"Get outta my parking bay!"
And now, part 3,728 in our occasional look at how other countries deal with the problem of non-disabled people illegally parking their cars in disabled bays. All together now: "Grrr!"
In South Africa, they've come up with a at a shopping mall in Pietermaritzburg. The stickers, which will be pasted on the windscreens of repeat offenders, will read: "I park in paraplegic parking bays because I am selfish!" (Monkey can think of other phrases to possibly use, but I suppose they've got to keep it decent and non-sweary, haven't they?) And just in case you're thinking that this all sounds a bit lenient, don't worry - the car's wheels will already have been clamped, and the clamps are only removed once the owner has paid a fine of 500 Rand.
In fact, the only downside about this is the fine itself - 500 South African Rand only converts into a measly 43 quid. Pah!
Meanwhile, on our Ouch! Talk messageboard this morning, Lady_Bracknell posted a link to a story from the US state of , where drivers illegally parking in disabled spaces could be fined up to $500 - that's a rather more satisfying Β£278 in our money! - and might lose their license. The new law also applies to drivers who create fake disabled license plates. Woo-hoo! Go Illinois!
If you're reading Ouch from abroad, and went to tell us what fate awaits people who abuse disabled parking bays in your country - the nastier the better, hopefully - then leave a message in the comments.
Comments
hi yah. really like what they do in Africa. we should get those stickers. i bet they'd soon park in non-disabled parking spaces!!!
I hate this. I made an official complaint to *a major supermarket* about it and never heard back. I had at least hoped to blag some vouchers. It was about 11:30 pm and at that time of night everybody parks in the disabled bays for some reason. And of course, at night the stickering bloke is at home. What really gets my goat is how often people take disabled bays when there are actually regular parking spaces nearer the door! In that case I have them, but it's the principle and just how unutterable lazy that is. Monitored parking in the UK just does not work, does it? Another supermarket had some posters along the lines of "Lazy or ignorant?" but they've gone now. The posters should be in front of the bays and say something more like "You might be a moron but that's not a disability." Or "I park in this space because I'm hard of thinking."
I am that most hated of animals: a parking attendant working for Peterborough City Council. You may be happy to know that in Peterborough we issue instant Penalty charge notices to anyone parking in disabled bays in our car parks or city centre. We give no grace time and issue the Β£30 notice as soon as the vehicle details have been entered.
My mother used to carry a small piece of soap (like you get in hotels) in her glove compartment. Then if the disabled space was filled by an obviously non-disabled car (usually an expensive one) - she would write exactly what she thought of them on the windscreen. I don't know if it changed anyone, but it made us feel better and usually raised a few smiles from passers-by too!
Returning from a disabilities cricket match last weekend, were confronted by a disco roadshow van parked in disabled bay!. Parked right behind it so the chap couldn't get his gear into, or as it turned out to be requiring to get it off the van for a show. Made sure we parked as far out of the way of the rest of the car park as possible, but it still meant our minibus blocked the only exit. So there was chaos as we tried to get 4 wheelchairs and players and 3 lower limb disabled players off the bus. The best thing of all - the people who were being held up all had a go at our driver - who pointed out that if the disco van had not parked in the disabled bay, we would have been out of everyone's way - so they all rounded on him!! Gr8
Try Sainsbury's supermarket on Regent Road in Salford. Most of the disabled parking bays are used by non disabled. Be nice if we had a nice parking attendant to do the same as in Peterborough.
If I see an obviously able-bodied person parking in a disabled bay, I just say to them that 'they may be disabled themselves someday' They don't usually move, but I hope it makes them think.
I had the opposite to the Bay parking debate thrown on me when all the bays at my local supermarket were full just two weeks ago and I parked in a 'normal' bay. An able bodied person asked me to move as I was taking up a space to which I was not entitled. He also suggested I should wait until a 'blue bay' became available before I attempted to park. One for the archives, me thinks.
Reading OUCH from Belgium. Respect for disabled parking bays is growing since the whole ground surface is painted blue/white as the international disabled logo. Illegal users are fined at the highest rate (some 175 EUR) but only if an active policeman is passing by. Main problem areas remain supermarket and cinema disabled parking bays.
I live in Australia and it makes me furious to see non-stickered cars in disabled spots! I am not sure what the fine is (I think it varies from locality to locality) but it is hardly a deterrent, and very rarely enforced.
Further to 'WobblyPaul':
the disabled bays are always used by the supermarket staff at night so they can park next to the entrance.
Regarding punitive measures:
any offending vehicle [viz; parked without a visible blue badge] should have a suitably worded, 'hard-to-clean-off' sticker placed on the driver's side window.
Would not look cool in the traffic jam or on their drive.....
On a positive thought....:
Supermarkets should designate parking areas for their cash point users. The cash machines are always next to the entrance doors, and thus next to the disabled bays.
It would save a lot of misuse and hassle.
I've found a website that sells rolls of stickers reading "You've taken my parking space, perhaps you'd like my disability as well?" and " You're parked in a disabled bay without displaying a sticker, here have this one on me!" They have heavy-duty adhesive which makes them difficult to remove, but I wonder about the legality of a disabled driver using them. Also you'd have to take a chance that the other driver isn't a 6ft hulk who'll give you a slap if they catch you.
Since when has it been a disability being a parent with children! They regularly park in disabled bays and if challenged grunt something like 'bovvered'. No wonder there are so many obese kids about they and their parents have forgotten what their legs are for!!!! I'm disabled and can't use my legs -
hi,
i am currently studying about the abuse of disabled parking spaces and the views on these pages are helping me a lot.
How do you think we shoudl solve the problem?
is it solveable?
do you find supermarkets to be ignorant towards the issue.
any comments will be noted and involved ion my research as i intend to solve this problem..
If I can't park in a disabled bay near to where I am heading then I don't have the energy to drag my body the extra distance. I wish I was 'normal' like the idiots who illegally use the disabled bays, but I'm not. Surely the supermarkets supply disabled bays for people like me - don't they? Then why don't they have the guts to penalise offenders instead of 'sitting on the fence'.
Hi
I am the new centre manager of a shopping centre in Mafikeng South Africa, as well as the sister to a disabled person, I have taken a NO NONSENSE policy with regards to the disabled parking bays, I am trying to ensure my security guards are following up on it, my problem is the drunk idiot males who use them, I cornered one such man yesterday and asked him what his diablity was, his reply AM DRUNK, so I called the taffic police and they were waiting for him when he left the centre, not only did I make sure he removed his car from the diabled parking, I also had him removed from the roads so he himself did not have an accident and cause someone else to become disabled.
I have a long fight ahead of me but my goal is that the norm is to have my diabled bays used by disabled people only.
Hang in there guys we can do this, some how we have to get it right.