide enough to get out, or sort a wheelchair. been there many a time now so heaven help us next year and after.

sorry not everyone may agree but I often drive 10 miles to find no disabled spaces and have to return home as cant get out....

[Hidden in reply to Hattie23]

Sadly there is still an awful lot of misunderstanding and discrimination around mental health. In fact mental health services are the poor relation in terms of treatment. I think you need to do a little bit of research before you talk about being 'politically correct and do all you can for mental health.' Services for folks with mental health issues is appalling.

As far as the blue badge goes... I'll eat my hat if this us ever successfully implemented.

[karenpenn]

hi ruth_p this is great news my mum was telling me about it yestderday and said i should apply again.