New Blue Badge Laws

About the Blue Badge

The Blue Badge (previously called the Orange Badge) is the common name for the 'Parking card for Disabled People'. It offers particular parking concessions to those who fall within certain categories of physical and sensory disability. It operates across the European Union and is regulated in this country by the Department for Transport (DfT), which stipulates the qualifying categories. There are currently seven qualifying categories.

The holder of a Blue Badge is able to park on-street (subject to certain conditions) without charge in areas where others would have to pay a parking fee or could incur a parking fine. The Blue Badge can be used in any vehicle in which the holder is being conveyed; the holder does not have to be the driver. For more information about the Blue Badge scheme, please visit the DfT website.

The legislation which specifies the qualifying categories is the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 and the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) (Amendment No.2) Regulations 2007. This legislation came into force on 15th October 2007.

View the DirectGov Blue Badge Map

Blue Badge

Introducing the BBNav

Freedom to Explore BBNav is the first dedicated Blue Badge sat-nav solution specifically designed to support disabled drivers and those caring for the disabled, such as their families or carers. BBNav includes all of the features found on a standard sat-nav but has been enhanced to provide detailed information to support Blue Badge holders including: • On-street disabled parking bays • Disabled accessible car parks • Local council Blue Badge parking concessions • Points of interest to support people with disabilities including: - Radar toilets - Accessible accommodation - Accessible beaches - Shomobility centers Blue Badge On-Street Parking Database BBNav features the most comprehensive database of Blue Badge on-street parking available. This also allows you to locate and navigate directly to over 10,000 on street parking bays, including Blue Badge and Red Route bays. This unique feature can save not only time but can also take out the uncertainty when driving around and searching for a car parking space. Blue Badge Disabled Access Carpark Database BBNav also includes a database of over 3,500 disabled access carparks. To ensure you can find the right type of car park for your specific needs, most are graded from 1 to 3: Grade 1 being suitable for wheelchair users traveling independently; Grade 2 for wheelchair users traveling with assistance and Grade 3 for wheelchair users or those with some degree of mobility, able to walk a limited distance. BBNav also provides information about any height restrictions above 2.2 meters, which can be extremely useful if you are driving a converted vehicle for example.

BBNav Website

BBNav