News & Features

Baywatch Results are out!

Posted in General News on Thursday, September 19th, 2019

Baywatch Results 2019 - 1 in 5 bays is abused
In June we asked the public to help us with our Baywatch Campaign by surveying their local supermarket car park for disabled parking abuse. The results have now been calculated.

DMUK would like to thank everybody who participated in this year’s Baywatch Campaign. This year we had the biggest number of responses that we’ve ever seen which goes to show how important the problem of disabled parking abuse is at supermarkets. Our total number of responses was 723. We’d also like to thank all of our supporting organisations that promoted the campaign and encouraged their members/supporters to take part.

For the full results please visit our Baywatch Section

Comments (14)

Leave a reply

* indicates a required field

 

Comments

Robert W Parish's Gravatar
Robert W Parish

Monday, September, 2nd, 2019

2 days ago I was in Morrison's Skipton when I noticed a builders truck full of gear towing a trailer with cement mixer in it. IT WAS taking up 2 disabled bays. I noticed it was showing a disabled badge. Yesterday I had to go to my bank in Skipton there are two disabled bays near it. As I indicated to go into it a person in a jag whizzed past me and into it. No badge.

Richard van Rooijen's Gravatar
Richard van Rooijen

Monday, September, 2nd, 2019

Down here at the end of the world (Plymouth), I have found that disabled bays are in the main respected. However, there has been an increase over the past few years of people putting a Blue Badge in their windscreen, and the driver remaining in the car. To my mind, this is worse than just parking up and leaving the car.

Mervyn Wilmington's Gravatar
Mervyn Wilmington

Monday, September, 2nd, 2019

Some years ago I contacted our MP on this subject but got nowhere. I contacted the then chair of the relevant House of Commons Committee. I suggested provision in legislation that would make it an offence to park in disabled spaces on 'private land' whereby invitation or custom members of the public had access, eg supermarket car parks. Nobody was interested, just as supermarkets are not generally interested in enforcement.

PAULINE HAYES's Gravatar
PAULINE HAYES

Monday, September, 2nd, 2019

This is an on going campaign - now the Blue Badge has change the criteria for future applicants, I guess many will find it not so easy - I have seen and went through the new application form and it does ask for more information on a person's disability and those trying with the 'invisible disabilities' are questioned in a manner that can make them think before applying.BUT in saying that there are those that do not use a Badge at all and abuse still takes place because Store Managers cannot be bothered to act in favor of parking for disabled people - it is about time the 'logo' on the car park ground could be emphasized more on it's reason for being there!

Mick Guy's Gravatar
Mick Guy

Tuesday, September, 3rd, 2019

If I see someone parked in a disabled bay without a blue badge I always challenge them. Most of the time the answer is 'I'm just...........'. I've also had abuse and one 'you don't look very disabled' comment. Until people are prosecuted the abuse of disabled parking spaces will continue.

Neal Cracraknell's Gravatar
Neal Cracraknell

Monday, September, 2nd, 2019

You will not stop this parking abuse until there is a deterrent such as a call over the store tanoy asking the offending driver to remove the wrongly parked car. Or maybe use a wheel clamp.

V James's Gravatar
V James

Tuesday, September, 3rd, 2019

I've said it to DM UK before and I'll say it again here. Blue Badges should be displayed with the photograph of the disabled person showing. That would 'out' the offenders immediately, no messing. But when I suggested it, what answer did I get? I was told that it would be considered by disabled people as a breach of privacy. Well, I'm disabled and I couldn't care less who sees my photograph on my badge. I have the privilege of having a Blue Badge and I would accept all that came with it. It's not as though my name, address, and telephone number would be on display. You cannot go around accosting people just because you suspect they are not disabled. This is confrontational and the upshot is that, sooner or later, someone is going to get hurt with more than words.

Anita Phillips 's Gravatar
Anita Phillips

Monday, September, 16th, 2019

To V James - I say - I am on my own. If my photo is displayed, a car thief would know who I am & easily take my car keys from me to steel my car. So definitely no to photos being displayed. The problems of people parking in disabled bays who are not following the rules will never be stopped. It’s called selfishness. Last week at Lidl’s Waltham Abbey 3 bays were being used by disabled people who were waiting in the cars while the able bodied person was shopping. One of those waiting I have seen doing the same thing on 2 other occasions. Official bodies are not interested in the difficulties disabled persons cope with in their bid to live a ‘normal’ life.

Neil McAdams's Gravatar
Neil McAdams

Monday, September, 16th, 2019

last week i went to my local supermarket, sainsburys blackley manchester and it has disabled parking all along the entrance but i couldn't get in one because of shoppers so i had to park across the car park in a normal bay . now there are about 20 disabled spaces and only a handful of cars had there blue badge showing so when i went to speak to sainsburys about this they said they cant do anything about it because they don't own the car park it was the council so i've sent them a email (well have you ever tried to speak to a person from the council ) its been a week now still no reply what a surprise .

Alan Pilborough's Gravatar
Alan Pilborough

Monday, September, 16th, 2019

My Wife Colleen has a blue badge due to her disability. We shop at Tesco's Supermarket every week and sometimes find it hard to park in a disable bay. The reason I am told is that the car park is on lease and does not belong to Tesco so anybody can park where they wish as their is no jurisdiction. At Morrisons at Squires Gate that is Warden controlled successfully and there are no problems. Three years ago they even put a trolley bay over a disabled parking bay. Blue Badge abuse is getting worse but our hands are tied. Regards Alan Oilborough

Mike Brown's Gravatar
Mike Brown

Monday, September, 16th, 2019

I agree with many contributors here that it will never be stopped. Why? Apart from apathy, upsetting a customer by asking them to move, means a reduction in profits, and it is always profits before people. Everyone believes that disabled bays are fair game, vans, big car owners, shop staff those who don't care, police. Yes even the police abuse the bays so what chance do we as mere disabled people have. Bet your bottom dollar if you ever see an MP on the campaign trail they would be very interested, at least whilst you speak to them. An election is coming, perhaps we need to start asking MPs all over the country to take hold of this issue and perhaps give it a tenth of the parliamentary time that Brexit has used up. we might even get a solution then. A simple rise and fall pole triggered by a transmitter in the Blue badge wold solve many of these problems I believe, and certainly not that difficult to do. They can scan your card to take money, why not have a card which gives access to disabled parking? A final thought. Whilst trying to park in Aldi one day, most of the bays were full, some were not showing blue badges. We asked the manager and a tannoy announcement failed to provide a driver. So they told me to park behind the offender which I duly did. They had to wait quite a while until I had finished so i don't think they will do it again in a hurry.

Barry Radford's Gravatar
Barry Radford

Monday, September, 16th, 2019

Meols Station Wirral. Installation of new lifts. Workers hut is now parked in the only 2 Disabled Spaces. Clever and inconsiderate decision. Well done

James Tatton's Gravatar
James Tatton

Monday, September, 16th, 2019

Due to the recent change in the eligibility criteria for Blue Badges, can only see the abuse of parking bays getting worse as it will be far more difficult to challenge "a hidden disability" than a physical one. Also the lack of sufficient disabled parking bays alone causes enough ugly confrontations as it is.

Trevor Broxholme's Gravatar
Trevor Broxholme

Monday, September, 16th, 2019

The answer for me is for those people who park their cars with know blue badge, is to clamp their car. To get their car back they have to pay £50. And that £50 goes to charities. They won't park there again. There should also be a sign warning them that this procedure is in operation.