Politicians answer if ever I heard one

ain't a politician but I have been driving for a few years (but hopefully will never get to the flat cap brigade) - you just realise that it isn't worth getting stressed out about. It better to be late than never get there at all

So....... back to the OP which was about old gits with blue badges (as opposed to just old gits) some choosing to park where ever they like....

Why do they get their car parking free in local authority car parks?

Someone must have meet the requirements to get issued with a Blue Badge.

Maybe they cheated or lied or have a Badge then let others use it.

So very common.

Not necessarily the person that has the 'Blue Badge' displayed in the vehicle, was issued with the badge.

(You do not need to own a car, driving licence or be a driver to get issued with a 'Blue Badge'.

**Misuse is an offence and there are penalties & people do get the Badge Confiscated & prosecutions are done quire regularly, Traffic Wardens can read the Badge, & Traffic Wardens often stake out 'Blue Badge' displaying vehicles and Issue Tickets & Report Vehicles & Drivers for Investigation.**

The Free Parking is because that is one of the Privileges of a 'Blue Badge',

But not 'All' Local Authorities allow 'Blue Badges to Park free.

Or Hospitals etc.

Some just let you use the Parking Places for 'Blue Badge holdrers' but still require you to purchase a Ticket

to park..

Funnily, many people choose to park where they like, Blue Badge or not.

george

Think it depends much on the individual LA, but refer back to my earlier post.

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern IrelandYou may park on a road where parking is prohibited, but only if you do not cause an obstruction or danger:

• For up to three hours in England and Wales;
  
• Without time limit in Scotland and Northern Ireland, unless local restrictions apply – check the parking signs or ask locally
  

• This concession does not apply if there is a sign saying "no loading or unloading"
  

Do not drive or park in a pedestrian zone unless local concessions specifically allow it – check the traffic signs or ask locally.You may park free of charge and without time limit on a road where payment is required, unless signs indicate otherwise – check the parking signs or ask locally.You may park without time limit on a road where parking is free but restricted by time, unless signs indicate otherwise – check the parking signs or ask locally.

Someone must have meet the requirements to get issued with a Blue Badge.

Maybe they cheated or lied or have a Badge then let others use it.

So very common.

Not necessarily the person that has the 'Blue Badge' displayed in the vehicle, was issued with the badge.

(You do not need to own a car, driving licence or be a driver to get issued with a 'Blue Badge'.

The Free Parking is because that is one of the Privileges of a 'Blue Badge',

But not 'All' Local Authorities allow 'Blue Badges to Park free.

Or Hospitals etc.

Some just let you use the Parking Places for 'Blue Badge holdrers' but still require you to purchase a Ticket.

Funnily, many people choose to park where they like, Blue Badge or not.

george

George, in relation to this the blue badge refers to the person in t the vehicle. i.e I can tale my mother in law shopping using my car and park in accordance with blue badge rules PROVIDED it is for her convenience.

chile.

I think you can report misuse of a blue badge

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/scotland/consumer_s/consumer_cars_and_other_vehicles_e/consumer_driving_and_parking_e/consumer_driving_and_parking_for_disabled_people_e/consumer_the_blue_badge_scheme_s/misuse_of_blue_badges_s.htm

Slider, yes i know,

i have used an Orange then Blue Badge for over 30 years and display it in Vehicles when i am a passenger if needs be.

Need to pay my £20 to renew it in January, even tho that is an illegal charge being made by Local Authorities in the UK.

The cost of Issue can not Justify a charge of £20.

(Angus Council probably need to charge that much, with the messing about and time wasting over simple renewals & making up the passes. it must easily take over an hours time of staff. they know how to stretch out simple jobs.)

It is a 'Tax on the Disabled' IMO.

https://www.gov.uk/b...rmation-council

http://www.focusondi...blue-badge.html

george

Council's et all will find any possible reason to charge for services now that central funding is so tight

Some say "in a Jeremy Clarkson style voice" that the £20 is to discourage abuse. Need to stick a 1 or a 2 in front of that methinks to do that though.

Why are you paying an illegal charge?

I will pay the £20, because like many others, i do at times need the benefit that a 'Blue Badge' gives.

Be that getting parked nearer to a location or just a bigger parking space where i can get a door fully open and the chance to come back to the car and get back in the car, with less chance that someone has parked to close and leaving no room to get the door open and get in the car..

**The Blue Badge does not save me personally from paying for Council Car Parks in Angus, since Council Car Parks are free for everyone.

& Ninewells Hospital in Dundee is one of the 2 in Scotland that you still pay to Park in, Blue Badge holder or not.**

If the question is why do i believe the £20 charge is illegal,

that is because of the EU Directive on the provision of the Badge, then the UK Government directive on Reasonable Charge for costs.

The Enquiry going on into charges being made by some Councils over the actual Cost of Providing the Badge.

Most of the High Charging Councils are in Scotland, but it has now started to spread Nationwide,

(to many Disabled people with serious Mobility Issues,

£20 is 2 days Income/benefit allowance to pay for that Blue Badge, plus getting 2 pictures taken.)

In some Districts the Badges are still issued Free, Then some councils took £2, which has become £4,

many have increased the Fee for a badge to £10,

widely across Scotland it is now £20. Bridges no Longer have Tolls in Scotland.

