Disabled spaces

[tonyflynn1]

These people make my blood boil

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/tm_objectid=14364193%26method=full%26siteid=50143% 26headline=parking%2dspace%2dpirates-name_page.html

[burchi]

I wonder how they'd feel if they were genuinely disabled and couldn't park close enough to shop due to the lack of consideration of people like them?

I did park in one of 2 disabled spots about 6 years ago and felt so ashamed of myself when I saw a real old guy with a disabled badge come in and turn around out again 'cos he couldn't park. Never done it again since! It might be me one day that genuinely needs that space! 'Nuf said....

[George Holmer]

Who, people parking in disabled spaces?

George

[link:www.ttsservices.co.uk/my%20volvos.htm|http://www.ttsservices.co.uk/Signature.JPG]

'95 940 Polar LPT estate (B230FK/AW71)
'87 740 GLE Turbo Diesel Intercooler estate (D24TIC/ZF22)
'79 262C (B27E/BW55)

[deanrosc]

oh yes, they get me riled to. along with people who park in parent and child spaces. you get some arse in a two seater who cant drive well enough to fit it into a standard size space, and i have to carry my 2 year old daughter half a sodding mile in the ****ing rain to get to the shop! often i have left "have you got kids? maybe they can teach you to read signs!" notes under windscreen wipers.

[mraldonnelly]

Yes, that pee's me off too Dean. I once had an argument with a woman (in a BMW surprisingly) who parked in a parent and child space in Tesco when she was alone. I confronted her about it and she said "I pay my taxes". I just lost it and screamed "It's got **** all to do with taxes".

I just boiled. I couldn't believe that she could be so arrogant and hard faced. I couldn't leave it at that but didn't want to cause criminal damage because I'm not like that. I called a friend who also has a little girl and asked him if he fancied a day out at Tesco and explained the reason why. My friend was there in a flash.

I'd already parked alongside the drivers side of the arrogant woman's car, so so so close that the door wouldn't even open two inches. My friend did the same on the other side. We then proceeded on our very lengthy shopping trip followed by some food in the cafe before returning to our cars about three hours later. I was quite surprised that she hasn't scratched the hell out of our cars but she had left a not so nice note on our screens.

She was nowhere to be seen though so I guess she must have given up waiting and got a taxi home. Hopefully that'll teach her to drive and park with a little more consideration in the future.

Andy

[neil stevenson]

Nice one, I like that.

[vjck_uk]

I am disabled and have a badge,but on a 'good day' I will park in a normal space to give someone worse off than me a space.
When I come out from the supermarket I am quite often greeted by an obviously fit prat getting back into the car on the disabled spaces.
If the coppers put as much time and effort into catching these wa****rs then the idiots would'nt do it.
They should be ashamed, and one day with a bit of luck these morons will be in the position we are now.

[warthog]

A few years ago a mate and I verbally tackled a taxi driver who parked with his family in a disabled space in a large supermarket in Coventry. The abuse we got back was quite amazing especially considering he had his young kids with him (but, Hey, they've got to learn somewhere I suppose!).

I then went in to make the supermarket manager aware. He was furious to say the least, so much so that there and then he phoned the taxi firm and banned their taxi's from the supermarket car parks.

Nuff said!

[cootuk]

No good having a go at the Police...these are mainly on private land and it should be up to the shop owners/land owners to police the car park. No point having disabled spaces if there's no punishment for abusing it.
The best deterrent would be a public humiliation by making an announcement on the store tannoy that the wrongly parked car has been clamped.

One disabled car I found amusing was a massive american 4x4...I would have been hard pushed to get into it, let alone any form of disabled person.

[Peter Milnes]

Unfortunately it is the same wherever you go in the UK. One poor example is two of our local hospital car parks where they charge for disabled spaces. One charges a minimum of 70p for up to four hours and the other charges a minimum £1.80 for the same period. Another hospital within fairly easy reach does not charge for disabled parking. Surely the regulating body for the health authorities should be able to put a stop to this insensitive practice. We disabled people have to pay to get our blue badges, which are supposed to give us the ability to park close to where we need to go, to avoid such things as heart attacks and other things which make it more difficult for us to live an ordinary life. Why should we be penalised in this way?

My daughter is one of those who shows no consideration to those less able to cope but until she becomes disabled herself it will be very difficult to convince her not to be so selfish.

I have thought of offering my services to the local store as a car parking research monitor to determine the extent of selfishness being shown in their car park.

