I agree, and have often wondered this myself.
We are told that these new NCP/Council parking enforcement squads are to help safety and remove obstructions and reduce congestion. All they really seem to do is ticket people who have no ticket or are late back to proper designated spaces The real congestion and obstructions seem to be caused by blue badge holders parking where they like and they remain unabated.
I would save there are far more disabled spaces than required these days, most remain empty, so there is no excuse.
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I can see your point,i have a disabled badge for my wife and she has severe nerve damage in her legs.We park very rarely on double yellow lines if i can help it and if there is no disable space we look somewhere else.I dont no about people who cheat very sad ,they should be locked up.I sling the blue badge in the dustbin and the benefits, to turn the clock back and my wife to be healthy as she used to be.Could you have reported it to the council?Take the car reg no?Its no fun for the genuine disabled.
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My sympathy Dutchie, for what it is worth. Nobody would really think that a blue badge, and maybe a Motability car, is a worthwhile swap for health and the ability to walk and move around unaided. I think your attitude towards avoiding parking on double yellows, if you can, is highly commendable.
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I was perhaps more than a little disengenous,
in that perhaps I should have volunteered that my wife also has a blue badge.
Rhumatoid arthrits , with two unsucessful knee operations to date, being the cause.
We however, as per a previous poster, only park in the disabled bays provided, and only, somewhat unusually per local observation/experience, use the car and badge within the rules pertaining.
cheers
M
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I tend to do the same, I don't think I've ever parked on double yellows, it would be somewhat against the grain! Though I do know people who DO need to park on them... The main issue, as I've said many times before, is that BBs are issued far too easily... they are controlled by local councils which to my mind is a mistake. But I don't think there are too many spaces, in fact on a recent visit to Aberdeen I couldn't find one that was free!
I notice when we go abroad that there are far fewer of them than over here, and I don't believe that we are a nation of crocs compared with the likes of Germany, France and Belgium!
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don't think I've ever parked on double yellows, it would be somewhat against the grain!
It wouldn't if you were a proper red-blooded motorist from before the era of any yellow lines, let alone double ones.
It always gives me immense pleasure to park on double yellows. Did it for half an hour this very afternoon in a place where there are often fifteen or twenty other cars parked all the way down a narrow street, just round the corner from a police station too.
It's great being above the law by special licence. Like the old bill arriving at an incident and parking sideways in the middle of the road on a pedestrian crossing by a bus stop. Everyone tiptoes past and doesn't say a word.
Heh heh.
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I have absolutely no problem with genuinely disabled people parking anywhere, provided that by doing so they do not cause an unnecessary and avoidable obstruction to other road users.
By that I mean parking on blind bends, on junctions ,in designated loading bays (you just KNEW that one was coming) and in narrow streets if it makes it impossible for a normal-sized fire engine to pass.
My take on blue badges is that maybe some day I will need one too, and I fully understand the difference a car can make to someone with limited mobility.
I do not, however, condone or appreciate the abuse of what I consider a privelege by a minority. In general, a bit more respect on both sides wouldn't go amiss.
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I agree with all above the best to your wife dieseldogg.Inconsiderateparking on blinds bends junctions etc is dangerous.It makes this country great in my opinion the blue badge scheme ,but the system is not there to be abused
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Yeah, all that Harleyman said!
It's just I don't understand why there are double yellow where it is apparently safe to park if you have a blue badge. It's either safe (so no yellows) or it's not (no one should park). It just doesn't make sense the way it is!
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It's just I don't understand why there are double yellow where it is apparently safe to park if you have a blue badge. It's either safe (so no yellows) or it's not ...........
I imagine it's allowed on compassionate grounds for the more unfortunate amongst us.
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>> It's either safe (so no yellows) or it's not ........... I imagine it's allowed on compassionate grounds for the more unfortunate amongst us.
I think the poster was saying - to take an extreme example, barriers at a railway crossing come down for safety when a train is about to pass. You (presumably) wouldn't allow blue badge holders to bypass the barriers.
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I think the poster was saying - to take an extreme example barriers at a railway crossing come down for safety when a train is about to pass. You (presumably) wouldn't allow blue badge holders to bypass the barriers.
My guess is that double yellow lines are mainly intended to help the free flow of traffic, and are not purely for safety.
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The instructions we had said that you could park on yellows as long as you don't cause an obstruction... or they've got loading restricions... or, mmm, it got too complicated so I didn't bother in the end!
