Parking with a Blue Badge

For more information, visit the Parkinson’s UK website (last updated September 2022).

With a Blue Badge on display, you can park:

for free – at on-street parking meters and in Pay and Display bays (unless signs show a time limit for badge holders) and for as long as you need to if the local authority or council has a policy
without time limit – in streets where you would usually only be able to wait for limited periods
for a limited time – on single or double yellow lines for a maximum of three hours in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in some local authority areas in Scotland (you should check local rules), where there aren’t restrictions on loading or unloading. If you park somewhere with a time limit, always set the parking time clock on your Blue Badge to show the 15-minute period in which you arrived. You should get a parking clock with your Blue Badge or contact your local council to get one

Whenever you use a Blue Badge, you should make sure it’s displayed the right way up and is clearly visible through the windscreen. You should also check the Blue Badge hasn’t expired.

A Blue Badge doesn’t allow you to park:

on private roads
in off-street car parks, although some may provide spaces for disabled people. You should check the signs to see what concessions are available and whether Blue Badge holders have to pay
in certain town centres, where access is prohibited or limited to vehicles with special permits that are issued locally
in central London (City of London, City of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and parts of Camden), although some facilities are provided
on road systems at some airports. If you need to park at an airport, you should contact the airport before you travel to check the car-parking arrangements.

Your car should not be wheel-clamped if you display a current Blue Badge, but the police can remove the vehicle if it’s causing an obstruction. For example, if you’re parked on a single-lane road which is stopping other traffic from passing, or close to a junction where it would be difficult for other drivers to see you.

It’s an offence to display a Blue Badge if the disabled person is not, or has not been, in the vehicle. The only exception is if the driver is on the way to collect a disabled person or has just dropped them off.