Gig Buddies Blog

Blue Badges and how To Avoid Parking Fines!

Here’s a quick note to give some guidance on where you can and can’t park in Sussex when you’re out and about with your Gig Buddy. Its particularly aimed at people with Blue Badges, parking in Sussex can be a minefield as it is, add in a blue badge and you could be in for a whole world of confusion!!

The traffic wardens around Sussex can be particularly ruthless and there’s nothing worse than going to an awesome gig only to return to your car with a parking ticket slapped on the wind screen.

It includes the single yellow line rules, with what the mysterious and often elusive ‘yellow blip’ markings on kerbs mean.

If you don’t have a blue badge, just use your common sense and park in a designated area. Check if youre in a ‘pay and display’, ‘permit holder only’ or a ‘shared bay (these are bays that can be used for pay and display or permit holders, picture below).

It’s not always that obvious so just be careful. I literally got a ticket within the first 6 hours of moving to Brighton!!

Also if you don’t have a blue badge remember that you can claim back any parking expenses from Gig Buddies. Just follow this link:

https://www.gigbuddies.org.uk/current-gig-buddy-volunteers-page/

Top Blue Badge Tips

Make sure that your badge and time disc are clearly displayed and that the badge is facing the right way. The front of the badge has the wheelchair symbol on it. This might seem obvious but like I said, the traffic wardens are ruthless so they need to see it clearly!

Where can you park with a Blue Badge?

In Sussex, you can park in:

  • disabled bays (with the exception of personalised disabled bays which may only be used by the disabled permit holder)
  • pay & display bays
  • shared use bays – like I said, these are bays that can be used for pay and display or permit holders.

You may also park on a single or double yellow line for up to 3 hours as long as there is not a loading restriction marked by the DREADED BLIPS shown below:

 

 

 

A single yellow line with a loading ban will have a single kerb marking. Double yellow lines will have a double kerb marking.

For a single yellow line, a sign on the street will tell you what times the loading ban is in place.

Confusing? Yes!! if you need to park on double yellows, Yellow Blips Beware! Be really careful and check the pavement.

With a blue badge can you park for free of charge in car parks?

Car parks throughout Sussex conveniently have different policies on disabled parking. All the car parks have signs so scout them out when you get there. Its not a given you can park for free in all of them, even if you’re a Gig Buddy!

The law on blue badges says they’re not accepted in private car parks unless the car park rules clearly say otherwise. Some just don’t say what their policy is either way so people assume it’s ok. Never assume it’s ok, unless it clearly says you can, then you can’t.

It’s worth noting that in general private car parks and controlled private land enforce very strongly (it’s one way the make all their money!). So it’s very rare to get a parking ticket overturned – much more unlikely than in any council parking.

 You should also avoid parking in: 

Appealing for an unfair ticket

Brighton and Hove Citizen’s Advice have worked on lots of cases on both and can often get them overturned by pleading mitigating circumstances to the council, but private firms aren’t so generous.

If you end up with a ticket and you believe it’s been unfairly issued then do contact your local Citizen’s Advice. We know our friends at our local one in Brighton and Hove are happy to help.

A massive thanks to our friends at Citizens Advice Brighton & Hove for further advice on this article. They have a fair bit of experience in supporting people to challenge unjust, and unfair parking tickets.

Park carefully

So, in a nutshell, blue badges are really useful but its all also very easy to come a cropper if you’re not careful…

Basically, check the restrictions on your bay, watch out for the Dreaded Yellow Blips and hopefully the traffic wardens will be nice to you!!