In England & Wales a Blue Badge gives you Exemption from Paying Tolls almost on all Bridges or Tunnels.

http://www.telegraph...mbat-fraud.html

george

PS , A 'National Insurance card/number' issued free will allow greater ability to commit Fraud.

A Public Library Card issued free can allow a Fraudster to misappropriate easily hundred even thousands of pounds of worth of Tax Payers property.

Scottish gov (or whomever controls it) has mandated the blue badge scheme go across the uber expensive Gov secure network. Cost in the region of £20k a year for a connection you'd have complained to BT about 5yr ago.

That possible is the reason for charging.

That telecommunications system is across Scottish local Authorities now.

Originally around 8 years ago that was the Link used between Dundee, Edinburgh & Glasgow Councils and the Connecting ' Intranet System'.

(You got told off if you dialed a number using the area code and did not just press 3 and make the connection using the System at that time.)

Libraries, Community Services & Council Offices and Pensions all used it.

That can hardly add to the cost of processing renewals & Producing and heat sealing a Badge 3 yearly.

Tiny percentage of use of a huge system.

£20 to be charged every 3 years now, compared to what an 'Executive Agency' like the DVLA charge for a Picture Driving Licence every 10 years & they are run as Profit makers.

george

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.

I was travelling a safe distance behind a car doing 70mph, that car suddenly changes lanes and I'm faced with advancing rapidly on a car doing 30mph.

There was no emergency action to avoid the car, checked the right hand lane and pulled out, if I was being overtaken at the time there would have been some fairly hard braking but no danger of losing control.

Let me know if you are still ok with people doing 30 on a dual carriageway when you are stuck in a couple of miles tailback at a busy time and find it was grandad in his Honda Jazz holding everyone up.

Just chillax Winston!

Scottish gov (or whomever controls it) has mandated the blue badge scheme go across the uber expensive Gov secure network. Cost in the region of £20k a year for a connection you'd have complained to BT about 5yr ago.

That possible is the reason for charging.

All English local authorities are also connected to this network and paying the substantial costs to remain connected. Without the link, the local authorities will not be able to deal with benefits since all communications to central government are handled by this network which is also used to send email containing sensitive data.

You have all the miriads of lost CD's, laptops, USB sticks containing sensitive data in transit to thank for that.

I get a bit annoyed because there is so much Blue Badge abuse,

but if sorting it properly,

it makes no sense for Local Councils to still be the ones that issue the badges.

No longer hand written etc, but still not a secure system.

You send them 2 pictures, payment & the Application by post.

They check the entitlement. which is from the DWP/Job Centre Plus/HMRC. They have no way to check the Picture matches the Applicant.

No attending to show you can benefit from being assisted in being mobile,

By going in and having your photgraphs taken like when buying a Bus Pass, they could go someway to checking the ID against a person.

Road Tax Exemption is done from Blackpool DWP.

Benefits from DWP/Job Centre Plus/ HMRC.

Seems to me that DWP should issue the Badge

or DVLA should have been dealing with it if it is for a Driver or Car Owner with Road Tax Exemption & a Blue Badge..

george

Why should your level of physical ability dictate what type of car you can or cannot drive?

Indeed. I use a blue badge sometimes. It's for my Mom, who has problems walking more than a few yards. So should I trade the Leon in for something deemed suitable?

It's hard enough for most of us to climb in and out of a low slung sports car! let alone someone who has a bad back unless their short!

Thats why the Fusion has been so successful The car was intended to be a cool urban soft roader, instead old people bought them because their easy to get into...

I'm tall and have a bad back. The difficulty is worth it not to have a Fusion :-)

Let me know if you are still ok with people doing 30 on a dual carriageway when you are stuck in a couple of miles tailback at a busy time and find it was grandad in his Honda Jazz holding everyone up.

Indeed. You would fail your driving test for doing 30 on a clear NSL dual carriageway. I failed mine, rightfully, back in 1987, for doing 35 on a NSL single carriageway. It's obstruction.

Lots of people (and many of them were older people) have been fined for dangerous driving because they were driving at 30/40mph on a 70mph limit road. It is dangerous. Rightly, you fail your test for driving at less than 40mph on a road where the limit is 60

,,,

Let me know if you are still ok with people doing 30 on a dual carriageway when you are stuck in a couple of miles tailback at a busy time and find it was grandad in his Honda Jazz holding everyone up.

Would you not be equally annoyed who ever it was then?

I'm planning on buying one of these fine vehicles for my mother which should suit her driving style perfectly!

http://www.discountmobilitydirect.co.uk/scooter.aspx?cid=1

Lots of people (and many of them were older people) have been fined for dangerous driving because they were driving at 30/40mph on a 70mph limit road. It is dangerous. Rightly, you fail your test for driving at less than 40mph on a road where the limit is 60

Just out of curiosity what happens if you drive a tractor, or a 50cc moped?

Lots of people (and many of them were older people) have been fined for dangerous driving because they were driving at 30/40mph on a 70mph limit road. It is dangerous. Rightly, you fail your test for driving at less than 40mph on a road where the limit is 60

I'd like to see evidence of that - I seriously doubt this is the case. Quite possibly have been stopped for some other reason and this has been used as an extra charge. What is the difference between an OAP driving at 40 mpg and a tractor doing the same - both are perfectly legal, only one is restricted (by law I might add) to 40KPH or 50 KPH with a sprung axle.