Now and then I have a go at Blue Badge holders who park their cars in places they shouldn't. In case you don't know holders of Blue Badges are disabled and are allowed to park their cars in places that would normally get non blue badge holders a FPN. The fixed penalty round here is £60.00. Lots of BBH's park on double yellow lines even though there is a handy car park and with no regard for the fact that the yellow lines are there either to keep the road clear for people to drive along or because it may be dangerous to park there. There are two main reasons why they do this. One is that they may be so disabled that even to walk a few yards may be difficult or impossible for them. Well if that is the case then good luck and best wishes to them. The other reason is, why pay to use a car park when you can park for 3 hours for free on double yellow lines. Stand about in Hyde Road in Paignton for a while and watch a BBH park his/her car on double yellow lines and walk of into the distance when it would be a shorter walk is they had gone in the car park. A dangerous place BBH's park is on the bend at the top of new road in Brixham and then walk past the car park on their way to go shopping.
As the picture shows not all BBH's fall into this second category. The anxious looking gentleman in the picture is the driver of the car shown with his Blue Badge. He had taken the trouble to go into the car park and pay his fee only to find that all the Disabled Bays had been filled by non blue badge holders.
Over the years the number of Blue Badges has grown and the rules need looking at to reflect this change. More disabled bays and free parking for BBH's in car parks is one step to encourage BBH's to make greater use of the car parks and less use of valuable road space. Also the rule re free parking on any yellow line should be restricted in those places where it is a serious danger or does hold up traffic as it does in Hyde Road. Torbay rules and regulations that all BBH's get do ask BBH's not to park on yellow line when there is a car park handy. But a request has no force in Law. Please Torbay send some one out on a bus one day and have a look at this problem from the point of view of some one who has to drive through the Bay lots of times every day.
2 comments:
if you look at the instructions issued to blue badge holders with there blue badge they are not exempt from prosicution and there badges can be withdrawn if they are reported for certain offences including parking on no loading areas parking on double yellow lines were they obstruct the the road failure to obey a police officer or traffic warden.
One of the problems is wild variance of the rules by different authorities. Here in lancaster and the Lake district all parking on local authority car parks is free in Torbay the charges are a rip off to visitor and locals alike some places like Bristol a disabled bay is restricted to 3 hours yet a pay and display street bay is free and unrestricted. As a motorist who has the benifit of using one when carrying my mother I have got to say I never park where it would obstrut a bus fire appliance or ambulance ot even a reasonable sised HGV I also check in unfarmiliar towns with a traffic warden or Police officer if where I have parked is ok .
The problem is the rules are not or have not been enforced otherwise people would not abuse the privalage as they do but not all users belive they have a divine right but I belive it is down to education
Mike
Your last few lines hits the nail on the head anon, round here the rules are regarded by a lot of motorists as some thing to have a good laugh about. You are also right about car park fees being a rip off. At least I don't have to use the local car parks
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