Blue Badge Etiquette.

dreamdaisy
dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
edited 1. Feb 2019, 11:34 in Living with arthritis
We went out for lunch, nothing special, just the local burger chain. Outside there are two BB spaces, one either side of the door so one does not have to struggle too far to get in. Both were occupied by BB holders sitting in their cars consuming their burgers.

This struck me as a misuse of the bays, surely they are there for those who require the extra space to remove equipment from their cars so they can access the facility. They are not there for people to sit and munch their lunch, any bay is suitable for that. When sated in your stinky car you can take your rubbish home with you (or, as one driver did, chuck it out of the window before he drove off). Even better use the drive-thru. The people concerned were, IMHO, nothing more than twerps, idiots and selfish morons. DD
Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben

Comments

  • crinkly1
    crinkly1 Member Posts: 156
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    As we can't get inside the heads of the 'culprits' it's difficult fully to appreciate their situations but it does seem thoughtless and you must have been very relieved not to be on your own DD.

    Had I been at fault and not intending to go back into the restaurant I would not have minded being asked to move - always assuming you could drive close enough to open your window and draw attention to your needs.

    Perhaps it is a useful lesson for us to be aware that, when there are a limited number of BB bays and we are accompanied by another driver, we can be dropped off close to the entrance before the car is parked in the nearest available 'ordinary' bay. At most that will only possibly inconvenience others for a few minutes and will ensure that the limited concessionary facilities are accessible to the maximum number of folk needing them.

    Maybe we could begin a campaign to use BB parking bays even more carefully and thoughtfully than we already do!
  • GraceB
    GraceB Member Posts: 1,595
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    It irritates me immensely the number of times I see a blue badged car parked up with the badge holder sat in it. My understanding is, that if you are the badge holder and aren't getting out of the car, the car should not be parked in a badge space.

    I get incensed by the number of people who use badge spaces and aren't badge holders. I've long since learnt just to glare at them but say nothing, as sadly you tend to get a mouthful of abuse should you challenge them. I make a point though of clearly looking in an exaggerated way for the badge, make eye contact, shake my head and stagger off obviously tutting.

    In the past I've spoken to Customer Services at my local T***o pointing out that the pharmacy van or the security van with the cash in it should not take up 2 blue badge spaces. Reason given? The cash van needs to park as near to the door as possible. Yes, you did read that correctly. I was not impressed! Each time I've made my views very clearly known to whichever Manager I could accost and left them to think it over. Needless to say, nothing has changed.

    As for littering? I was always taught to take my litter home with me and dispose of it there. Or - shock horror - put it in a bin! :roll:

    GraceB
    Turn a negative into a positive!
  • GraceB
    GraceB Member Posts: 1,595
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    It irritates me immensely the number of times I see a blue badged car parked up with the badge holder sat in it. My understanding is, that if you are the badge holder and aren't getting out of the car, the car should not be parked in a badge space.

    I get incensed by the number of people who use badge spaces and aren't badge holders. I've long since learnt just to glare at them but say nothing, as sadly you tend to get a mouthful of abuse should you challenge them. I make a point though of clearly looking in an exaggerated way for the badge. I then make eye contact, shake my head and stagger off obviously tutting.

    In the past I've spoken to Customer Services at my local T***o pointing out that the pharmacy van or the security van with the cash in it should not take up 2 blue badge spaces. Reason given? The cash van needs to park as near to the door as possible. Yes, you did read that correctly. I was not impressed! Each time I've made my views very clearly known to whichever Manager I could accost and left them to think it over. Needless to say, nothing has changed.

    As for littering? I was always taught to take my litter home with me and dispose of it there. Or - shock horror - put it in a bin! :roll:

    GraceB
    Turn a negative into a positive!
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Crinkly, I applaud your equanimity but frankly this sort of behaviour drives me mad. Of course Blue Badges are not intended tó enable one to sit and eat while others search fór a parking spot they can actually get out of the car from. Common sense and common decency tell you that but they would appear to be not so common.

    I have never, in all my BB years, sat in the car, in a BB bay, while displaying the badge. On the contrary, on a very few occasions, when no other space was available, I have felt obliged to get out of the car and stagger round the shop to get the few urgent bits that Mr SW could easily have got on his own.

    As for chucking the rubbish out of the car window......words fail me.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Airwave!
    Airwave! Member Posts: 2,458
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    This subject has come up a few times, drivers who take 'grannie' in the car for her weekly shop, park in a BB space and then leave her in the car are amongst those who need reminding.

    I've argued with many of our lical shops, Halfords informed me that the BB spaces are theirs and its up to them what they do with them after they used them for fitting car parts.

    So many use the spaces without having a BB and nothing gapprns to them.


    Gggrrrrrrrrr!