Council launches ‘Be Kind, Park with Disability in Mind’ Blue Badge Parking Space Campaign

Members of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Access and Inclusion Advisory Group have launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the importance of Blue Badge Parking Spaces. The campaign will highlight the issues around misuse of Blue Badge Parking Spaces.

The Access & Inclusion Advisory Group is made up of volunteers who have a disability as well as elected members. Volunteers provide advice and guidance to elected members and council officers, ensuring that council services are more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities.

The ‘Be Kind, Park with Disability in Mind’ campaign recently conducted a survey to help identify the extent of the problem within the district. Out of over 270 responses, 94% of people had experienced someone parked in a Blue Badge Parking Space with no badge displayed and 86% said that this had prevented them from finding one to park in.

Feedback from the survey outlines how misuse of Blue Badge Parking Spaces prevents people from accessing shops, cafes and other local services. Over 60% of the survey participants had not been able to access a shop or café because someone who was not entitled to park in a Blue Badge Parking Space had parked there. The misuse of these spaces made 52% of people feel disrespected, 57% upset, 63% angry and 52% more tired from having to park further away from the venue.

To help combat the misuse of Blue Badge Parking Spaces, the Access & Inclusion Advisory Group will engage with the public through videos, press and social media posts. The aim is to show the reality for Blue Badge holders trying to access parking, to challenge the public to think about the impact of their actions and to advise that Blue Badge Parking Spaces are a lifeline to many.

The feedback to the survey highlighted the situations that people face due to the misuse of Blue Badge Parking Spaces. This includes children with autism being put in danger from traffic in car parks, people missing out on meeting friends to socialise and some being verbally abused because they ‘didn’t look disabled’. One individual expressed that they get a ‘sense of excitement’ when they get a space as most times, they fail to find one.

When launching the campaign, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor John McClaughry, said

‘Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to creating a shared and inclusive district and the work completed by the Access and Inclusion Advisory Group for this campaign helps to achieve this.

It is clear that the misuse of Blue Badge Parking Spaces is an issue within the district and this project will highlight the importance of Blue Badge Parking Spaces and how they provide safety, independence and wellbeing to the badge holders.

The campaign will emphasise the fact that those who misuse Blue Badge Parking are causing inconvenience, disappointment and sometimes physical pain to people with disabilities.

I have no doubt this campaign will result in more mindful parking and improved consideration of those who require Blue Badge Parking Spaces, and as a result our District will be a more inclusive and welcoming community.’

For updates on the campaign please visit www.fermanaghomagh.com or email disability@fermanaghomagh.com