Memorandum from the Mayor of London (BBS
08)
SUMMARY
Blue Badge parking arrangements are very important
to disabled and older people, who cannot use public transport
to access London on an equal basis. The current exemption of much
of central London from these provisions presents a significant
barrier to equal access as well as being inconsistent and confusing.
The Mayor believes that this exemption should be removed and provision
harmonised across London. Arrangements should be put in place
to ensure that the scheme targets the people that need it and
to prevent abuse of the system.
INTRODUCTION
1. The Greater London Authority welcomes
the opportunity to respond to the Transport Select Committee's
inquiry into The Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Reform Strategy.
One of the key equality themes underpinning the Mayor's vision
to develop London as an exemplary, sustainable world city; is
to provide responsive and accessible means of transport for all,
including disabled Londoners. Transport for London have contributed
to this evidence and the below information represents their views
as well as the views of the Mayor of London.
2. The relationship between transport, accessibility
and social inclusion is closely linked. Transport plays a key
role in improving quality of life through access to basic services
and activities such as work, learning, healthcare, food, shops,
social, cultural and sporting activities.
3. Improving social inclusion is central
to the role of the Blue Badge by enabling badge holders to park
close to their destination and access services and facilities.
Developments in this area are important to Transport for London
(TfL), which is undertaking a range of initiatives to improve
the accessibility of transport and transport services for disabled
people.
4. The exemption of Central London boroughs
from the national Blue Badge parking scheme has been an issue
raised with the Mayor on a regular basis by disabled and older
Londoners. Although considerable progress has been made in making
the bus system in London accessible to disabled people, there
are still a significant number of people who cannot make full
use of the public transport network. The current restrictions
on parking for blue badge holders in central London make it very
difficult for them to access the facilities that the rest of us
take for granted.
5. In 2004 the Mayor made a manifesto commitment
to: "Harmonise Blue Badge Provision across London: Working
with the boroughs we will harmonise concessions to national blue
badge holders visiting central London and work towards an agreed
assessment and appeals process" The differences in parking
provisions between boroughs and the lack of clarity of where Blue
Badge exemptions do or do not apply are also a major cause of
concern. The Mayor is committed to harmonising Blue Badge provision
in Central London and ensuring that disabled and older people
that are only able to access areas of London by car are able to
do this on an equal basis across the capital.
RESPONSE TO
THE INQUIRY'S
QUESTIONS
Should the assessed eligibility criteria be changed,
and if so, how?
6. The Mayor welcomes proposals that would
provide the necessary assistance for children to qualify for a
badge on the basis of a specific medical condition or on the basis
of the Assessed Eligibility Criteria, rather than on age. Although
a new circular was issued by the DfT in September 2007 that allows
for those under two with specific circumstances to be included,
this is not consistently applied. Some local authorities allow
for children under 2 with certain serious medical conditions requiring
the transportation of bulky medical equipment or who need to be
kept near a vehicle at all times in order to be treated in the
vehicle or to be taken immediately to a place where they can be
treated.
7. The Mayor supports the extension of the
Blue Badge scheme to disabled people, who face significant barriers
to using public transport but who are not currently eligible.
This includes people labelled as having severe learning difficulties
and challenging behaviour.
Should the minimum badge issue period be lowered
from the current three years?
8. The Mayor welcomes proposals that would
provide the necessary assistance to those with temporary impairments,
ie lasting less than 3 years. However, it is important to ensure
any changes are consistently applied by Local Authorities.
Should the London Concession (the regulations
that exempt the four central London boroughs from the national
Blue Badge Scheme) be redrawn so that it is aligned with the London
Congestion Charge Zone (recognising the zone may alter in size)?
Are there any other changes, which should be made
to the concessions associated with a blue badge?
9. The Mayor believes that Blue Badge provision
should be harmonised across London and that the Central London
Exemption from the national Blue Badge scheme should be with withdrawn.
Any plans to reduce the area in which the exemption exists is
to be welcomed.
10. The Mayor believes that if there are
any changes to the Blue Badge, it is important to ensure that
the validity of the badge remains quick and easy to confirm by
visual inspection. With the widespread and increasing use of camera
enforcement of parking contraventions (brought about by the Traffic
Management Act 2004), TfL suggests that consideration should be
given to alternatives as to how Blue Badges are displayed, so
that camera operators can more easily identify the badge from
a distance. In this way, misuse of disabled persons' parking bays,
in particular, can be more effectively enforced for the benefit
of genuine users.
11. Furthermore, the enforcement of abuse
and misuse of Blue Badges would be easier if the database contained
details of all valid badges, rather than only known invalid ones.
Therefore, it is recommended that the DfT consider the implementation
of a nationwide lost, stolen and fraudulent Blue Badge database
within a UK-wide database of all Blue Badges which would be accessible
in real-time or near real-time by enforcement authorities.
12. The Mayor believes that to ease enforcement
and detection of inappropriate use, it would be helpful to employ
a consistent technology base for Blue Badges throughout local
authorities, for example through the introduction of radio frequency
identification (RFID) or bar-coding which can be machine-read
by enforcement staff to detect potentially fraudulent use. Whilst
this is a longer term solution to the problems of abuse, the DfT
should set in train a review to establish a framework for such
technology. This should be linked to establishment of a nationwide
Blue Badge database to help control their issue and use.
March 2008
| 