On the subject of seemingly unsuitable disabled vehicles I myself have noticed a guy clambering out of a Honda S800 plastered with disabled signs and a blue badge. For those unfamiliar the S800 is an 798cc Sports car in which you would have difficulty getting the two puppets (Rosy and Jim I believe) from the Midlands children's program, on TV, to fit into.

All the best, Peter

[cbyard]

Trouble is, it would COST the shops to police the bays (paying for wardens AND losing custom- a scroat's money is the same as anyone else's....). Also, there's a non trivial risk of assault as well- people who don't give a stuff about other's inconvenience are less likely to worry about laying one on them while they're at it.

Neil's approach, though.... perhaps disabled bays should have automatic rising pillars or similar which can only be lowered on request at the checkout, with a three hour delay if you've not got a believable reason for using the space ( need some discretion for the odd injury or temporary incapacity).

Likely his "victim" didn't try any vandalism because she would be easily traceable through her (presumably) legitimate Beemer.

Chris

[judgeman]

Hi,

I'm not disabled, and would not park in a disabled space even if it was the only space in a car park. I'd rather go a mile down the road. Even if I only wanted to use the cash machine. Sounds pompous I know, but that's me.

I get so insensed at the little so-an-so's who park where they shouldn't.... perhaps if a non disabled person uses a disabled space they should be helped to justify parking there. I rekon a sharp 'whack' of a baseball bat over the kneecaps should do the trick.

On the flip side though, a couple of years ago I lived in Macclesfield. I regularly used the Tesco supermarket to do my weekly shop. There are many disabled spots right next to the store. Often these were only half used which I guess is why able bodied morons felt justified in using them. I many times wanted to 'have a go' at them for being so arrogant, but then one has to worry about get a thump for your trouble. Anyway, one visit I was in my car on the way home. I did the shopping, packed the car, drove off to go home. Most of the disabled bays were empty - and there was this dirty great off roader vehicle slap bang in the middle of the roadway with the guy helping his disabled female passenger out of the car, at a pace that was unbelieveably slow! I parped my horn breifly (to warn of my presence and that of the growing queue behind me). To which I had a load of abuse, thankfully I was in the car, doors locked. I couldn't believe the inconsiderate behaviour of the guy, all it needed was for him to use the round thing known as the steering wheel and park IN the space provided, not somewhere sort of close.

It just goes to show that it doesn't matter who you are, the trouble with common sense is that it is not so common...

Chris
& Fred - 1988 240 GLT Estate 2.3ltr 166k
VOC member
IAM member
Previously
Henry - 1996 854 T5 S 134k
Sylvester - 1995 440 SE 2.0ltr 135k
Monty - 1995 440 Si 1.8ltr 70k
Vincent - 1985 340 GL 1.4ltr 144k
The Yellow Peril in Oz - 1982 244 GL 2.3ltr 250k

Opinionated? You better believe it!

[cootuk]

Sometimes it's hard to know exactly who is disabled..as said before you can get a relatively fit person park there, run out to the shop, but find they do have a disabled badge....maybe they have a non-visual impediment, or maybe they just use their parents badge- you never know.
If there is no badge on display then store management should take responsibility. But money counts more in this world than enforcing rules which are there to help more vulnerable people.
The best action would be for one of the disabled group charities/organisations to target places where the offences cause real problems...they could always stage a lock-in by parking to obstruct the non-genuine parkers. The store management would then be forced to act in some way.

[Simon Linton]

When I was working at a shared office building and car park, if you parked on incorrect spaces they would stick a sign telling you of your transgression onto the windscreen in direct line of sight of the driver.

If it had a chance to fully cure, the sign could only be removed after about 20 minutes of intensive soaking and scraping.

Perhaps supermarkets etc. could use this method with an appropriate message such as: "This bay is for disabled people who display current badges. Parking here is an antisocial act - please remember this in future."

Illegal parkers will have plenty of time to absorb these words as they attempt to clear their windscreen and if they drive off with the sign in place, they are driving an unroadworthy, and thus uninsured car - maybe this should be added to the bottom of the message.

[TheJoyOfSix]

My local Safeway has a parking patrol, and they do a good job of ensuring that the disabled bays are only used by badge holders and that parent and child spaces are occupied... etc.

However, what they don't do is shoot those inconsiderate halfwits who park so badly they end up taking the space next to theirs as well......

[warthog]

The 4x4 could have been mine.

For 8 years I ran a full size Chevy Blazer (with 6.2L V8 Diesel under the bonnet).

The looks I got when I pulled into the pub car park were great but when I then threw the wheelchair out the stares of incredulity were to behold :-)

It was also a great car for blocking non disabled people into the disabled space they has parked in }(

[deanrosc]

my local asda are great, they have little signs on the checkout encouraging you to grass abusers of disabled spots to customer services. They then announce the reg plate over the tannoy and tell them to shift it as they are being inconsiderate. Very good idea.

