Blue Badge holders risk fines or even losing their permit if they break little-known parking rules, including where the badge can and cannot be used. Guidance on MYGOV.SCOT warns “you may be fined or prosecuted if you misuse a badge” adding “your local council may ask for your badge to be returned if you misuse it”.
People with a disability, physical or mental health issue which affects their walking ability, or have a hidden condition such as dementia, autism or Parkinson's, may be eligible for a Blue Badge to help them park closer to the places they want to go. A Blue Badge holder travelling either as a driver or passenger, can park for free in disabled parking bays and may also be exempt from other parking restrictions. The latest figures indicate there are over three million Blue Badge holders across Great Britain, including 235,700 in Scotland.
Places you cannot park with a Blue Badge
The guidance on MYGOV.SCOT states: “Having a Blue Badge does not mean you can park anywhere.”
You cannot park:
- In loading bays unless nearby signs specify time limits for badge holders
- Where there are one or two yellow markings on the kerb - unless nearby signs say badge holders are allowed to park at that time
- In parking places reserved for specific users such as residents or taxis
- On pedestrian crossings and zigzag lines
- At clearways (no stopping)
- At bus stops
- On urban clearways within their hours of operation
- On double or single red lines during their hours of operation
- At school 'keep clear' markings during the hours shown
- On a yellow no-stopping plate
- In bus, tram or cycle lanes
- Where there are double white lines in the centre of the road, even if one of the lines is broken
- At suspended meter bays or when use of the meter is not allowed
- Where there are temporary parking restrictions, like roadworks or no-waiting cones
Other common misuses of a Blue Badge
The guidance also highlights other rules Blue Badge holders must follow.
You must not:
- Let other people use your Blue Badge if you’re not with them - even if they’re doing something for you like collecting shopping or medication
- Use your Blue Badge to sit in a parked vehicle and wait for another person
- Display a Blue Badge in a way that makes it unreadable from outside the vehicle
- Use a Blue Badge that has expired
- Use a Blue Badge if you are no longer eligible
- Tamper with a Blue Badge
- Make a copy of your Blue Badge
Where you can use a Blue Badge
You can use your Blue Badge to park if you are driving and are getting out of the vehicle, or a passenger being picked up or dropped off.
You can park for free in pay and display bays, disabled parking spaces, parking meter spaces, and on single or double yellow lines if there are no loading restrictions and it is safe to do so.
There are usually spaces reserved for Blue Badge holders in car parks. Car parks set their own rules for Blue Badge holders including where you can park, how long you can park for, if you need a ticket, how much you need to pay, and if you need to use a parking clock.
When you are parked your Blue Badge must be completely visible from outside the vehicle and have the side of the card that says ‘Front - display this way up’ facing up. Only police officers and local council parking attendants and enforcement officers have the right to check your Blue Badge.
Transport Scotland issues a full guide to using your Blue Badge when you receive the parking permit for the first time or renew it. The guidance on MYGOV.SCOT has the latest updates and can be viewed online.
Blue Badge automatic qualification
You will automatically qualify for a Blue Badge in Scotland if you:
- are under 16 and have a letter confirming your eligibility from your visual impairment care team
- are 16 or over and registered or certified as severely sight impaired
- get the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and scored 8 points or more in the 'moving around' area of your assessment
- get PIP and scored 12 points in the 'planning and following a journey' area of your assessment
- get PIP and used to get the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA on an indefinite or lifetime basis
- get PIP, used to get the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA, and your PIP decision is being appealed
- get Adult Disability Payment (ADP) and have been awarded either 8 points or more in the moving around activity or 12 points in the planning and following a journey activity or enhanced rate mobility without reference to points
- get the higher rate of the mobility component of Child Disability Payment
- get War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement
- got a lump sum payment from tariffs 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability
If you are not automatically eligible, you may be able to get a Blue Badge in certain circumstances, if you have a substantial disability lasting at least 12 months that means you cannot walk at all, have a substantial disability lasting at least 12 months that means you're virtually unable to walk, regularly drive and cannot use parking meters because of a severe disability in both arms, are responsible for a child under 3-years-old who needs to be kept close to a vehicle for medical treatment, are responsible for a child under 3-years-old who uses bulky medical equipment that cannot be carried around, or have a mental health condition that means you lack awareness about the danger of traffic when making journeys.
