Disabled parking clampdown

Plans to extend the Blue Badge disabled parking scheme, and a clampdown on the cheats who abuse the system, have been announced.

• Extending the reach of the scheme, for example, ensuring more parents of severely disabled children are eligible for a badge; 
• Giving parking attendants the power to confiscate, on the spot, Blue Badges that have been stolen, forged or are being fraudulently used; 
• Improving the security of the badge design to prevent forgeries; 
• Creating a system of national data sharing, to identify Blue Badge cheats. 

Email a friend about this article

Add your comments to this article

All comments are fully moderated - offensive and unsuitable material will be deleted.

Your comments

IFF is right, the photo should be face up on display. But we should be willing to accept polite questions from police & parking attendants. For instance: It's my wife who has the badge, but she can't drive. On occasion I've had to pop back to the car leaving her in the wheelchair some way off. It would have been a fair question for anyone to ask why I was displaying a badge which I clearly didn't need.

Judex
07.02.2008 23:43

I too am a blue badge holder, ex- serviceman and have severe walking difficulties although not apparent. I cannot walk fast. An officious security/parking attendant commented to me recently saying tht I didn't look disabled. My immediate reply was 'You don't look stupid' A better blue badge with the diabled users image on the obverse would alleviate these unecessary comments Mike Smith Telford Dodmoor Grange NWA

IFF
05.02.2008 18:54

I think an overlooked issue is that blue badges are being issued to people that are not disabled. My wife is a wheel chair user. That is a serious issue. 75% of disable bay users are easily capable of walking a few more yards to get to the stores. They seem to be using it regardless of their ability. I also include the number of parents horrified to be questioned about their use of a disable bay when they have no intention of taking their child

bertenolde
04.02.2008 11:49

I always think that the disabled badge picture should be displayed on the face side and a code entered into the picture to identify by a colour strip/barcode hidden in the picture or metal strip under the picture,that a reader machine can detect only by Police or wardens. I would like to see that blue badges are enforced and recconised on all parking areas including shopping centres/supermarkets as its ignored in these areas.

chris taylor
03.02.2008 20:55

About time too, but how do you deal with the spouse of a disabled person who uses the vehicle fraudulently ?

hedgehunter
03.02.2008 19:04

By all means hit out at those that fraudently use the disabled badge, but at the same time, introduce "short period badges" eg one or two month's duration for those with temporary difficulties eg a broken leg

Ian
03.02.2008 19:03

Is this simply another ploy by the new world order to gather more personal information of the public?

watcher
03.02.2008 16:43

Very good idea, but let me point out, that I am a Disabled ex service man who has a blue badge and have great need for it, but here lies the crunch, I do have a serious walking problem, but because I am not either disfigured or have a visible physical deformity, people accuse me of cheating the system, and that is the worry, that so called do gooders see themselves as qualified opinionators and set themselves up as knowing more than Doctors, and

tinywright
03.02.2008 15:43

Companies who have disabled parking need to be enforcing the practice that ONLY disabled people park in these spaces, as a majority are used by people who are either ignorant or idle

ozarck3
28.01.2008 13:28