On a recent excursion to Hastings sea front I had to park in the council owned and run car park that services the sea front and all the amenities along there.
As we were with J I was able to use the Blue Badge. As with everywhere new we park when using the badge I always check whether it is free to park or if we still have to pay. The majority of car parks I have used around the country are free for Blue Badge holders, though some do have the exception that only the vehicle linked to the badge is allowed to park, whereas others are happy (and understanding) that another vehicle may be being used by the actual holder of the badge.
In this Hastings carpark it stated the following :
'Vehicles displaying a valid Blue Badge may park in the designated bays free of charge. If no designated bay is available they may park in an ordinary bay but the usual tariff applies.'
Tell me what is the logic of this? Surely the fact a car is displaying a valid badge is enough? Why is it only if they park within a designated bay that the fee is free? Add to this that there were twelve designated bays compared to the three hundred odd ordinary bays.
Where I live in Hampshire there is a carpark that used to be free. Then when a large Swedish company opened its big blue and yellow doors the council decided to start charging people to park (even though the Swedish shop had its own multi storey carpark).
The council decided to charge everyone to park. They had a thirty minute free part, but a ticket still needed to be procured from the machine and displayed in the car with this information on.
They had this rule even for holders of the badges.
Now it would have been sort of okay had they had plenty of machines for tickets, but they space them out and so (for the most) people with disabilites still had to traipse over to a machine, press the green button, secure the free ticket (or pay for a longer stay), take it back to their car, and then proceed to go shopping.
It seemed the council were happy to charge people with disabilites for parking.
Then it all changed. No fanfare. Just a sign up upon each ticket machine now telling people that a valid badge holder can now park for three hours, for free.
There must have been plenty of complaints as to have made this change occur.
My opinion is that there should be a blanket allowance country wide that in any carpark a badge holder (in any vehicle not just the car linked to them) may park for free, in any bay. Councils need to stop being crafty and start being kind.
