The blue badge scheme
The blue badge scheme is for people with severe mobility problems, and it allows blue badge holders to park close to where they need to go.
How to display your badge
The blue badge and the blue parking disc (clock) must be displayed on the dashboard or facia panel. The front of the blue badge must face upwards, showing the wheelchair symbol (the side showing the photograph should not be visible through the windscreen). The blue parking disc (clock) must show the time of arrival (the quarter hour period during the time of arrival).
Where you can park
There are many parking facilities in Warrington for disabled drivers who hold a valid blue badge. However, blue badge holders must always check the signs to see if any restrictions apply before parking.
Yellow Lines
Blue badge holders may park on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours (except where there are loading / unloading restrictions which are indicated by yellow kerb markings and time plates).
Blue badge holders must wait for at least one hour after a previous period of parking, before they can park the same vehicle in the same road / part of a road, on the same day.
Disabled parking bays
The driver must park the vehicle wholly within a marked bay.
Blue badge holders should always try to use these bays instead of parking on yellow lines.
Where you cannot park
The blue badge is not a licence to park anywhere. Like other road users, you must obey the rules of the road, as laid out in the Highway Code. You must not park:-
In places where a ban on loading / unloading is in force, as indicated by yellow kerb markings and time plates.
In parking places reserved for specific users such as resident’s bays, loading bays, taxi bays and cycle bays.
On clearways (no stopping), on a bus stop clearway during its hours of operation, on pedestrian crossings including areas marked by zig-zag lines, on school ‘keep clear’ markings during the hours shown on a yellow no-stopping plate.
Care should also be taken to ensure that your vehicle does not obstruct other road users.
Further information
It is a criminal offence for blue badge holders or anyone else to misuse the badge, and doing so could lead to a £1,000 fine. Making sure that the scheme is not abused will benefit genuine badge holders.
The blue badge holder must ensure that the details on the front of the badge remain legible, if they become unreadable through fading or wear and tear, the badge holder must return the badge to their issuing council who will issue them with a new badge. Displaying a badge that is illegible will result in a Penalty Charge Notice being issued.
The blue badge holder must apply for a new badge from their issuing council some weeks before it runs out. Displaying a blue badge that has expired will result in a Penalty Charge Notice being issued.
More information on 'The Blue Badge Scheme - rights and responsibilities in England' can be found here
To apply for a blue badge you can request an application form from:
Contact Warrington (One Stop Shop)
26-30 Horsemarket Street
Warrington
WA1 1XL
(Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm, (4pm on Tuesday), Saturday, 9am - 1pm).
Or, 01925 443322
(Monday to Friday, 8am - 6pm, Saturday 9am - 1pm).