Disabled Parking Bay

[keefyboy]

 

 

Well how about that eh..... Tomorrow I am going around every road on our estate to find an unenforcable signag or road markings.... aint I a bitch...:D

[keefyboy]

sorry about the bits of words missing from right edge but when scanning it in the scanner cut if off the side and reducing the size to get them in meant that some of the fonts were too small to read. (Its an inflicktion that us Oldies have to deal with )

 

I am sure though that you can still see the funy side of it though...

[kiptower]

nice one m8ty what was the newspaper there might be an online version of it

[keefyboy]

Thanks kiptower the address is below

 

Loughborough Echo - Loughborough news, jobs, sport, what's on & more

 

and the article is on page 3.

[kiptower]

Loughborough motorists make the most of signs blunder - Loughborough Echo

 

 

full thing

 

and

 

http://www.loughboroughecho.net/views-and-blogs/letters/2009/04/09/blue-badge-parknig-reduced-even-further-73871-23349845/

[keefyboy]

thanks kiptower, I had not looked at it online and then when I looked at the other article you pointed out as well, there are things going on in this town which I have never heard of, I think that because we have such a large student population here (I live in what they class the "Golden Triangle") they tend to ignore the residents and we dont seem to get consulted or even get invited to the discussions of it.

 

I have seen the results of paved town centres when I lived in Essex and the control of parking usually finds its way to private parking companies, who are right cowboys and make up their own rules and charges, there is a private car park quite close to me that has signs up stating that the release fee is £117.50p or if not paid within 14 days then additional admin charge will be added to the charge.

There is an dvert linked to the second web address you gave us, about a parking company offering their services for as little as £95 and no fees. The Penalty charges have to be sent to them and they then forward £10 to the car parks owner as a gratitude payment, therefore encouraging the owners to slap their own tickets on any vehice they feel should not be parked there. They claim that this system is done totally within the law,

 

". At all times the enforcement of the charge is carried out within the law in accordance with the Administration of Justice Act 1970."

 

We are getting into a situation where disabled people will not be able to park in town centres, what spaces there are there is used by anybody who feels like parking there, taking the chance if they get a ticket, but denying the truely disabled person the use of a bay.

The same thing is in the car parks at out of town supermarkets, there is NO ONE enforcing the rules about disabled parking spaces, even though they know it is in Breach of the Disability Discrimination Act but they don't care a stuff as what are the chances of them getting caught, who enforces the act ? Basically on paper it is great leap forward, but in reality its a waste of paper...

This is one of the reasons that I have started this Thread to inform people that there is ways and means to enforce it, we DON'T have to accept what people say, we have our rights, lets start kicking some butt and show the others that they are not safe....

 

When this one is dealt with I might have a little go at a big supermarket, asking why they will not enforce the LAW and give us our rights, what the law says we can have.

[kiptower]

the problem is on Private Property there is no actual Law, and Blue Badge means nothing , apart from the PPC scams to extract money from the public who dont know the Law

[keefyboy]

I will search through again but I read within the DDA that supermarkets MUST enforce the restriction for the bays or face (i think) it was fine of £5K if they fail to, this is why the old Disabled Drivers Association (I can't remember their nw name) have a campaign going every year with a monitor of the scheme at random supermarkets and then a report back to the group and each individual supermarket of how it went. I used to help do it.

[kiptower]

they should but there is law to do it with ,, its private property

 

what they were told is they must provide bays or face the fines

 

the DDA was fighting it for years when i first got my badge some 13 years ago , all that ever came from it was a code to mark bays out and how many they should have in relation to other spaces etc

[keefyboy]

If youy can bear with me for a couple of days, so I can search for it, if not my step son last year had 4 days work with Tesco at one of their stores locally as a parking attendant just before Christmas and after some questions from him I dug out this info and he used it to enforce the regulations about Tesco's responsibilities to enforce the act, he may well have the paperwork we found out the parts of the act that applied.

[robbond55]

That grates me as well with a free for all in the disabled parking bays in supermarkets. They have a sign up at Asda in Oadby which say civil enforcement penalty of £60 if you park in a disabled bay without a blue badge but I have never heard of anyone getting one. Perhaps it is because they do not want to upset customers at the expense of the minority that are disabled?

