Bay watch... survey reveals widespread parking bay misuse in the UK

The study, conducted by the online parking platform YourParkingSpace and surveying over 2,000 people, revealed that 69% had witnessed misuse of disabled parking bays. Of these respondents, 18% ‘always’ see non-blue badge holders using the spaces, 29% see it ‘sometimes,’ and 22% ‘occasionally’*.

Similarly, the survey found that 68% of respondents had witnessed misuse of parent-and-child parking spaces. 19% reported seeing it ‘always,’ while 28% saw it ‘sometimes’ and 22% ‘occasionally’ *.

Andy Syrett, UK Managing Director at YourParkingSpace, which lists thousands of rentable driveways across the UK commented: "It appears some drivers have a complete disregard for disabled parking and parent and child parking, believing they have a right to use the spaces when they don’t.

"However, this doesn’t mean that most drivers flout these rules - it’s likely a small group of repeat offenders contributing to the problem, while the majority respect designated parking spaces."

Regionally, Scotland tops the unwanted list for parent-and-child parking misuse, followed closely by Yorkshire and The Humber, the North West, the South West, and Northern Ireland.

Instances of disabled parking misuse without a blue badge are highest in Yorkshire and The Humber, followed closely by Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the South East of England.

Meanwhile, the top five cities where people have seen parent and child parking misuse are Liverpool, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester, while for disabled parking misuse it is Southampton, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and Cardiff.

Andy added: “We’d urge drivers to show respect to their fellow motorists and only park where they are allowed. If drivers are struggling to find somewhere convenient to park, then perhaps they should consider renting a driveway which can be booked for hourly, and up to monthly, sessions.”

For more information about YourParkingSpace, visit www.yourparkingspace.co.uk.

*Percentages rounded

For access to full data tables. including regional insights, please visit the following Dropbox link.