I guess I am naive.
Because I still find myself shocked by the obvious abuse of the Blue Badge Scheme and the shamelessness of the abusers.
I know ..... it's a value judgement.
But when you are lifting a mobility scooter or wheelchair out of the back of the car and a smart young woman parks in the space next to you and skips off to do her shopping, you ask yourself what is happening here?
It seems to me that abuse in little things, like borrowing a Blue Badge from a relative and using it to get convenient parking in town or the supermarket car park, usually means that the individuals moral compass has slipped and they are as likely to abuse in other things as well.
Apparently Blue Badges are stolen in London because they have a high street value and can save the owner not only a good deal of money but also offer free access to the congestion charge area.
I once heard a stand up comedian on TV citing the abuse of the Blue Badge Scheme as symptomatic of wider ills in society.
His punchline was the ineffable, 'being fat and ugly may not be pleasant but it is NOT a disability'.
The Blue Badge is one of the privileges of living in a civilised society, it is designed to level the playing field for those with limited or no mobility, it also extends across Europe, so it is a privilege that belongs to the wider liberal democratic polity.
We have used our Blue Badge in Italy, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden and Spain.
One evening, driving through Tarifa in Southern Spain, we were looking for a hotel for the night, as we drove through we saw a Disabled Parking sign and an empty space right outside a Hotel, this was clearly a sign from St Christopher, Patron Saint of Travellers.
We parked, checked into the Hotel and asked if the space was OK to use.
Reassured, we left our car overnight, the next day as we got ready to move on, the Newsagent and Lotto Kiosk opposite was open, and, parked close to our rear bumper, was another car with a Blue Badge, taking advantage of the ability to park on Double Yellow lines which is afforded by the scheme.
As we loaded the wheelchair and got ready to leave the Kiosk attendant came out of the Kiosk in a wheelchair and a Senora, who was probably his wife we thought, came over to the car, she smiled a little grimly as we exchanged Hola's and then as we drove away pulled her car forward into the space.
Clearly we had pinched 'their' space. We were within our rights but we still felt a little guilty.
I have asked people without Blue Badges to move out of a disabled parking space but am becoming chary, even if I am right, of becoming involved in any kind of road or parking space rage.
By the same token I have been challenged.
Recently I parked in a Disabled Parking Bay and before I could get out of the car and before my wife had set the clock on her badge in order to display it, there was a tap on the window and a chap started accusing me of abusing the privilege etc.
It was only when I opened the door to unload the wheelchair that he backed down and even then was quite grudging in his apology.
It is a measure of how big a society is when people behave with propriety in the smaller as well as the larger matters that affect how we rub along with both neighbours and total strangers.
Because I still find myself shocked by the obvious abuse of the Blue Badge Scheme and the shamelessness of the abusers.
I know ..... it's a value judgement.
But when you are lifting a mobility scooter or wheelchair out of the back of the car and a smart young woman parks in the space next to you and skips off to do her shopping, you ask yourself what is happening here?
It seems to me that abuse in little things, like borrowing a Blue Badge from a relative and using it to get convenient parking in town or the supermarket car park, usually means that the individuals moral compass has slipped and they are as likely to abuse in other things as well.
Apparently Blue Badges are stolen in London because they have a high street value and can save the owner not only a good deal of money but also offer free access to the congestion charge area.
I once heard a stand up comedian on TV citing the abuse of the Blue Badge Scheme as symptomatic of wider ills in society.
His punchline was the ineffable, 'being fat and ugly may not be pleasant but it is NOT a disability'.
The Blue Badge is one of the privileges of living in a civilised society, it is designed to level the playing field for those with limited or no mobility, it also extends across Europe, so it is a privilege that belongs to the wider liberal democratic polity.
We have used our Blue Badge in Italy, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden and Spain.
One evening, driving through Tarifa in Southern Spain, we were looking for a hotel for the night, as we drove through we saw a Disabled Parking sign and an empty space right outside a Hotel, this was clearly a sign from St Christopher, Patron Saint of Travellers.
We parked, checked into the Hotel and asked if the space was OK to use.
Reassured, we left our car overnight, the next day as we got ready to move on, the Newsagent and Lotto Kiosk opposite was open, and, parked close to our rear bumper, was another car with a Blue Badge, taking advantage of the ability to park on Double Yellow lines which is afforded by the scheme.
As we loaded the wheelchair and got ready to leave the Kiosk attendant came out of the Kiosk in a wheelchair and a Senora, who was probably his wife we thought, came over to the car, she smiled a little grimly as we exchanged Hola's and then as we drove away pulled her car forward into the space.
Clearly we had pinched 'their' space. We were within our rights but we still felt a little guilty.
I have asked people without Blue Badges to move out of a disabled parking space but am becoming chary, even if I am right, of becoming involved in any kind of road or parking space rage.
By the same token I have been challenged.
Recently I parked in a Disabled Parking Bay and before I could get out of the car and before my wife had set the clock on her badge in order to display it, there was a tap on the window and a chap started accusing me of abusing the privilege etc.
It was only when I opened the door to unload the wheelchair that he backed down and even then was quite grudging in his apology.
It is a measure of how big a society is when people behave with propriety in the smaller as well as the larger matters that affect how we rub along with both neighbours and total strangers.
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