I'll know exactly what I can do.
Blue Badges selling for up to £1600
Jesus. I wouldn't leave an iPod (£260) or a TomTom (£350) in a car, particularly not anywhere it would be visible to anyone having a nosey, but if I use a disabled parking space I am supposed to leave my disabled parking badge (£1,600 - more than the value of my stepdad's entire car!) right on top of the dashboard, specifically in full and easy view.
In fact, technically we could get a ticket if it isn't in full view, for instance if it blows off the dashboard when we shut the door. It is my responsibility to make sure the badge is displayed in the correct manner.
There is of course the issue that plenty of people go ahead and park in the disabled spaces with no badge whatsoever. This year two of the spaces outside my flat are marked as "disabled". I've yet to go past it and see two cars displaying blue badges. Generally there's at least one of the following:
- A red crapmobile with printout pages in the windows advertising it For Sale.
- A green car advertising and belonging to the Indian restaurant/takeaway on the corner.
- A transit van advertising and belonging to Chriscott, an electrical shop two doors away.
- A 4x4 advertising and belonging to Home PC Fix, a computer shop a few doors down (but this is not the crappy shop that sold us the Problem Machine).
Strangely, none of these display blue badges. And they're all properly parked, not just dropping someone off or whatever. But I digress.
All I can think of is that I could keep the badge on me at all times and see if I get away with leaving a note in the windscreen stating my name, mobile number, which building I've gone into, and that if a parking warden wishes to check my badge they can please feel free to call me, or come in and find me, and examine my badge to their heart's content.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
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2 comments:
Unfortunately that's not good enough and that's the point. To park in a disabled bay without the badge on display is a traffic offence - and I have heard of folks getting fines simply because the badge fell off the dashboard and was out of sight. So always display the badge.
Thing is though, I have never heard of anyone having their badge pinched outside London. It just isn't worthwhile in other parts of the country. However, with the congestion charge and the cost of parking in London, it can be worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds every year.
Yes, I will continue to use the badge in the proper manner, at least until the windscreen of someone I know gets smashed for it.
But I can't think of another way of doing the disabled parking thing, that would be better than the badges.
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