Annual car parking survey confirms widespread abuse of blue badge bays
The annual “Baywatch” survey, carried out by Disability Now Magazine, Mobilise and the British Polio Fellowship, which was also publicised to GSD members via the “Can you help?” section of our website, has shown that more than 20% of blue badge bays in supermarkets are regularly being used by non-disabled drivers. This figure has shown no sign of improvement since the last survey was carried out in 2005. Statistics from public car parks are still worse, with over a third of all blue badge bays being regularly abused by non-disabled drivers, a rise from the figure of 28% in 2005.
Sir Bert Massie, Chair of the DRC, said:
“Supermarkets need to understand that their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act are considerably more than just painting some lines and a wheelchair symbol in the car park. Supermarkets are legally bound to make their services accessible. If they don’t take steps to stop non-disabled people parking in these spaces they could be breaking the law”
At the same time, the Government has announced a series of amendments to the blue badge scheme which came into force on 15th October, extending it to cover children under two who need to travel with bulky medical equipment, and to people with impairments in both arms who drive non-adapted vehicles but who have problems with parking metres. Security will also be strengthened with a hologram added to blue badges to reduce potential fraud.
Whilst checking blue badge bays, disabled volunteers were abused by shoppers. One volunteer said:
“I was verbally abused by one driver [who told me] I would be tripped out of my wheelchair and kicked around the car park…”
This abuse was confirmed by an email sent by a GSD member in response to the “Can you help?” section of our website, who confirmed:
“Supermarket staff are often intimidated by drivers who park where they shouldn’t and have a defiant – “What are you gonna do about it” attitude. If the staff can’t cope with it, it would have to be a brave disabled person who can”
A pilot scheme at the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre in London, which trains cameras on blue badge bays and takes photographs of non-disabled drivers’ cars as proof for when they impose a fine, was praised as a possible way forward for all public and supermarket car parks.
Similarly, ASDA supermarket stores began a pilot programme in the Liverpool area at the end of September this year where fines of £60 would be meted out to drivers abusing both the blue badge and mother and toddler bays of their car parks.
You can read more about the annual “Baywatch” survey by using the following internet address:
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/news/news_oct_2007_001.htm
Daniel Park