Tesco cracks down on illegal blue badge parking
Tesco has come up with an innovative approach to clamping down on drivers who try to park in disabled spots without a blue badge.
The supermarket chain has provided its car park attendants with special gadgets able to check whether motorists have the right permit to use the spaces.
These devices link up to official records kept by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) so that drivers parking illegally can be detected.
If a car is found to belong to someone without a blue badge, attendants are able to send a fine directly to the driver’s home address.
Clampdown on parking cheats
There have been growing efforts in recent years to try to clamp down on motorists using spaces designated for people with disabilities.
These include replacing the old handwritten parking permits with plastic badges bearing holograms, which are thought to be harder to counterfeit.
The running of eligibility tests has also been taken over by local councils from GPs, who were said to be taking an inconsistent approach to making decision on blue badges.
It is a problem of particular concern given that many of those who require the spaces are ex-servicemen and women who have been seriously injured in the field.
Abuse of the system has prompted complaints from both disabled and able-bodied shoppers.
Parking problems
Paralympian cyclist Simon Richardson is just one of those to have spoken out in recent years about the problems that disabled people face when trying to park their car.
He said that many people with disabilities have to structure their lives around the likelihood of being able to find a free space, and that he has to time trips to the supermarket to ensure he can find a blue badge space.
The decision to introduce the handheld gadgets at Tesco was taken by the chain’s car park operations manager, who has said she has a personal reason for doing so.
Cat Parkinson said her parents both taught at a school for pupils with special needs, giving her first-hand experience of the needs of those with disabilities.
She explained: “The new self-monitoring scheme allows stores to better control their car park, to help protect the disabled bays. This makes parking at Tesco fairer for everyone.”
11 Comments
“attendants are able to send a fine directly to the driver’s home address”
I am assuming that being private land, this is not legally a FINE, and referring to it as such is incorrect, it is private land , is it not?
Blue badges are not as I understand it , valid on private land , this is at the discretion of the landowner .So I would assume this is a breach of a civil contract and therefore not a fineable offence.
All that said, anyone who abuses disabled parking spaces deserves everything that they get
On a Sunday afternoon at 5pm(closing time) I had to go to car because at the check out I’d realised I’d left my payment card in car,i left trolly with staff went to get card to pay f
or shopping,becase tesco closed
Previous post Unfinished,i moved car closer to the store only open shutters to gain ease loading shopping(I’m severely disabled) and waiting to pay £10 this week for my delivery of blue badge
Didn’t finish message,so moved car nearer even few tesco staff told me it’s fine me parking there as store closed now jthey were actually waiting for me to hurry out store.a after shopping in boot£100 fine no sign of attebd pay,any
Yeah fair enough about disabled parking. What about the parking for family’s with pushchairs. People park in those designated spaces all the time, having twins aged 2 its difficult getting out vehicles in normal spaces. I rarely park in disabled spaces out of respect. But some times there isn’t a space near by.
Blue badge issued to person not vehicle so how does DVLA know which vehicle person is using not all blue badge owners are drivers
Blue Badges are issued to a person who is disabled not to a ” CAR ” therefore a disabled person is allowed to park in a disabled parking space although the ” CAR ” they are in is not registered to them. My Daughter-in-Law is disabled but is unable to drive and has to be driven everywhere in a vehicle which is not owned by or belongs to her . I suggest Tesco’s rethink their policy !!!!!
If you have your DIL ‘s disability badge with you regardless of which car you are in you will not be fined as long as it’s displayed .. Just make sure what ever car you DIL is travelling in she takes the blue badge with her
My friend is disabled and goes out in various cars and just carries his blue badge with him ..
Fines will only be sent to cars that DO NOT DISPLAY the blue badge
I am 72 and disabled I am totally sick of drivers including taxi’s parking in disabled bays without blue badges. leaving me with the severe pain of walking from the far side of the car park
I think charities like Disability Direct or Age UK should be able to help blue badge holders out by giving us car parking tickets to slap on those irresponsible people who park without, and if the fine is not paid the charity should then be able to pass the details on to DVLA for action.
Even the local councils who supply the badges could get involved in the same way.
Taxi with disabled passenger should drop off near door and move to regular parking space to await their fare coming out then move back for the pick-up.
A supermarket car park such as Tesco’s is not private land, as the public has unrestricted access to it. If it were private land then anyone using it, either as a pedestrian or a motorist, would be liable to prosecution for trespass.
Thanks to the terrific guide