[Matt_Watkins]

At my local ASDA, the parent and child bays are slightly closer to the door than the disabled spaces so you tend to get disabled drivers parking in parent and baby spaces. I confronted an elderly gent about him parking in such a space because I couldnt park there with my 18month old and I have to say I was very shocked by the lanuage used towards me and being told "I should respect my elders". Any how when I had finished my shopping I saw the same gent engaging in a very heated argument with a parking attendant over the clamp on his car.









I had nothing to do with the clamp.................honest.....}(

[Ross9]

Some strong views on this it seems, some taking it a bit too far in my opinion.

For instance, I sometimes park in disabled spaces, the main place I can think of is at the cinema, however, there is a rather large row of them, and I always park at the far end of them, unless theres a motability night out, I can be 100% sure they wont all be needed, and the ones closest to the door are left empty. Apparently some people would have me hung drawn and quartered for this sin, which I think is a bit much to be honest. Let me make it clear I wont appear at a car park, see 1 disabled space next to the door and park in it etc.

Parent and child spaces are something I've never actually made a conscious not eof, so I guess I've never parked in one. At the Asda in Hamilton if you park in a disabled space (as I did one night when it was deserted, and I will never do again) the sensor picks up that there is a car there and announces at a decent volum that you should only be there if you are disabled, if so then carry on, or words to that affect.

As for parking straddling 2 spaces, well, let them come and shout at me for that one when I'm guilty of it, I'd much rather turn a deaf ear to the parking attendent doing the shouting, than deal with yet another ding in the door from some incosiderate person with no respect for someone elses property, it's not because I can't park, but because I dont want other cars that are obviously guilty of committing this act close to mine.

Now wheres the thread about incosniderate lorry drivers who think their hazars entitle them to stop anywhere, I cant wait for that one to come around, it must be on the cards :p lol

[TheJoyOfSix]

>Now wheres the thread about incosniderate lorry drivers who
>think their hazars entitle them to stop anywhere, I cant wait
>for that one to come around, it must be on the cards :p lol

Actually, they are entitled to stop anywhere for loading and unloading ONLY and they also have 20mins in which to do this.

Please bear in mind it is not always the driver who is to blame - often the shops/businesses etc have no provision for loadings/unloading, yet insist on ordering goods in quantities that neccessitate a large truck to deliver them.

Most lorry drivers would far rather deliver to purpose built units on industrial estates than to shops etc in town centres as there is less hassle from other motorists.

[Ross9]

lol, I was planning on taking the lorry drivers side in this discussion, I work as an HGV driver delivering food, so am always trying to gain access to pubs/hotels/cafe's etc

I agree totally with everythign you say.

[cootuk]

I've no problem with lorries, they have a job to do which isn't made easy given the size of their vehicles and some of the roads they are expected to get into...especially with people parking right up to the edges of junctions and taking up the manoeuvering room.
My Mrs got lightly clipped by a lorry on a roundabout once and she couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed....she chased him for a couple of miles before he stopped. Hard to explain to her that he probably never even noticed, bit like a fly bouncing off him.

[LameWolf]

Hi - I'm new to the forum, and spotted this thread; it's a subject close to my heart, being disabled myself.

I frequently feel like putting a note on the offender's windscreen saying "Stupidity and laziness are not disabilities - PARK ELSEWHERE"

What also gets to me is when people see me parking my V70, and see that I am a reasonably young-looking 44 year old woman, and thus decide that I don't "look" disabled. Til they see the walking stick, that is..... I even had one old dear berate me for using a disabled space DESPITE the fact that my Blue Badge was clearly visible in the front window. GRRRRRR!!

LameWolf

"May all your dreams be carried upon the wings of Dragons"

[mraldonnelly]

Hi Wolf,

Welcome to the forums. I hope you find them both useful and informative.

Regards

Andy

[morsing]

>lol, I was planning on taking the lorry drivers side in this
>discussion, I work as an HGV driver delivering food, so am
>always trying to gain access to pubs/hotels/cafe's etc

This is not specifically targeted at HGV drivers but could you please not use your hazard flashers? Please?

Cheers

[vjck_uk]

Don't forget Peter that being disabled is not always visible but could be heart etc.
I am disabled and and have often thought "why should we get free parking"surely the whole idea of disabled spaces is to mininmise the distance from the car to the shop or whatever,mind you even if the dsabled had to pay the pillocks would still park in the spaces so they would'nt have to walk far and then they go to the gym or play football.

