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The Baywatch Campaign

Disabled bay abuse Baywatch logo
Baywatch Campaign logo
Abuse of car-parking spaces for disabled motorists generates frustration and anger and causes real, practical problems. The Baywatch campaign has the objective of doing something about it: we believe that there is no excuse for parking abuse. In addition, we'd like to see better parking facilities for disabled people, such as more bays, improved signage and tailored bays for particular vehicles.
 
The campaign has attracted widespread interest from disabled people, who regularly assist with nationwide surveys of abuse and supermarket customer feedback shows that it is a top concern amongst all customers.
 
Baywatch was founded by these campaigning organisations: The British Polio Fellowship,  Mobilise, and Disability Now. It has the support of the 'big four' supermarkets, the Department for Transport, the RAC and many others.
 
Baywatch is also partnered by Time To Get Equal, the human rights campaign for the UK's 10 million disabled people.
 
To date there have been 4 previous surveys, the first was carried out in 2002.
 
2007 Survey Results
 
Baywatch Campaign Survey 2007
SupermarketNo. access. baysNo.  of  cars in access. baysNo. with no blue badgeVacant bays% bays abused % car parks no free baysPoor staff response
Asda
2065
1873
482
120
23.34%
48.1%
64%
 Co-Op
76 
45
 18
 12
 23.68%
 25%
 50%
 Morrisons
 1632
 1325
 212
 324
 12.99%
 27.4%
 47%
 Sainsbury's
1709 
 1473
 318
 314
18.61% 
38.37% 
46% 
 Somerfield
60
 29
 6
 29
10% 
33% 
N/A 
 Tesco
4146 
 3422
 965
 677
 23.28%
 32.29%
 63%
 Waitrose
187 
 164
 12
 22
6.42% 
18.18% 
0% 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Summary:
 
  • More than 10,000 bays surveyed by
  • more than 500 people.
  • One in five accessible bays being used by non-blue badge holders - more than 2000 bays.
  • Asda & Tesco show higher levels of abuse than previous survey.
  • More than 1/3rd of supermarket car parks had no accessible bays available for disabled shoppers.
  • On average a high percentage of 'poor' or 'very poor' responses by staff to complaints of bay abuse.
  • Morrisons cut abuse from 19% to 13%
 
Supermarket responses:
 
  • Morrisons report that the company employs private firms to patrol their car parks on many of its sites
  • Sainsburys enforces its accessible bays and issues fines at 256 of its 455 stores
  • Asda was 'extremely shocked and disappointed' with the results, and pledged to re-brief its stores and staff, and ' take more care to police our car parks and encourage able-bodied customers to park in appropriate bays
  • Tesco have no plans at present to introduce more strict enforcement, but will fully investigate the survey findings
 
Ian Macrae, Disability Now's new editor, said: “The continuing failure of supermarkets to tackle abuse of blue badge bays is an ongoing disgrace. I`m amazed that people like the CEOs of Tesco and Asda aren`t squirming with embarrassment and thinking about whether this represents a failure on their part to meet their responsibilities, both to disabled customers and under the DDA.”
 
To find out more contact the Wokingham Borough Councils Access Officer.