More of your blue badge blues

15/04/2008

We had a gentleman friend aged 81 whose disabled badge expired last June. He had diabetes with diabetic neuropathy in his feet and arthritis, as well as having had three heart attacks. Yet Cardiff refused to renew his badge despite an appeal backed by his GP. 

 

He was the oldest student at the Caerleon Campus of the University, which he attended two or three times a week. Disabled parking is by the University entrance and other parking at the bottom of a hill.  Pending the appeal, he continued to use the disabled parking - until he was fined £60 for an out-of-date badge. Thereafter he parked at the bottom and walked.

Towards the end of November on a cold, frosty morning he collapsed walking up the hill. An ambulance was called and he was rushed, unconscious, to the hospital where he was resuscitated. A week later he had another heart attack and died on November 27th. 

 

This remarkable man who passed his GCSE in Welsh last summer was into a second year of a BSc in Criminology - something he had wanted to do all his life. Had he been granted that badge, maybe he would have fulfilled his lifelong ambition.

P Herbert, Newport

 

 

Supermarkets and other large stores could operate their own simple parking scheme. The authorised Blue Badge holder in person could present to the store their badge, showing their photograph and registration details. The store could then take a photographic record of the Badge and give the holder a parking permit. The holder then displays their Blue Badge together with the store permit, in order to park in a particular bay.

 

Mrs M Petty, Gravesend

 

I too have been refused a Blue Badge. I have angina and can only walk 50 yards before I get an attack, though it can be an even shorter distance if it is very windy. I am told that angina does not come into the scheme, so I have to grin and bear it I’m afraid.

 

Mr R Jarvis, Suffolk

 

When I went to my GP with the form to renew by Blue Badge pass, he signed the form and told me “That will be £20”. No examination was needed - just a signature. So why the fee? Doctors are well paid, and surely a Blue Badge should count as continued medical treatment?

 

P. Archdale, Bristol

 

 

I think we need to name and shame hospitals with poor provision of parking spaces for the elderly and ill.  I drove my friend from Blandford in Dorset to Southampton hospital where, like you say in your survey, we drove around searching for a spot, we did eventually get a disabled bay, but were still expected to pay.

 

This lady has to use a motor scooter to get around; this demonstrates her inability to walk any distance, so she could not have caught a train or a bus or any other form of transport. Her appointment ran over as other tests had to be carried out, so we ended up being in this hospital for six hours.

 

To exit the hospital you have to pay at a machine,  this machine was not user friendly and kept rejecting the money we constantly fed it - and how much did that day cost? £16.00. This is disgraceful. Tell me, who on earth can afford £16.00 for parking? It was lucky that between us we had that much. This hospital must make massive profits with parking and their food outlets situated within the hospital.  Is this now the practice – to make hospitals a business?

 

Christine Noy, Dorchester