I have no problem with disabled people having the right to park nearer the shops/amenities than able bodied people. However I do not see why they have the right to park for free or on yellow lines. Perhaps more disabled spaces should be provided and policed. Where I work in the centre of Manchester there is a street of pay-and display parking. At lunchtime of about 15 cars parked there it is unusual to see more than 2 that have payed. The others are displaying Blue badges, some without a 'clock' card. I feel that Blue badge holders should pay the standard fee for the space that they are occupying but be allowed twice the time and not unlimited as this can block spaces all day and cause other disabled people to park a lot further away.

Richard

And why if you have a blue badge do you require a Lexus any way?

I regularly see an older chap with a blue badge on his V10 S8. Can't say I've ever been held up by him.

And why if you have a blue badge do you require a Lexus any way?

And why if you are disabled and have a Bob or two should you be restricted to a Renault Kangoo or similar?

Such as a Roomster?

April 2013 &' PIP' will start to come in, then we will see how many still get assistance with 'Mobility Needs' & recieve the replscement for 'Disability Living Allowance Higher Rate Mobility Component'.

http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/f60.htm

People do not get a 'Free Car' from 'Motability'

The Charity run as a Business with the Finance being run by the 5 big banks after the Government gave them control of the many Millions of Cash in the 'Motability Accounts'..

The Person or family signs over £54.05 a week for 3 years, 5 years. (Do your own sums on 156 x £54.05,

There are some cars available at £48 a week for the 3 years)

Possibly & quite often also paying advance payments (deposit non returnable) from their own money. £99, £149, £300 and some paying mant Thousands on the Advance Payments.

There are better & cheaper Private Lease schemes than that.

(or you could borrow at 8.8% over4- 5 years from 'Motability' to purchase a vehicle outright, thats been stopped now.)

Tens of thousands of lease cars that 'Disabled People' have already will be getting returned early or re-possesed in 2013/14 after 'Medical assessments' are done after April and Benefits withdrawn & the Lease terminated.

'Old People' over the age of qualifying for 'Mobility' MOney (DLA HR Mobility Component) are highly unlikely to have a 'Motability Lease Vehicle' in their own right.

'Blue Badges'

really are different Too often wrongly issued IMO

& not all true 'Disabled' with Mobility needs or requirement of easy of access get a Blue Badge,

Most that do qualify now need to pay up to £20 to get one each 3 years as Councils cash in on what was supposed to be a Free European Badge System after the UK Orange Badge.

Lots of extra little used ex-Motabilty cars coming on the market for 24 months then the whole Car Industry & Motor Trade will change as there are many thousands less new Motability Cars Puchased for Lease every year.

george

Contrary to the thread...

Stop being judgemental, lazy and have some respect/discretion for elders.

One day if I had trouble walking/driving/seeing/hearing/remembering I'd like people to give me the benefit of the doubt.

Ok some are really bad drivers and is an accident waiting to happen, some also take full advantage and more as a blue badge holder. I do agree a retest should be done at ages above 'x', but then again I think a retest should be done every 5-10 yrs..

Since neither is happening anytime soon, live with it with discretion.

Merry Christmas

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I followed an old lady driving a fairly new mini this morning. On a dual carriage way doing 35mph. The reason I was because I wanted to come off. That speed is seriously dangerous on a national speed limit road especially for HGV's.

Anyhow, went the turn off came up she decided to come off at my junction as well- at the last minute with no indication. My guess was her eyesight wasn't the best. She then decided to go through TWO red lights further down the road.

My previous rant on this issue:

http://www.classic-audi.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=3448&highlight=Disabled

That speed is seriously dangerous on a national speed limit road especially for HGV's.

Why is it dangerous?

Are you unable to assess the speed that a vehicle in front of you is going, accurately enough to avoid tailgateing it on a dual carriageway?

If so you should ask yourself if YOU should consider giving up driving as you are clearly dangerous yourself.

35 on a 70 mph road. HGV'S cannot move as quickly as a normal car. Then when they do pull out, people in the outside lane complain.

I think you will find that HGV drivers can judge the speed of the car in front of them pretty well. They also have every right to use the 2nd lane when overtaking and it is up to the other people in that lane to judge their speed and braking distance accordingly It not just the 35 mph driver that sound be showing courtesy to other motorists - the 70 mph driver as every bit as much responsibility (probably more in fact) to show courtesy to other users. Its called driving with due care and attention.

also remember 70 mph is the speed limit - it is not obligatory.

Yes, we can all get wound up with the actions of other drivers - slow, fast or whatever but getting stressed and impatient does not help anybody apart from the funeral director

I followed an old lady driving a fairly new mini this morning. On a dual carriage way doing 35mph. The reason I was because I wanted to come off. That speed is seriously dangerous on a national speed limit road especially for HGV's.

Anyhow, went the turn off came up she decided to come off at my junction as well- at the last minute with no indication. My guess was her eyesight wasn't the best. She then decided to go through TWO red lights further down the road.

Hey, at least she was driving on the right side of the road...

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They also have every right to use the 2nd lane when overtaking and it is up to the other people in that lane to judge their speed and braking distance accordingly.

It also helps when the lorry driver is able to judge the speed of traffic approaching them from behind when planning to move out into lane two.

A lot either can't or don't care.

A lot either can't or don't care.

which by definition also means a lot can and do. TBH I don't blame these guys fircing their way out occasionally they have got to be somewhere on time too and if they didn't force their way out occasionally they too would be stuck behind 35 MPG Mr flat cap Joe

Was in the supermarket the other Sunday and in a long queue for the till. Oldie behind me was complaining to me how long the queue was. I pointed out that I work all week and can only shop on Sunday, whereas he was obviously long retired and could shop any time of the week when us workers were not there clogging up his Sunday. Seems to have had a sense of humour bypass!

