Likewise, my brother suffers from, among other things; tachycardia and bradycardia, rheumatoid and osteo arthritis. He looks perfectly normal, until he takes his shirt off at which point the severe pectus excavatum becomes apparent, it's that pressing on his heart and lungs which cause the worst of his problems. He can walk a few hundred yards, but way back when in primary school, the head decided "he looks fine, so he can run the cross country" nearly killed him.
Six pages in two days... Well, this is a hot topic. Can't remember the last time I saw a topic get this big in such a short space of time! What can I say, this is my #1 pet peeve on the roads. People's parking in general is shocking, and people's lack of care for the vehicles they are parked beside enrages me when I see examples of it. If you are no longer being taught how to park properly in driving lessons and tested on it to obtain your license, someone needs to do something about it. I was taught to park every way possible and when it comes to doing it in the real world, I'm glad to be able to do it properly. I'm the guy who parks his car/van at the other end of an almost empty car park so nobody else will park near it. At work I have "my own" individual space (one I started using and never stopped) away from any others near the front door of the building. It's also monitored by CCTV (which I am in charge of) at all times, so if anyone does hit me on their way past or out of another space, they'll be paying for the repair because it'll have been recorded in full HD.
Coming back to blue badges, remember, if you are carrying a disabled passenger but, are not yourself disabled, you can only take advantage of the blue badge, to park somewhere you are not otherwise permitted, if the disabled person is going to get out of the car. If the able bodied driver is getting out but, not the disabled passenger, then you cannot use the badge. Many people choose to ignore this. "You should not use the badge to allow non-disabled people to take advantage of the benefits while you sit in the car. Although it is not illegal for a badge holder, or a non-disabled person waiting for the badge holder to return, to remain in the vehicle while the Blue Badge is displayed, consideration should be given to using a car park whenever possible." From: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...206022/blue-badge-rights-responsibilities.pdf
I know someone who fits that description. Has a sporty looking coupe, in his thirties, doesn't seem too bad when walking. Inside he's barely held together with metal bars and pins. Isn't able to walk too far, can't do much work and probably deals with a lot of pain.
Big Malc - He's in the driveway BETWEEN the parking spaces! In other news, I was once almost assaulted by a van driver who had parked across 2 disabled bays at the local Asda when I accosted him about it. This while I was pushing my (now late) mother IN HER WHEELCHAIR back to our properly & legally parked car with blue badge correctly displayed.
Our local Asda is in the same building as the cinema and so the disabled gaps are often full with people without badges who cant be arsed to park further away. My latest trick is to park my car and block them in. Only way out is forward over a double kerb. Twice I have been confronted when they have come out, but as I am 6ft and 16 stone people back down quite quickly. Not expected to be in a 'spaz chariot'. Most of the time I have done this however, the person has driven forward out of the gap over the double kerb and you should see the gouges left in the concrete Must have done some cracking damage to their car My partner has a chronic lung condition and she doesn't drive. I never use the badge when she is not in the car. She hates it when I block the cars in but its all on camera so if anyone does decide to come back and damage my car I got them for that too. Win Win.
Nevermind disabled, as long as they've got a legitimate blue badge. Family parking space however.......... It's like wider space for everyone, there's so many non-qualifying cars parked in those space. Sport cars, check. Coupe, check. Transit van, check. Lack of child seat, check. 1 or group of lads, check. Same as disabled, they should only be used by actual parents with their child in the car.
Similar sentiments with disabled vehicles it seems... what should preclude someone with a blue badge or a parent with a child from driving a sports car, coupe, van etc?
+1 I'm all for berating the bell ends who park inconsiderately, and I do have a cherished hatred for owners of unnecessary 4x4s (especially with low profiles and big rims), but some people are spending far too much time worrying about who is parking in restricted bays; without (seemingly) a shred of evidence to back up those concerns.
Are you saying there are people who actually drive a van as family car? I sure wouldn't want to lift child seats in and out of my 2 door coupe. I'm actually looking to upsize my car from 2 doors to 4 doors in next year or so to get ready to start a family. Everyone will judge no matter how much they deny it. One's choice of car actually says a lot about a person, especially when they have nice cars.
Are you saying there aren't? Is it completely inconceivable that mum drives the family car and dad has a van for his work and, occasionally, dad has to ferry their disabled child around in the van, because mum is working late/nipped out to Zumba class etc..?
Yes, there are plenty of families that rely on one for income and don't have the money to spare for an additional car, as well. Good for you. What about car seats that just stay in the back, that you don't have to lift in an out? Because the seats slide forward in a coupe, you may just find that it's easier than an equivalently sized 4-door. Especially when they have nice cars? What's a "nice" car? What does a "crap" car say about someone, and why does it say less than a "nice" car? Does that mean that everyone driving the same car is the same? Or at least has the same outlook? What do they all have in common? What does your 2 door coupe currently say about you? What will your next car say about you? When you purchase a different car, does that mean you're a different person? Sometimes a car is just a car.
What I mean by nice car is that they have a choice in their cars. In contrast, a "crap" car may mean it is the only one they can afford. Anyway, it seems saying the obvious, that people will judge based on first impression, is the wrong thing to say. I openly say I judge based on the car parked in the special spots and I judge based on how well it's parked. Here I was, thinking this is a lighthearted rant thread to rant about people parking inappropriately (and passing keyboard judgement on photos in the process). Scrutinizing every word doesn't seem lighthearted to me......
You should see the "Bad Parking" thread on Pistonheads, it's onto something like it's 6th Thread, because each one becomes so large it has to be removed before it causes a collapse in the space-time continuum,
^^ This The vehicle is irrelevant. Also what about the disabled person that needs a electric wheel chair ? they have to transport it in a larger vehicle like a van There is a guy down the road that has a van for that purpose he parks the van and then in his wheel chair he uses a lift at the back to get to street level.
You seem to presume to know all of the rationale and reasoning that goes into everyone's car purchase. You still haven't qualified a "crap" car... everyone has an affordability limit, whether that's £100 or £100k - where does the "crap" bracket end and the "nice" bracket start? Surely that's all in the eye of the beholder. Also note, a compromise for the sake of budget is not the same as one for the sake of affordability. People will absolutely judge on first impression, no argument with that and we all do it to a greater or lesser extent. To this point, you have failed to even approach acknowledgement that it's a moronic thing to do. Your previous post comes across as closed-minded at best and prejudiced at worst. Where can one call out BS when they see it if not the internet? Don't take this as a personal attack as it simply isn't intended as such. My agenda here is to inform and enlighten, so perhaps the next time you see a 30-something athletic-looking man step out of a sports car in a disabled bay you don't immediately jump to conclusions. By all means rain down fire and brimstone on him if it turns out he's not badged, even more so if he's using someone else's, but don't assume it immediately. Living with a mobility impairment is not an easy thing to do, and a-holes judging you because of entirely unrelated life choices does not help matters.
