Safe Speed Forums

I was in Maidenhead this morning, and parked in one of the town centre car parks. On level 3, where there is a footbridge to the shops, there are no fewer than eight parking spaces for use by disabled permit holders only. And when I passed through today, none of these parking spaces was in use.

Do you feel that councils nationwide have overallocated parking for the disabled, and do you share my view that this is just more sop to the political correctness lobby? Here we are, in the last few days in the run up to Christmas: If those disabled parking spaces aren't going to get used on a day like today, then when are they expected to be used?

I saw a similar thing in Bath a few months ago. Here, it was even worse - with about 18 disabled parking spaces, with maybe one or two in use, on a busy summer Saturday.

I'll second that. I see cars driving around and around car parks waiting for a space. I have NEVER seen 100% of the dissabled parking spaces in use.

I don't disagree with the principal but how many times do you see aparantly "able bodied" people getting out of the car. I don't know what classes as disabled anymore...

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Speed camera policy Kills

I have to agree, the amount of spaces allocated to disabled drivers is overly large, that is how it stands with the councils in my area, they are seen as a way of forcing people into there pay and display car parks whilts keeping the PC brigade happy. Of course disabled places should be reserved but not as an excuse to force drivers into council carparks or just to look good on the books, I say enforce a resonable number of disabled spots more harsh, people will soon learn.

As for private car parks, Tesco are the worst offenders for having waaayyy to many disabled spots, the Tesco (non extra) closest to me has 25+ disabled parking bays, talk about overkill.

The system is abused constantly by members of the family borrowing the car, and I know people who have a slight limp (one of which is constantly walking his dog and digging up the garden lol), who get a nice free new car periodicly and disabled badge.

A friend of mine had a stroke about 2 years ago. Got retirement through ill health from teaching. He has now got almost 100% mobility again. Walks the dog every day. Got a disabled badge for the car.

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Speed camera policy Kills

I don't agree that there is over-allocation of disabled parking spaces. I do however agree that there is a quite shameless exploitation of them by both the able bodied and not-quite-so-disabled alike.
I don't think its too much to ask for able bodied people to climb a few flights of stairs or use those two things we've got hanging down from below our waists to travel a few extra yards across the carpark. At least we're able to to. So what if some spaces right in front of Tesco's front door are unused because they're reserved for the disabled, boo-hoo.

Nobody would claim that disabled badges are never abused, but unless you know the details of someone's medical condition you're in no position to say whether they're entitled to a badge or not.

Someone may have a chronic, incurable lung disease. He gets out of his car, looks fine, you think he's swinging the lead, but if he walks a hundred yards he's knackered and gasping for breath.

So what if there are a few more disabled spaces than are needed - is it going to do you much harm to walk a bit further across Tesco's car park?

Now if you started grumbling about parent and child parking spaces, then you'd have a point.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Should say 4x4 parking and Businessmen in Mercs only....

At least it helps keeping the screaming rabble away from our cars. My wife's car paintwork is trashed on supermarket car parks by kids flinging the doors open onto the car parked next door (ours). Also parents letting the kids scoot down the car park with the trolly using parked cars as buffers.....

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Speed camera policy Kills

Why are mother/child spaces nearer the doors of the supermarket and not at the far side of the carpark? When they start providing special spaces for middle aged men with Mercs. who spend a lot then I'll be more convinced.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Where it says parent and child parking spaces then take advantage whenever possible. I am 25 but if I was out with my mum I would insist we parked there

Gareth

It's also the case that mother & child spaces aren't legally enforceable, whereas disabled spaces are. At least, that was the general consensus on the OcUK forums when this issue came up.

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-mike[F]
Caught in the rush of the crowd, lost in a wall of sound..

Those people I mentioned I know are playing the systems, didnt go into to much detail for obvious reasons. It is not the Badge I have th eproblem with its the free car while I would place money on the fact that in a another part of the country someone with a real genuine need that is having to really fight to get a car provided for them and cannot afford to buy one thereselves.

As for the replies about the disabled parking spaces, I fear you are missing the point, the point is not about having to walk the extra distance it is about pandering to political correctness and going councils using it to there advantage at the same time, Tesco`s was just a cracking example of the pandaring, theres no need for it, your all quick to moan when the PC brigade reduces a speed limit for no obvious reason but when it comes to a even more "sensitive" issue a lot of people clamber to say the "right thing".

