People using disabled parking bays in Birmingham more than '10 times' per day
Selfish motorists are abusing disabled parking bays in a West Midlands city more than 10 times a day.
Spaces set aside for disabled drivers are being hogged by inconsiderate motorists – with the worst offending being on some of Birmingham city centre’s busiest streets.
Last year, parking wardens issued more than 4,000 fines to thoughtless drivers – who had to fork out up to £70 each time.
Disability rights campaigners say it’s all too common for disabled drivers to have to quit their plans after find that bays have been wrongly occupied.
Figures on drivers parking in the spaces without a blue badge were revealed by Birmingham City Council in response to a Freedom of Information Request.
In 2019/20, there were 4,059 penalty charge notices (PCNs) handed out for drivers parking in spaces reserved for disabled people in city streets and car parks without a blue badge.
As of last month, the authority had received a total of £128,566 for fines.
Drivers using disabled bays without a blue badge was described as "extremely frustrating" by Tony Willis, chair of the Access Birmingham group which works with the city council and campaigns on accessibility issues in the city.
Mr Willis said: "Abuse of Blue Badge parking is an everyday challenge for disabled people.
"It’s not just proximity to where you need to be but also the unique design of the bays which means wheelchair users can get out of their cars at all.
"When disabled parking bays are full, many of us frequently end up having to abandon our plans and go home.
"Seeing drivers use our bays without a badge is extremely frustrating."
A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: "It is an offence to park in a disabled parking space if you are not in possession of a blue badge.
"Disabled parking spaces are allocated to ensure that people who have mobility problems have enough space to exit their vehicle, and do not have to travel a significant distance to their destination – be that a train station or a shopping centre.
"We urge those who do not have blue badge permits to find an alternative space, leaving disabled parking free for those that it is intended for and need it most."
