Blue badge query

That's silly. It's the Council who issue Blue Badges and it would be a Parking Warden who gave you a ticket - nothing to do with the hospital!

I wish there was somewhere you could phone to get a definitive answer - hospital says to ask the council - council says to ask the hospital!

You would be breaking the law if you dropped your father and then parked using your Blue Badge, regardless of the yellow line regulations. If you were spotted (and there are people and cctv cameras all over the place) it means immediate confiscation of the badge and possible court action. Your father would then have to go and claim the badge back. You would have to explain why you acted as you did and the local authority would decide whether to prosecute. (Can you tell it has happened? DIL used mum's badge to park after dropping her off. Took ages to sort out!)

In Scotland, the blue badge rules state that: "You must never give the badge to family or friends to allow them to park for free, even if they are collecting shopping for you.
It is a criminal offence to misuse the badge, the badge user must be in the car. Doing so can lead to £1000 fine and confiscation of the badge.

I would park on double yellow lines displaying blue badge and if challenged explain the situation. However, my understanding is that the badge holder needs to be in the car when you park so one solution would be to have a wheelchair to cover the distance between parking slot and the hospital if this is possible? My mother offers me her badge if I am doing her shopping without her but of course I refuse it as I don't think that is appropriate but she doesn't agree! You do hear of terrible abuse of the scheme - I heard of a son using his father's badge to enable him to park up in London for the day (without his father!).

The Blue badge handbook states that the blue badge schemes does not fully apply in four central boroughs. They operate their own individual parking concessions.

eddie could you drive to somewhere nearer the hospital where you can park, and get a taxi from there?

I think it varies from place to place. A friend got a wopping fine for parking on yellow lines in London, where it isn't permitted, even though it is not a problem locally.

My daughter and I regularly park outside the back of the hospital, on double yellow lines. Its a shorter walk to the departments she needs. The only time she got a ticket was when she had parked on the section marked 'permit holders only'. It all does seem confusing though.

Bloody phone.

I've and obstruction!

Ice dropped DS and then parked a distance away. As it happened a traffic warden was passing so I asked him. He said it was fine so long as I wasn't causing an instruction.

Round here people who need transport for hospital apps etc can use volunteer drivers paying about £4 per trip. I would check with RVS, AgeUk or ask at the hospital.

Thanks everyone - I`m finding it pretty impossible to find anyone official willing to give me a definite answer. Sadly a taxi is not an option as we are 20 miles from the hospital and it would cost a fortune
At our small community hospital there is plenty of parking but we have to go further for many of his appointments

Just to say, a friend parked on a yellow ( actually red, not yellow)lines, but means the same thing at our hospital, and did get into trouble ( even though displaying her blue badge) she apologised and got out if it but was told never to do it again , so you should really check with the hospital first.

Thanks Galen. I'll pass that to my sister

No problem on double or single yellow lines as long as they haven't got regular two cross hatches at regular intervals, and you are displaying a blue badge

Could you check with your local council parking department, or police community support officer.
I was in Wales recently, where you can park with no payment or time limit, providing your blue badge is on display.
I wish this was the case in England

I would be careful. My husband had a blue badge and still sometimes got parking tickets. Would it be possible to go by taxi instead? It's always difficult to drop off a frail or disabled patient, find a parking space and get back to the patient. When I was working in a London hospital we always advised people not to drive - options were public transport (if fit enough), taxi or hospital transport (ambulance).

As long as you display the blue badge there shouldn't be a problem - I know what it's like at my local hospital, pitifully few disabled parking spaces and all full when you get there.

Ana - the problem is that I know local residents get very irate about hospital users parking on the surrounding roads so it is possible that wardens are checking. I think I will have to just risk it though. I have been trying to track down a phone number or contract details to get some "official" advice but can`t find anything

I honestly don't think it would be a problem eddiecat.

What would the authorities expect you to do?
And is anyone going to check anyway?

It`s very difficult. If possible 2 of us take him to appointments so that one can be dropped off with him and stay with him whilst the other hunts for a parking space but I can`t always find someone to come with me. If I am on my own I need to drop him off in reception and hope he won`t get lost (he`s 94) while I park, so I want to be as near as poss so I can get back to him quickly. But I can see that it would look wrong that an able bodied person is parking on yellow lines

I think you do need to have the said disabled person in the car when you park.

Dropping the person off and parking round the corner with the blue badge may not count. Do check it out.

eddiecat I think you're not likely to get into trouble - just display the badge while you're parked on the yellow line.

The badge is meant to be for the benefit of the disabled person and you, as his driver, are entitled to park wherever you can to enable him to get to his appointment.

I just got my badge renewed yesterday, much to my relief.
I was reading the handbook to check for you.
"In Scotland, badge holders may park on single and double yellow lines for as long as they need and it is safe to do so, unless there are restrictions on loading or unloading-indicated by yellow kerb dashes and/or signs on plates. Elsewhere in the UK, there is a limit of three hours. Parts of central London are different and you must check with local authority."
In saying that, one of the hospitals I attend has only a few spaces and I have to park in a hotel nearby for £2 hour! Hope this helps.

That is bad - small car park at a hospital. Ours has a big (but expensive car park)and there are lots of disabled places that do not require blue badge, to take account of orthopaedic patients who are temporarily on crutches.