[Ross9]

Eh, why not?

If I am double parked, or stopped in a lane in a city centre delivering, the hazard flashers state 2 things.

1. I am a hazard, loading, most likely with a person moving around the exterior of the vehicle.

2. It lets approaching traffic know I am not simply stopped due to a traffic queue or red light, and thus to use another lane to go around me, in case the back of the truck is shut as I have not yet opened it, or have shut it as I am away from the vehicle delivering, as is the case if the stock has to be barrowed to a pedestrian only area.

I'd be interested in knowing why you feel it better that we just stop in the middle of a lane with no visual explenation to approaching or following traffic?

[v6en]

Yes, if Ross and I are at the cinema then sometimes we park in the last disabled space in the row ( there are about 10 disabled spaces on either side of the entrance) as it can aide in avoiding extra door dents from idiots who don't care, but naturally only if it is quiet. i think most of your opinions are with the best interests of disabled people at heart, but some of the reactions (e.g the people who blocked in the doors of the woman with the bmw) were, quite frankly scary.

jacq.

[morsing]

>Eh, why not?
>
>If I am double parked, or stopped in a lane in a city centre
>delivering, the hazard flashers state 2 things.

If you're double parked you're too inconsiderate. Sorry but that's my opinion and you're probably going to get upset about this.

>1. I am a hazard, loading, most likely with a person moving
>around the exterior of the vehicle.

You're voluntarily a hazard?!?

>2. It lets approaching traffic know I am not simply stopped
>due to a traffic queue or red light, and thus to use another
>lane to go around me, in case the back of the truck is shut as
>I have not yet opened it, or have shut it as I am away from
>the vehicle delivering, as is the case if the stock has to be
>barrowed to a pedestrian only area.

The thing is that most of the time people use their hazard flashers just to excuse them from doing stupid things or to get attention. This is mainly car drivers who think they're excempt from the law every time they turn them on. They also fail to see why anyone would be upset at their double parkinig if they're on.

I recently on the Internet saw new device, a LED strobe thingy, that you attach to the back of you're car if you're stranded. As the decription said: "It will warn others that you are there and alert the emergency or rescue service."
This show me exactly how little meaning the hazard flashers have these days. It's almost impossible to look down a street without seeing them.

>I'd be interested in knowing why you feel it better that we
>just stop in the middle of a lane with no visual explenation
>to approaching or following traffic?

Best solution would be allocated parking for lorries, refuse collectors etc. but you're probably right. It's just not a good situation in any way.

Cheers

[Ross9]

No I'm not voluntarily a hazard, a hazard is any obstacle in the road that will cause other road users to have to take action to negotiate or avoid, something the hazard lights give them more warning off. If I have to stop and there is nowhere to get the truck into, then I have to stop, theres a reason it's not illegal for us to do it when loading, or for us to stop on double yellows etc for a limited time, unless "no loading at any time" is applicable, it's because we have a job to do and a service to provide, how would you like it if you couldn't get what you wanted at a restaurant, or the product you wanted at the shop, because the lorry driver had to circle the one way system 23 times before getting a space big enough to park in, ie 4 or more car spaces empty in a row.

Allocation of specific parking, lol, yeah that would work, people wouldn't park their cars in them obviously. :p

Double parking isn't incosiderate, it's a necessity in some situations, as long as your not blocking a road then it just has to be done, if it blocks someone in, I shall move the vehicle to let them out on their return, at least half of people will be patient while I finish if I am only going to be 5 mins, these are the people who accept I have a job to do and a living to make.

It's not ideal, but you make do the best you can in each specific situation, which works better than sticking to a rule book when it comes to the real world.

Ross

[volvodancer]

Being disabled myself, I used to get uptight seeing able bodied people parked in the disabled bays at Morrisons, but then I realised I was only upsetting myself. If there is no space available I don't drive round searching, I just pull up and wait for someone to return(making sure I don't block the road. Believe it or not some people still draw up behind you and hoot.I just wave them on casually, and look forward to my lunch. Then when you get in the cafe which has some tables with big blue disabled badges on them specially for wheelchairs, the same thing is happening there, everyone has blinkers on and just sits there ignoring the fact. I saw one lady in a wheelchair point it out to the staff, but nobody bothered.

[rawmusic]

In the states, one of the big stores (Walmart I think) employed wheelchair bound people to issue parking violation warnings to drivers who had parked in a disabled space wrongly. I am not sure if it is an actual offence, but it made a lot of people think. Of course, those who are the most thick skinned and persistent offenders didn't care, and nothing short of towing their cars would have done anyway.