[keefyboy]

Hi Robbond

Yes and I know there are plenty more out there with the same opinions as us.

 

I managed to get myself famous a couple of weeks back on BBC Leicester, they BBC Midlands Late Show, with presenter Rob underwood, he was asking about problems that wheelchair users face in towns and the requirements they have to provide under the DDA, so I phoned in, and Just for Silverfox, I found a new way of writing a moaner letter, it's called a telephone callin, I took the plunge and went on air with Rob and he was asking about the problems we have in town centres, shops railways etc, so I let it all out (no I kept my modesty) about the amount of shops that still don't have ramps or it's too much trouble to get it out if they can remember where it might be, about the design of town centre with all the lovely small paving slabs or bricks in the shopping centres, how much pain and discomfort that they cause disabled people, I also mentioned about drop kerbing, and they was the majority of them have got a lip, some up to several inches (sorry I'm still working on old fashion time measurements) high, making it very difficult sometimes to be able to get up them on your own, and how I would love some of these planners to come out in a wheelchair and see and feel what we have to put up with. Not just for a few hours make it a week, and I bet there would be some changes made.

 

As luck would have it Rob is a very good presenter and doesn't but in mid sentance, doesn't cut you off mid sentance, he lets you tell your story without interferring. I managed to get quite a bit out, I was on air for over 15 mins and that saved a bit more for the planet, as I didn't have to type it out. A great opportunity to help get some of our message over to the outside world.

 

If anyone wants to have a listen between 2130hrs and midnight every weekday on BBC Leicester 104.9Mhz FM or DAB or even online go to

BBC - Leicester - Homepage and look for Listen Live button

 

I listen morst evenings and have been on air a couple of times since the above time. I am know as Keith the wheelchair from Loughborough, so you can know it's me.

[silverfox1961]

Morning Kieth,

 

Isn't it nice to see that the British spirit isn't dead.

Unfortunately, I don't listen to Radio Leicester. I'd rather watch paint dry

I blame my parents as that was all they listened to when I was younger when all I wanted to do is listen to music.

I'm now a Radio 2 fan followed by internet radio until the square thing in the corner goes on.

 

I can't listen to talk shows as I get so angry at some of the callers who will complain at the slightest thing. I used to listen to James Whale a few years ago but my blood pressure suffered for it.

 

Glad that you're still being a "moaner"

 

fox

[keefyboy]

Hi Fox

Its only recently they I have been listening to his show, for many years I never used my radion, it was all playing CD's, a nice kind sole gifted me a stereo system complete with Wharfedale speaker and a Sony Turntable as well as CD player and tape player (typical after I got rid of all my cassettes as I never played them or had anything to play them on....)

 

I started to listen to BBC Leicester cause it was the only decent signal that I could get in our front room because of the computer stuff, and I like a bit of background noise other than the "box" he does have some crap callers on there but not too many, I can bear it if I can have my input as well.

 

Yes the "MOANER" is here to stay, got a couple of letters to write this week, one to a crisp maker whos packet of crisps I ate were meant to be cheese and onion, but were in fact salt and vinegar, so snotty letter time in the offing...

Keith

[keefyboy]

Hi Guys and gerls

 

I got this letter from Equality and Human Rights Commission today

 

Talk about pass in the night, when the postman came I had just put down the phone where I had been asking the Equality and Human Rights commission what was going on because I had heard nothing for 2 months.

 

Typical eh....

 

 

 

I will enlighten you as to what is going to happen next.

 

:grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin:

[silverfox1961]

Who's a happy bunny then Hope this is the start of something good

 

fox

[robbond55]

Well done - fingers crossed for what happens next!

[robbond55]

Any news for us Keefyboy?

