Disabled Parking Privileges

[rich47]

Is it a legal requirement that private car park operators provide spaces for disabled drivers and are those spaces to be provided free of charge or exempt from time limits or both?
All assistance gratefully received.
Rich

[Peter Pedant]

No -I dont think so
having a blue card .... there is a town in Devon - that makes the disabled pay ( reduced rates and bigger do dahs) so demaning a free space is a dream.

do they have to provide larger spaces EVEN if they charge ?
dont know - it is not something I would lose sleep over

[Peter Pedant]

as soon as you write privilege
you are acknowledging it is not a right

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Newcomb_Hohfeld
bit technical but this is in 'Law'
scroll down to Hohfeld analysis

[murraymints]

don't think so..usually council owned car parks offer blue badge parking.or supermarkets/shopping malls...

[furrypusscat]

A Disabled Blue Badge is allowed for people who have limited walking ability or who have such things as heart conditions etc. where walking longer distances could cause their symptoms to exacerbate.
They do not mean that parking is free of charge, in fact more and more councils are charging, some may allow 30 minutes extra beyond the ticket expiry time provided the blue badge is correctly displayed.
The spaces are normally larger to allow for ease of access and the spaces are usually nearest to where the shops are.
The myth of free parking is wrongly assumed. I have a blue badge but do not assume that I should be allowed to park free of charge. Anyone who thinks that should be the case should think again. Why should I or anyone else have free parking when others do not, just because a blue badge is displayed. It is for convenient access to shops.

[murraymints]

but it does nevertheless offer free parking in LA car parks too..

[Peter Pedant]

// Why should I or anyone else have free parking when others do not,//

because it is recognised clearly not by you - that there is an on-cost to being disabled
( need to use taxis when otherwise you could walk and so on)

[woofgang]

Its my understanding that there are best practice suggestions for the private provision of parking for people with disabilities BUT they don't have to be blue badge holders so quite hard to monitor and manage their use. Locally, councils have been known to put pressure on private providers by refusing planning agreement to projects which don't comply with those best practice arrangements. There is no requirement for for any kind of local authority parking to be either free or time limit exempt. Again, locally to me I believe that some car park use is free to blue badge holders but the leisure car parks (seaside and countryside) are not.

[furrypusscat]

Peter, this thread is about blue badge parking not using taxis. I do appreciate there are hidden extra costs for being disabled and if someone is so disabled then there are other benefits which can be applied for which help to cover those extra costs.

[EDDIE51]

There is no actual obligation to provide disabled parking at all.
Most places do but it is not a legal requirement.

[hc4361]

It makes sense for local authorities to provide free parking for blue badge holders, although many don't.

Blue badge holders can park on single yellow all day and double yellow lines for three hours. This does not help the flow of traffic and of course if people have to pay to use the car park they will park for free on the yellow lines.

[woofgang]

It actually isn't a question about blue badge parking but about parking for people with disabilities which is a different, although similar subject.

[hc4361]

I should hate to be the person who has to judge if a person is disabled enough to use a disabled parking space if no blue badge is required.

[woofgang]

hc I take your point, but no one is required to apply for a blue badge whatever their level of disability and while private car park management can decide to make a displayed blue badge one of its criteria, it can't refuse use of its designated bays to people with disabilities who are not blue badge holders.

[THECORBYLOON]

"while private car park management can decide to make a displayed blue badge one of its criteria, it can't refuse use of its designated bays to people with disabilities who are not blue badge holders." If the conditions mean only a blue badge holder can use the space, why can they not refuse its use to others?

[zebo]

Slightly off topic, surely not on AB, but I was taking a friend to an appointment when she had a broken leg and was in plaster but we were unable to park in a restricted bay, hence a long walk, I couldn't drop her at the entrance then go to park, she needed help. Maybe there could be a temporary card, different colour, for such circumstances.

[albaqwerty]

our local hossie has disabled parking bays, some at top of the hill, others at the bottom for which a service is provided to get the disabled person up the hill to attend appropriate clinic.

Also, there's a space outside entrance to allow folk to assist a person as in Zebo's case.

Why are hospitals built on top of hills anyway?

[hc4361]

woofgang, of course private car parks can insist that users of their disabled bays display a blue badge - and they do. In fact some supermarkets are actively issuing tickets to people for parking in disabled bays without displaying the badge.

[woofgang]

hc they (management) can try to fine people with disabilities who use their spaces designated for people with disabilities....however if the person can prove they are disabled but choose not to apply for a blue badge or maybe are foreign visitors who cannot apply, then the fine won't get far.....if they designate the space for blue badge holders only (or martians or premier league football players or any other group) then they can manage the spaces accordingly....

[woofgang]

This is an archived article but I believe its still the case in law.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/MotoringAndTransport/Bluebadgescheme/DG_171251

[woofgang]

Oh PS and they can't "issue tickets".....they can try to fine the space user in line with any terms and conditions of parking which they have written into their contract.