Blue badge holders call for a better parking system at RUH

BLUE badge holders are appealing for a more sympathetic process for parking at Bath’s Royal United Hospital (RUH) as confusion continues to result in parking fines for patients and their families.

The process for parking at the RUH, which requires blue badge holders to register their badge with reception upon arrival, has been described as confusing and inappropriate for people who may be in emotional distress visiting the hospital.

The son of a Melksham couple, Antony Comer, was issued with a number of parking fines after not realising that his mother’s blue badge needed to be registered with the hospital.

Antony and his mother frequently visited the hospital in December to visit his father who has vascular dementia and had been taken ill with pneumonia after a fall at home. Antony said, “On the first day that my father was admitted to hospital, there was terrible weather that made it hazardous for my 92-year-old mother to walk. My priority was to get my mother inside the hospital safely to see my father.

“I’ve never encountered a process like this before, so I assumed that displaying my mother’s blue badge in the car would be enough. It wasn’t until a few days later, when I spoke to a gentleman at the hospital who had been fined himself that I realised that I needed to register my mother’s blue  badge.

“After speaking to the gentleman, I did notice that there are signs in the car park instructing holders to register their badge, but in that moment when we arrived it was the last thing we were thinking about, especially as we have never had to do it before anywhere else. It is a confusing process and I do feel that the hospital are failing in their duty of care to protect vulnerable people.”

After receiving the fines, Antony followed the appeals process and Parking Eye – the company who run the parking scheme for RUH – have confirmed that all of Antony’s charges have been written off.

However, Antony still feels that something needs to be done to improve the parking experience for blue badge holders. Antony said, “They are using a modern system to recognise number plates, which is good for the police and identifying cars that are untaxed, but this system can’t see and doesn’t recognise blue badges on display. This is a shortfall on their system. If the system was fair it wouldn’t do this.

“I can appreciate that they want to get people who are parking illegally, but the current system is burdening people who have enough problems already.

“It worries me that there are people who don’t have the time to appeal, or don’t know how, and they are paying these charges. Disabled people shouldn’t be punished for trying to park.”

In response to questions about Antony’s charges and why blue badge holders have to register their badges, a ParkingEye spokesperson, said, “ParkingEye manages car parks on behalf of its clients and adheres to their parking policies. Blue badge holders can benefit from free parking at Royal United Hospital Bath by entering their vehicle registration into one of the terminals located in reception or by calling a designated number, as explained on multiple signs in the car park. In this case, three parking charge notices were issued because the driver’s blue badge was not registered. Following an appeal by the driver, and after being provided with their blue badge, we have cancelled the charges.”

Blue badges are issued by local authorities to people with severe mobility issues, allowing them to park close to where they need to go. The badge is intended for on-street parking and users are advised that off-street car parks, such as those at hospitals, are governed by separate rules.