You still see some tales of people with BBs getting done for parking where they shouldn't, though... The daft part is that the local rag picks it up as if they are being picked on, but in fact it just makes them look like idiots as in every case I've seen so far the warden issuing the ticket has been correct and the BB holder hasn't read their instructions of use correctly... TBH sometimes its easier for you able bodied lot as there are so many dos and don'ts with the BB scheme... and thats before you have to go and find that sign in the car park and read the small print for any restrictions!!
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how does that apply in a cul-de sac ? ie the free flow of traffic
Edited by zookeeper on 14/10/2009 at 12:43
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how does that apply in a cul-de sac ? ie the free flow of traffic
Assuming there are houses with drives down the cul-de-sac, traffic (ie. those living there) still needs to flow.
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So you can turn round maybe ?? Another pet hate cars parking in the hammer-heads usual selfish attitude as per usual.
Edited by Pugugly on 14/10/2009 at 12:52
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The classic was outside Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield, the regional cancer centre. They painted double yellow lines all the way down Whitham Road, so now instead of cars parking there is a queue of cars on the road waiting to drop people off in the narrow entrance to the hospital. It still obstructs the traffic flow, if anything more so than before.
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every town and city i've ever been in in this country has roads with yellow lines on them, that wouldn't matter at all if people were to park on them (i'm not talking about the roads where it would obviously be a problem)...so why are there yellow lines there?..to prevent people from using their cars, making life difficult, generating income in the fee paying car parks, etc, etc, etc
the point made about BB holders parking there, so why can't everyone else, is often a valid one
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the point made about BB holders parking there, so why can't everyone else, is often a valid one
Hear hear. Life was simpler before yobbo council bureaucrats discovered paint.
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Hear hear. Life was simpler before yobbo council bureaucrats discovered paint.
Can you imagine what the average town centre would be like on a Saturday morning if people were allowed to park where they liked? Ok the streets might be wide enough to allow parking on both sides of the roads, but they would be blocked by people trundling around waiting for a space to appear.
I suppose it might reach a kind of natural equilibrium with people deciding it's not worth the hassle and parking further away, but given how lazy a lot of people appear to be, I suspect not.
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the point made about BB holders parking there so why can't everyone else is often a valid one
If "everyone else" parked there then the person with the disability couldn't and that would severely restrict their ability to get to where they were going (or maybe not even be able to go there)... In theory there shouldn't be lines of cars parked on double yellows with BBs, if there is that would indicate that suitable alternative parking is not available and/or there are too many BBs issued to people who don't need them, both of which should be flagged up with the Council...
At the end of the day to say "why can't everyone else" is rather a selfish attitude... and to which I'd respond that you can take SWMBO's illness and BB if you want and we'll quite happily park a few hundred yards away like we used to... and walk the rest of the way.
Edited by b308 on 14/10/2009 at 17:43
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I'll do you a deal, I'll swap you my bluebadge and you can have my disability to go with it!
I do not look disabled in the slightest, but without a bluebadge would struggle beyond belief now!
Parking on double yellows allows us to visit the places we need to, one or two vehicles parked will not normally cause too much of a problem, many parked would.
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WP, I've just read my last post and think that I've maybe been a little harsh with you... so please don't take it too personally!!
The issue is more that there are too many BBs issued to people who don't really need them rather than the principle of the scheme itself... I noticed that there were far fewer BBs in Germany than over here... I wonder if they are stricter than us?!
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Not pertinent to double yellows, but I do have one niggle with BB holders; on occasions I have seen them use a "normal" parking bay when there are empty disabled bays available. I actually confronted one driver about this and got the "how dare you pick on me I'm disabled" rant which some of 'em are prone to.
I accept that in some cases this might just be when the BB holder isn't actually driving the car, but then surely they wouldn't display the BB anyway; I suspect it's got more to do with avoiding payment though, which is not the purpose of the BB scheme at all. Thankfully I don't see it very often so I guess it's just the usual few who spoil it for the rest.
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Not every holder of a BB needs the extra width a disabled bay gives you... we do need it so I can get the wheelchair alongside the car, so I am actually in favour of those who don't need one, but have more limited mobility than you and thus have a BB, to use another space and keep them free for us!
(BTW HM the BB holder doesn't have to be driving the car, just they have to be in it!)
