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[Gaffers]

"YEAH. YEAH. YEAH" ! I have my blue badge and use it every day. Outwardly I guess I look quite mobile, only having suffered 2 strokes, a slight limp and having emphysema. I often have to walk farther than I would like due to, 20 year olds who 'must' park as close as possible to the shop. Do not attempt to remonstrate with these people for fear of a 'mouthful' of abuse.

Agreed. I have been on the receiving end a couple of times, despite my stature.

Not all disabilities are visible and it's the biggest hurdle I have with the people around me including my own family.

[minifreek]

My wife has a blue badge...

The ONLY time it is ever used is if she is getting out of the car, if she isn't - even if she is present - it doesn't get used...

The disabled parking spaces are very convenient for a lot of folk, just to use the cash machine or because theyre only going to be a minute....

I have confronted a few, some got back in their car and drove away, I got confronted by a manager of a rather large supermarket that has green in their livery for driving away a customer - he politely got told to go away, which he did.... but it nearly came to having a physical word with him to get him to go away... he no longer is the manager, shame really as he used to give me some very strange looks everytime I visited the store...

The Omega is registered as a disabled chariot, and I do get funny looks as its modified and when I park in a disabled space with my wife present we do get a few 'looks' as she stumbles out of the door.... we have grown used to people looking, we no longer bother with them and carry on with our life - best we can anyway

[korum]

My wife has a blue badge...

The ONLY time it is ever used is if she is getting out of the car, if she isn't - even if she is present - it doesn't get used...

The disabled parking spaces are very convenient for a lot of folk, just to use the cash machine or because theyre only going to be a minute....

I have confronted a few, some got back in their car and drove away, I got confronted by a manager of a rather large supermarket that has green in their livery for driving away a customer - he politely got told to go away, which he did.... but it nearly came to having a physical word with him to get him to go away... he no longer is the manager, shame really as he used to give me some very strange looks everytime I visited the store...

The Omega is registered as a disabled chariot, and I do get funny looks as its modified and when I park in a disabled space with my wife present we do get a few 'looks' as she stumbles out of the door.... we have grown used to people looking, we no longer bother with them and carry on with our life - best we can anyway

Yes I know that look, as a reasonably fit 30 something in a modded omega  when I get out the car you can see them getting wound up that is until I help my tiny and frail mum out of the other side.

[Jusme]

Before we moved, Sainsbury's in Bedford used to send out store security to police the disabled spaces. Now, my local supermarket that also has green in its livery but only 4 letters in its name, has just resurfaced the whole car park, reducing the size of the disabled spaces just to get 'one' or 'two' more spaces? As for the store security, you need a scalpel to get their ar*es off the chair at the entrance? I understand whether on public or private land, there are dimensions laid down for disabled spaces.   

[LC0112G]

The blue badge scheme only applies to council owned and operated car parks and parking places. It holds virtually zero force in a private car park - such as many supermarket car parks. And, providing you meet the disabled criteria, the lack of a blue badge does NOT mean you can't park in a disabled spot.

The law that applies is the Equality Act 2010 (and amendments), and this trumps any council or privately operated blue badge scheme. If you (or your passenger) qualify as disabled under the act, then you can park in a disabled spot regardless of weather you have a blue badge or not. Whilst the blue badge "proves" that the holder is disabled, the lack of a blue badge does NOT prove that the user of the spot is not entitled to park there. There can be BIG fines if companies try to 'fine/charge' legitimate users of disabled places, and hence, the big supermarkets don't normally try to enforce these spaces.

So it all comes down to the conscience of the people using the spots.