Was in the supermarket the other Sunday and in a long queue for the till. Oldie behind me was complaining to me how long the queue was. I pointed out that I work all week and can only shop on Sunday, whereas he was obviously long retired and could shop any time of the week when us workers were not there clogging up his Sunday. Seems to have had a sense of humour bypass!

Exactly why I think there should be less disabled parking bays at weekends. *awaits backlash*

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which by definition also means a lot can and do. TBH I don't blame these guys fircing their way out occasionally they have got to be somewhere on time too and if they didn't force their way out occasionally they too would be stuck behind 35 MPG Mr flat cap Joe

Yep, I've seen many a lorry driver close up behind another lorry, but by anticipating the lorry might want to pull out and overtake I pay special attention to their speed, how quickly they are approaching the vehicle in front and their indicators.

Being courteous, when they do indicate I make a decision, is it better for all concerned for me to continue at my present speed and clear out of the way or is it safer for me to ease off the accelerator and flash the guy out?

My point was that I have noticed many more trucks (and cars too I hasten to add) that pull out regardless of if I'm there or not, or regardless of if I'm doing 60mph or 70mph.

If this happens and I have to touch the brakes it isn't the end of the world, but when I have to brake hard just to maintain a safe gap between me and the lorry pulling out then the lorry driver is a tool - he either hasn't been able to gauge my approaching speed or simply doesn't care.

For you to say that it's OK for him to force his way out just so he can get to his destination quicker (and to hell with everyone else) flies in the face of your previous post which mentions driving courteously and with due care and attention.

Why is it dangerous?

Are you unable to assess the speed that a vehicle in front of you is going, accurately enough to avoid tailgateing it on a dual carriageway?

If so you should ask yourself if YOU should consider giving up driving as you are clearly dangerous yourself.

Got to disagree with you here, on Sunday I was following an xtrail doing about 70 with a decent gap on a straight bit of the A19.

We closed on a car which I hadn't seen due to the Xtrail being a tall vehicle (some tiny Japanese thing) doing about 30 at a guess and the xtrail left it pretty late to change lanes which left me closing rapidly on the car he had just overtaken, luckily there wasn't anything overtaking me at the time other I would have had to brake pretty hard to avoid the dawdler.

I didn't say, or at least mean to imply, that it was OK, I just commented that I can understand why they do it. I'd like to think I follow your decision making process too but unfortunately not all drivers do.

The sort of person who trundles along the motorway at 40mph also tend to just pull onto to the motorway at the same speed without looking.

Got to disagree with you here, on Sunday I was following an xtrail doing about 70 with a decent gap on a straight bit of the A19.

We closed on a car which I hadn't seen due to the Xtrail being a tall vehicle (some tiny Japanese thing) doing about 30 at a guess and the xtrail left it pretty late to change lanes which left me closing rapidly on the car he had just overtaken, luckily there wasn't anything overtaking me at the time other I would have had to brake pretty hard to avoid the dawdler.

If you were driving a safe stopping distance behind the X Trail you were by definition a safe distance behind anything in front of the X Trail so what you have really done is you just admitted you were driving so close to the cars in front that you had to take emergency action to avoid it.

Don't see why that is the fault of someone driving at a speed that was legal and at which they felt comfortable.

Got to disagree with you here, on Sunday I was following an xtrail doing about 70 with a decent gap on a straight bit of the A19.

We closed on a car which I hadn't seen due to the Xtrail being a tall vehicle (some tiny Japanese thing) doing about 30 at a guess and the xtrail left it pretty late to change lanes which left me closing rapidly on the car he had just overtaken, luckily there wasn't anything overtaking me at the time other I would have had to brake pretty hard to avoid the dawdler.

Deleted - exactly what slider said above.

Edited 24 December, 201213 yr by BJM

I'm going to disagree with slider. I appreciate that people may not drive at the speed limit, and as you say, it is upto other road users to anticipate the dawdling traffic. But was is then acceptable to you slider? If a car was doing 30 or 20 mph on a motorway under perfectly optimal driving conditions would you be ok with that?

Ofcourse a car may have broken down in a lane and we need to be driving so we can react to that, but driving too slow under the speed limit is just as dangerous as driving above the limit.

My views may change. I'm booked on IAM in the new year so we shall see....

I'm fed up of the arguments. SOME (not all) blue badge holders seem to think its a ticket to do as they please. Park in bus stops, down bus lanes, on blind bends & as one last week, double park blocking the entire road up (on a main bus route). Try and have a quite word in thier ear that they are causing problems and they tell you to mind your own business and they have a blue badge. The sad thing is, often thier selfishness causes genuine people who are in wheelchairs/have limited mobility to struggle even more accessing the bus. *******

I'm going to disagree with slider. I appreciate that people may not drive at the speed limit, and as you say, it is upto other road users to anticipate the dawdling traffic. But was is then acceptable to you slider? If a car was doing 30 or 20 mph on a motorway under perfectly optimal driving conditions would you be ok with that?

Ofcourse a car may have broken down in a lane and we need to be driving so we can react to that, but driving too slow under the speed limit is just as dangerous as driving above the limit.

My views may change. I'm booked on IAM in the new year so we shall see....

I am not saying that it is not massively frustrating but what I am saying is that these people are totally within that law and it is our duty to drive with due care and consideration to other road users. Good driving is all about anticipating was MIGHT happen and driving with on the limits of being able to adapt to that.