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We dont always need the width for parking,my wife uses crutches for shorter distances.And we park in a normal bay.Unless we take the wheelchair like you b308 i look for a disabled bay.Before we had the batch this parking on double lines or disabled bays never came into my mind .I always felt compassionate towards people with a genuine disability.Some people look ok but have a disability.People who cheat the system have to live with it be carefull what you wish for.
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(BTW HM the BB holder doesn't have to be driving the car just they have to be in it!)
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Yes, I'm aware of that, wifey's grandmother has one.
However, if the badgeholder doesn't need to leave the car , and the driver is physically fit and doesn't hold a BB themselves, surely the driver is committing an offence if they park on a double yellow and effectively take advantage of the badge themselves? I'm sure this is likely the most common "abuse" even if in most cases the users, in all innocence, don't realise this.
Edited by Harleyman on 14/10/2009 at 23:47
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b308 and R75,
My point was that if a road can tolerate BB badge parking, then it might well tolerate others parking there as well i.e. I'm coming from the road's ability to allow parking, rather than those that use it to park, in other words maybe it shouldn't have yellow line restrictions in the first place.
I was not passing any judgement whatsoever about the availability of parking spaces for BB holders.
I'd be happy with more roads being completely de-restricted apart from some disabled only bays, (if by the removal of yellow lines, it were to inconvenience those less fortunate than me).
I have no problems whatsoever with those that need it having BB's. I'll concede that if both of you responded as you did, then maybe I could have worded it better.
Lastly, i'm more than aware that many roads DO need yellow lines, i'm not advocating a free for all....it's just those big wide roads that if you think about it, don't need any restrictions, but nevertheless they're there.
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I agree with OP and we rarely park on doubles. The rules clearly say something about not being an obstruction and doubles are often in places where it would be. And what really enoys me is people parking in the disabled bay outside the house that we applied for the council to put in. I know anyone can park there, but if they were disabled they would know that they can park anywhere and they might also realise someone local might need it. Had a car turn up the other evening to watch the football. Stayed there all night and unfortunately got towed away as no BB!
The thing I don't understand in London is when parking restrictions aren't enforced which is (often) evenings/Sundays. Traffic may be a little lighter but still it is heavy and mucked up badly with people parking all over the place.
Edited by rogue-trooper on 15/10/2009 at 00:24
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I'd be happy with more roads being completely de-restricted apart from some disabled only bays (if by the removal of yellow lines it were to inconvenience those less fortunate than me).
No probs with that at all, as long as the disabled bays are policed properly... I'd have thought that most of those type of roads should have limited time parking bays anyway (which a BB overrides)?
HM, as long as the person who holds the BB is in the car then they can park there, even if that person does not leave the car... and I know, its daft!! I also feel that its against the spirit of the scheme and should be removed from the scheme, but thems the rules I'm afraid... If its any consolation I don't use it, I'm able bodied and so will walk, though I don't tend to leave SWMBO in the car either... I'd get shot!!
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My wife is a badge holder ( partly sigted and epileptic ) but so far I have never had to use double yellows on her behalf.
As for wardens incorrectly ticketing badge holders - 2¾ years ago a warden left me a little yellow love note for parking on our own domestic disabled bay outside our own house even though no TRO exists for the bay! He was backed up by his boss when I complained, so I went one step higher to County and the top parking man there soon gave the warden and his boss a severe dressing down in an e-mail which was openly copied to me. :-)
And... hello from me to you all after a long absence from this board; I have been out of action for a while from having a Cochlear Implant fitted in June ( following a long battle to get the funding from the PCT ) and have only now got through enough of the resulting backlogs of everything to be able to return here.
This is my first post back and I hope to be able to read the board most days again as I did before.
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Welcome back Muggy!
I tend to think that many of us with severly disabled reletives very rarely use double yellows, instead tending to use the proper bays, from what I've seen its mainly the older generation with BBs that seem to park there who have BBs because of their age and subsequent limited mobility... perhaps there should be a two teir system like Aberdeen has whereby severly disabled have special bays... though I'm loath to create yet more road markings for everyone to fight over...
On the subject of Aberdeen, they have a "Green Badge" scheme which is for people with much more "restrictions", whilst its a good idea, in theory, the obvious downside is that anyone visiting from elsewhere in the country with similar conditions can't use them because they will only have the standard blue badge... which I rather think discriminates against any out of towners!
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