Using your Blue Badge
Blue Badge holders can sometimes park for free and with no time limit at parking meters and pay and display street parking unless a local traffic order specifies a time limit and/or charge.
A Blue Badge will also let you park on single or double yellow lines for up to 3 hours, except where there is a ban on loading or unloading. When you park on yellow lines or in other places with a time restriction, you need to display the blue parking clock set to show your time of arrival.
There must be an interval of at least 1 hour before the same vehicle can be parked in the same road or part of a road again.
The Blue Badge must be displayed, together with the blue parking clock showing the quarter hour period of arrival so it is visible from outside.
Where can’t you use a Blue Badge?
You can’t use it:
- in places with a ban on loading or unloading (as indicated by 1 or 2 yellow marks on the kerb with times shown on the post mounted plates)
- where there are double white lines in the centre of the road, even if one of the lines is broken
- in a bus or tram lane during its hours of operation
- in a cycle lane
- on any clearway, double or single red lines during their hours of operation
- on Zebra, Pelican or Toucan crossings
- on zigzag markings before and after Zebra, Pelican or Toucan crossings
- in parking places reserved for specific users e.g. loading bays, taxis, cycles
- in suspended meter bays or when use of the meter is prohibited
- where temporary restrictions are in force, such as no-waiting cones
- on school 'keep clear' markings during the hours shown on a yellow no-stopping plate
- in certain town centres, where access is prohibited or limited to vehicles with special permits issued locally
- in some parts of Central London
- at some airports
- in off-street car parks. Some may provide spaces for disabled people, but you may have to pay
If you park where it may cause an obstruction or danger to other road users:
- your vehicle could be removed by the police
- you could be prosecuted and your Blue Badge withdrawn
Vehicles cannot be wheel clamped on the public highway for parking offences, provided a valid Blue Badge is correctly displayed on the vehicle. But if you park improperly on privately owned land, you may risk having your vehicle wheel clamped.
The vehicle must be moved if a police officer or a civil enforcement officer (previously called traffic wardens) in uniform requests it.