A similar gripe might be those people who leave their cars at "pick up points" whilst they go into the shop, with plenty of spaces available. Lots of young single women do this. Not so many men, from what I have seen. Not a sexist comment, just observation.

Richard Whennell
855 T5 1995
VOC member

[deanrosc]

hiya ross

i take it your in the haulage game? I'm in it myself, you an owner driver or work for a company? Maybe some of these people should try reverse parking a 17 tonner. they wouldn't get so uptight about trucks stopped in the middle of the road then.

[George Holmer]

I am with you Ross, on this one.

People go to the pub and eat and drink but they get ****ed off at the delivery guy trying to deliver the food and drinks to the pub, I find that strange.

I saw a German lorry the other day with a great text on the back, it said: Of course I am slower than you, but I dragging all your Spanish red wine home.

George

[link:www.ttsservices.co.uk/my%20volvos.htm|http://www.ttsservices.co.uk/Signature.JPG]

'95 Volvo 945 Polar LPT
'87 Volvo 745 GLE Turbo Diesel Intercooler
'86 Jaguar Sovereign 4.2

[George Holmer]

Parking in a disabled spot when you are perfectly able is very bad indeed. What gets me a little though is that I too am disabled, occasionally, but cannot park there. I need the badge.

Say that I, for example, have broken my leg and need a cruch or even a wheelchair for a month or so; I still have no legal access to the disabled spaces.

George

[link:www.ttsservices.co.uk/my%20volvos.htm|http://www.ttsservices.co.uk/Signature.JPG]

'95 Volvo 945 Polar LPT
'87 Volvo 745 GLE Turbo Diesel Intercooler
'86 Jaguar Sovereign 4.2

[Peter Milnes]

In UK that would be because you have no PERMANENT disability which the blue badge is meant to cover. Both June and I are registered disabled and find it hard to walk more than 50 feet without quite severe pain. That is why we both have a blue badge. The solution in our local shop, which has three spaces by the door and five spaces round the corner, is to park behind the cars illegally uccupying disabled spaces and lock the car and do your shopping. They have to wait till you finish your shopping before they can leave. The younger drivers are the major offenders and look at you as if to say "what are you going to do about it?".

All the best, Peter

[George Holmer]

I had no intention of offending people and have no interest in obtaining a blue badge.

But, I maintain my original point. For example, when my mother-in-law was dying of cancer, she had great difficulties getting about and often used a wheelchair but we still had to park miles away from anything and in narrow spaces simply because there is no provision for temporary or short-term disability.

George

[link:www.ttsservices.co.uk/my%20volvos.htm|http://www.ttsservices.co.uk/Signature.JPG]

'95 Volvo 945 Polar LPT
'87 Volvo 745 GLE Turbo Diesel Intercooler
'86 Jaguar Sovereign 4.2

[rawmusic]

My cousin in Scotland was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and is considered, even though now in remission, terminally ill, and has a disabled badge.

Richard Whennell
855 T5 1995
VOC member

[Ross9]

lol, quality. Made me chuckle that one.

Yes Dean I work for a food delivery company driving 7.5 tonners and Class 2 HGV's, as you say, 17 tonner, squeeze in with a reverse park, or just stop and put the hazads on, bearing in mind it would ake longer to wiggle the 17 tonner into the space onyl just big enough for it, with pedestrians crossing behind you and traffic swinging around you, than ti would to do a quick delivery, and while doing it you'd be blocking the lane anyway. Half the drivers on the road cant manage a city centre without getting flustered in a car, so as you say, I'd liek to see the complainants try it in something much bigger.

Ross

[TheJoyOfSix]

Pah, 'tis easy, try doing the same with an artic :9

[andy1]

your right there, i never cease to be amazed at the driving skill of artic drivers, i got held up this morning for 10 mins while this guy backed his huge artic of a main road down a service alley next to a hotel that was about two inches wider than his wagon, well worth the wait to watch a true proffesional in action

[Ross9]

I'll agree there, I hope to save up some ££ and do my Class 1 at some point, the company were good enough to pay for my Class 2, while trying not to be bigheaded I think it still takes a fair amounbt of skill to drive any HGV, but artic drivers do possess a lot of driving skill, I dont find rigids hard at all, 2nd nature after a while, but would still expect to be nervy doing it in an artic.

I had a go of a 45 foot wagon and drag in the yard at the teaching centre when I did my class 2, basically just the class 2 I learned in with a trailer on the end, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, just taking my time with it, but I know how different it was from driving class 2's learning to putting them up alleys and into service areas in the city centre etc, so have huge respect for artic drivers.

Ross