By the way Mike, Mother and Child spaces are usually on the same private land as the disabled spots, I`ve never heard of them being on public highways so how are they legally enforceable either (thats disabled parking on private land)?

I think that there's some law saying that supermarkets etc must provide disabled spaces, and that people without disabled badges can't use them. I'm quite possibly wrong, but you often see people with new/expensive cars that they don't want damaged by doors opening parking in the parent and child spaces, whereas they don't that often go for disabled spaces.

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-mike[F]
Caught in the rush of the crowd, lost in a wall of sound..

I think theres probably a law for them to provide disabled facilitys, some sort of act, but I don`t think that they can prosacute. A shopping centre car park near me has just introduced clamping if you park in a disabled spot without a badge, this works, even if it is an idle threat it still keeps those to lazy to walk a few extra fett out of them.

It infurates me to see people to park them, I usually let out a sarcastic comment as a walk past, but these people care not. Big offenders seem to be people aged 50+ WITHOUT badges, maybe they feel there age gives them the right to park in them, I`m not sure, obviously I don`t mean those frail old folk.

No I'm not missing any point. It's become all too easy to cry 'political correctness' these days in response to any attempt to get people to think more about themselves and others. Besides, the provision of disabled parking spaces has been around for many years, before anyone even thought up the whole idea of political correctness.
'Pandering' - what a word to use Having some thought for others less fortunate than ourselves was once considered a virtue, now it would seem otherwise.
Its people moaning about things like this that sum up everything that is going wrong with our society today. Self, self, flaming self.
Better stop now....

Rigpig,

I've nothing against the provision of parking for exclusive use by disabled drivers; my initial post was to voice concern at the sheer amount of it we see nowadays. It seems clear to me that two or maybe three parking spaces in the car park I spoke of yesterday would be sufficient allocation to the disabled. It sure as hell does not need EIGHT.

The Isle of Wight College is appallngly bad in this respect. Out of about 200 spaces, something like 25 are disabled. No more than 2 or 3 are ever in use.

Pandering to PC is not by providing 20+ disabled parking spaces? is there a statistic that would justify this? (one that is not pulled out of the air thank you very much) I think that word is perfect for that situation, As Diesel Movement said, no one is arguing that disabled parking hasnt been around before PC, but since PC they have become a rash on the roads and private car parks of the land, I think you have missed the point and what you just said proves as much (as patronising as you made it).

I`m sorry if it gets people like yourself all in a tizzy but not standing up and saying something you feel just because it is seen as "crying, or not having thought for those less fourtunate than ourselves" is just wrong and for those of a weak and sheep like composure.

*Patronising Mode*
To simplify the argument for those less fourtunate than me

The abuse of disabled parking space to meet councils own needs or simply to keep Nanny happy is wrong.

with me now?

This is a typically selfish attitude of drivers who don't have small children to get in and out of a car. Are you resentful that parents with small children get wider spaces than those without children? Did you ever stop to consider why the spaces are there or are you just pissed off because you have to walk 25 yards insted of 5 yards to get into the shop?

As a mother with a very small baby, I find the mother and baby spaces invaluable as I need to open the car door to a width that I can get a baby seat in and out of the car. This task is unbelievably difficult - often impossible - if I cannot open the door wide enough. In addition to getting the seat in and out, I need to secure the seat in place with the seat belt. Not very easy when you don't have much space to lean into the car.

There has been an occasion when returning to my car (in a normal space) at a shopping mall, I was unable to open the doors on either side of the car wide enough to get the car seat back into the car. This was quite terrifying really - what was I supposed to do? Dump the car seat, complete with baby, in the car park while I reversed out?

To be honest, I don't really care if the parent and baby spaces are the furthest away from the shop entrance. I'm not so lazy that I feel I am entitled to the closest space. My priority is being able to get the baby in and out, and securely fastened.

Seems to me that non-parents wouldn't be so bothered about the allocation of specific spaces if they were indeed the furthest away from the shop entrance. This smacks of laziness on the part of those doing the whinging. Or do you have some other problem with parent and child spaces?

Cleopatra, I think we can all understand your frustration. Might I suggest that if you find all the parent&child spaces occupied, you simply park over two spaces elsewhere in the car park? You will then have further to walk, but should be able to open the door no problem.

(In case you can't visualise what I mean, I'm referring to parking such that the centre of your car is on the line dividing two spaces.)

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-mike[F]
Caught in the rush of the crowd, lost in a wall of sound..