Christmas Shopping

I know it and you know it, in fact the whole country knows it, but a recent Christmas shopping trip was only successful in emphasising the amount of blue badge abuse that goes on in Britain today. We were driving around our local multi storey car park, one of the few accessible places to park in town and could we find a place to park? No, of course not because every man, woman and dog were out using their friends and relatives blue badges so they could get the best parking spots. What the population at large dont understand is that people like me, and possibly You, need these spaces not becuse I need to be a few yards nearer to where Im going, I need the space to get out the car. Thats right, say it again slowly to these people, TO. GET. OUT. OF. THE CAR. Eventually we found an ‘un-disabled’ space and had to take it or risk another half an hour looking for a space. As we sat there, parked opposite the disabled spaces we watched several middle aged people come trotting up with bags and bags of presents, pop them in the car and then head off for another round of spending. I wonder how long they had been walking around, and if measured, how many miles they had walked. My husband was incandessant and wanted to confront everyone he saw, while I sat there because I couldnt get out the car on my own anyway. Life’s like that, it throws these things at you and most of the time I smile and take a big breath becasue Im thinking of my blood pressure. I managed to get out with some serious man handling from my husband, who has now decided hes going to plonk notes on every car he sees without a badge or with a suspect user. Of course all these blue badge users seem to think its a god given right to park where they want when they want. No one considers it a crime if their daughter or son uses it for the day, but that is just what it is a criminal offence. These are people who would be horrified at the thought of drink driving but see the blue badge as a perk, whereas those of us who truly need one would rather not have such a perk in the first place. Its about time badges being checked regularly, some prosecutions were made and a naming and shaming of those involved. Until people realise that their abuse and selfishness has a real impact on some of us, it will never change. Unless blue badges stop being issued to anyone with a dodgy knee, it will continue to be the ‘right’ of the over 60s. Its time to realise that these are given as a privilege to those who need it, not as a right to those who think they are owed something by the system.