Abuse of disabled parking bays is on the rise

Disabled parking spaces are being routinely abused in Glasgow, possibly more so than ever.

Campaigners have hit out at the rising numbers of selfish motorists illegally parking in disabled bays after it was revealed Glasgow Council issued 2,500 fines to abusers.

To park in a disabled bay all motorists require an official blue badge proving they or those they care for are disabled.

But Inclusion Scotland and Disability Equality Scotland fear parking bay abuse is rising after the city issued 2,577 penalty notices last year.

Fines issued by the Glasgow Council have rocketed from 102 in 2013 to 1,989 in 2016 and more than 2,500 in 2017.

This is partly down to extra vigilant patrols but campaigners are calling for even tougher action.

Bill Scott, director of policy at Inclusion Scotland, said: “It’s a worrying trend and reflects the fact that people don’t think these spaces are necessary for those with disabilities.

“There’s a perception that everybody that gets a blue badge must be a wheelchair user when in fact many people with non-physical impairments are entitled to these badges.

“Without these spaces, disabled people can become trapped because they can’t access services such as shops, hospitals and GP surgeries.

“We have asked for stricter enforcement, so in some ways, these figures are encouraging as it shows that the council is taking the issue seriously. On the other hand, it may show that the problem is getting worse.”

More than £186,000 in fines have been handed out by enforcement officers in the city in the last five years.

Henry Hall who uses the hashtag #BlueBadgeAbuse on social media says it amount to theft.

"These selfish motorists are stealing the disabled space for the time they are in it if they are not a registered Blue Badge user," he said. "If these motorists routinely abuse disabled parking, how do they treat disabled people in other aspects of their lives? That's the issue."

A spokesman for Disability Equality Scotland said: “The number of people that have been fined for parking in disabled bays without blue badges is alarming yet these figures from Glasgow are only the tip of the iceberg.

“There is nothing to make us believe that the public who abuse disabled parking bays are doing so unknowingly.

“We strongly feel that there are two elements to reducing disabled parking bay abuse; firstly, clear enforcement law and secondly, effective parking enforcement.”

Glasgow has 260 off-street disabled bays in car parks and 2,670 blue badge spaces around the streets of the city.

A spokesman said: “We are making a concerted effort to ensure disabled parking bays in our car parks and on city streets are used appropriately at all times.

“Where ever we identify a car in a disabled parking bay without a valid blue badge we will take the necessary action.

“Preventing the fraudulent use of blue badges is a clear focus of our enforcement regime."