[keefyboy]

Hi Guys and Gurls

Sorry been ignoring you, but we are having the builders coming in tomorrow to install a "Through Floor Lift" for me, as I can not get up to the bedroom without causing myself all sorts of problem for days after. So I have had to sleep in the chair downstairs. Wich is not doing my problems an good

 

Anyway good news at last last week got a phone call from the HR people and the man introduced himself as my legal advisor who is taking on my case, he says there is 2 different ways we can do this, the first way is the nice way, they send them a couple of letters pointing out the facts and that they can not deny me my rights by refusing to put a disabled bay in because of parking sheme being operated in the area. If they don't do it that way then we have Plan "B" where we take them to court and force them to put it in under a different law (still within the DDA act) so he sent me through a draft of my case, for checking and correcting and then initial any changes and forward back to him for action asap, as its been 2 months now and you only have 6 months less 1 day to take legal action if needed, but by sending the claim to LCC then it opens it up again, but I don't know how long that is, but we will get to that if we need too.

 

We have also added a bit to the bay sizing, because my Wheelchair Accessable Vehicle will have a loading ramp which I need space behind to use the ramp, they have got to make it so that it will accomodate the ramp and space for me to get to it. So that will bu**er their sizing up a bit.

 

I also mentioned to his about the other article (my entry at 3rd May 2009) this is ammunition if we need to go to court, that they are changing the regulations there, but not here to give me a bay.....

Whoops fancy commenting in the paper that they were changing the rules...... wrong !!!:D:D

 

So that so far has been it, the paperwork has gone back and hopefully the first letter goes out this week. :)

[robbond55]

Fantastic news!

Its great that someone out there is willing to fight and help you but it is still disgusting in this day and age you have to go to such an extent just to get the rights that you are legally entitled to.

[keefyboy]

It so annoying that we have to go to these extents to get what is rightfully ours in the first place. I have to pay £20 a year to park outside my own house, which does not mean I get a space outside my house, its pot luck.

 

I think is disgusting to say the least.

 

This morning the builders arrived to cut the hole out ready for my lift to be put in hopefully tomorrow, well guess what, there was nowhere for them to park, so my misses had to move the car to allow him to get outside the house and not several streets away as we have had to do several times in the past. This is the problem that we face virtually everyday, the Highways answer is basically "Tough" and that the sort of problem I am fighting.

 

One of the main problems is (and don't get me wrong, I don't mind them being here) that highways via Charnwood council, issue 2 parking permits per house, now these houses were built before and after the turn of the 1890's to about 1920's, they are terraced mainly 2 or (converted) 3 or 4 even 5 if they built in the loft, bedrooms. So they may be 5say 4 students and only 2 permits, so the permit hoilders are allowed to buy books of daily permits from the council, so then they give them to the other occupants, so a "SINGLE space outside the house now has 3 other people fighting for it, hence now being able to park, and because it's not marked as disabled they park wherever they can get, so if we are out for the day, we come home and no parking spaces. Hence my action against them.

 

I have a couple of credit card things going as well, but this one is really so close to my heart, I won't give up on it, even if it failed I still have a avenue to use, the media... and I think they would jump at it, but thats in reserve, embarress them...

[keefyboy]

Hi all the latest update for you,

We have FINALLY received a reply from LCC with regards to this matter, I will not be posting this letter onto here for a while, at least until we have got around the table with them to discuss a solution.

 

The reason I will be put it onto here is that there are several points here which need looking into and putting it on here may jepodise my case, the bases of the letter is the exact same as they have said first off, with a couple of things that need looking into. My legal advisor has been in contact with me and we have discussed our reply which will be ready for me to approve or whatever by Tuesday, another reason is that these things are regulated by Time Frames and as the incident used is the 30th January 2009 then we have to get them to agree to get round the table before 29th July 2009, this would then give us a 3 month extention, but if I feel that they are stalling or anything I still have the option to take them to court in this time,.

 

So please bear with me, I will update this thread asap.

Keith

[keefyboy]

Latest update, the case has at the moment been passed over to the concilliation service who are trying to set up a face to face meeting so we can try and sort this out face to face, at that meeting IF we agree on an outcome thenit is Legally Binding aND BOTH PARTIES HAVE TO HONOUR IT. If we don't agree then it still gives me the facility to take it to court.

 

They are trying to set the meet up for early October and I will update this thread as soon as I have something to add.

[Bazooka Boo]

It just goes to show that you need to be like a little terrier to get a result!

[keefyboy]

I'm not aTerrier, I'm the "TERROR" that won't back down, I got my teeth in and I don't let go......