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Can I appeal a parking fine for not displaying my Blue Badge?
I am a disabled person unable to walk more than a few yards at a time. I have been using my local supermarket's disabled parking bays for many years, always parking in more or less the same place, close to the store.
Today I received a parking charge letter charging me a fee of £70 for using a bay without displaying a Blue Badge. An error on my part. However, the parking attendant stood watching as I struggled out of my car to find a trolley.
The photograph sent to me of my car clearly shows it parked in a disabled bay in front of a disabled parking sign. The sign simply states 'for the use of Blue Badge holders only'. There is no mention that a badge must be displayed as a condition of using the bay. There are no other signs visible stating conditions of use.
In your opinion, do I have grounds to appeal the charge?
Today I received a parking charge letter charging me a fee of £70 for using a bay without displaying a Blue Badge. An error on my part. However, the parking attendant stood watching as I struggled out of my car to find a trolley.
The photograph sent to me of my car clearly shows it parked in a disabled bay in front of a disabled parking sign. The sign simply states 'for the use of Blue Badge holders only'. There is no mention that a badge must be displayed as a condition of using the bay. There are no other signs visible stating conditions of use.
In your opinion, do I have grounds to appeal the charge?
Asked on 23 May 2022 by David Casper
Answered by
Sarah Tooze
Although it is the responsibility of the Blue Badge holder to make sure their Blue Badge is displayed (and if it isn’t, the parking company can legitimately issue a ticket) I think you should appeal.
We have spoken to Disabled Motoring UK (DMUK) about this and they advise appealing in two ways.
Firstly, you could write to the parking company that has sent you the fine to explain you are a genuine Blue Badge holder who forgot to display your badge and include a copy of your badge with the appeal. Sometimes parking operators will cancel the charge and ask the person just to pay an admin fee.
Secondly, you could take pictures of the signs and their proximity to the bays and state that you feel there is insufficient/inadequate signage.
We have spoken to Disabled Motoring UK (DMUK) about this and they advise appealing in two ways.
Firstly, you could write to the parking company that has sent you the fine to explain you are a genuine Blue Badge holder who forgot to display your badge and include a copy of your badge with the appeal. Sometimes parking operators will cancel the charge and ask the person just to pay an admin fee.
Secondly, you could take pictures of the signs and their proximity to the bays and state that you feel there is insufficient/inadequate signage.
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