Money Moral Dilemma: Would you park free if it blocked wheelchair access?

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Comments

  • No - I would never park in a way that would be inconvenient for disabled drivers.

    This is very simple, how much do you think a disabled person would be willing to pay not to have to use a wheelchair? £5 per hour would be cheap!

    Btw - having children in a car with you when going shopping is not a disability. It may be a bit of an inconvenience (and not just to you) but that's all.:rolleyes:
  • smartypuss wrote: »
    Btw - having children in a car with you when going shopping is not a disability. It may be a bit of an inconvenience (and not just to you) but that's all.:rolleyes:

    Who said that having children is a disability?
  • Cloudane
    Cloudane Posts: 524 Forumite
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    Yeah, that's a mental issue, you don't need a bigger space for those :p
  • I'm sorry, but this makes me so angry! As a disabled driver, I've suffered such selfishness and ignorance on more than one occasion...
    To respond to some of the 'excuses' on other posts:
    *Yes, I DO need around six feet of space - to collapse my chair, swing it up, and put it into the boot... I'd like to see YOU try that in one foot of space!
    *I do so, perched on a pull-out seat attached to the inside edge of the boot, then lean on/cling to/pull myself round to the driver's door using adapted grab-holds
    *Funnily enough, there's no official designated disabled parking bay outside my own home!
    *If I've been shopping, get back to my car only to see it blocked, what am I expected to do - just sit and wait for however long until the offending car owner gets back? How am I to know whether you're gonna be five minutes, or five hours? I wouldn't be able to open the boot, even just put my shopping in, in one foot of space! What if it's raining, or snowing? Also, I'd be blocking the pavement - not great for pedestrians/disabled/elderly/kiddies, forcing them onto the road to get around me... the resulting dirty looks, whispered comments/expletives - or even outright abuse - is not likely to make my day any easier...
    *I do sometimes/often - shock horror! - go out on my own... and, amazingly, I even live independantly!
    In future, just engage your grey matter, yeah? I'm discriminated against enough as it is, without having the most 'everyday' aspects of my daily life being seen as such an inconvenience to others such as yourself... do you think life's easy for ME? Remember, "There but for the grace of God..."
    As to designated 'disabled' spaces in supermarket car parks... put it this way, I now have my groceries delivered! (obviously, not for that reason alone - being 'seen' by other shoppers is a difficulty in itself... having to ask people to move every five seconds, just to get NEAR the goods, wears thin very quickly! But that's for another thread...)
    I've been so frustrated, I once took the time to sit nearby, and hand a pre-written note to each 'offender' when they returned to their vehicle, politely outlining the difficulties caused by such thoughtlessness - and within the hour, I was approached by security and asked to move on, as there had been several complaints! I insisted on speaking to the store manager, and explained to him what/why I was doing - how there was no point to these bays if they weren't being enforced by the (obviously!) ample security presence, and pointing out that if it was a public disabled bay, anyone without a blue badge risks being clamped! - so why were they just ignoring the problem? They said that as I wasn't an employee, I had no right to 'harass' their customers (are they saying it's ok for THEM to harass the customers?lol!) and would I please leave? So I threatened to go to the press/local tv (dragging a wheelchair-bound woman from their store would have made for a great picture, after all!), at which point they became much more apologetic and 'understanding', agreed to 'look into' the issue, grovelled a bit, and offered their help with my shopping (which I politely declined), at which point I took my leave...
    What happened next? Well, they replied to the letter in which I re-iterated my complaint, informing me that they were planning to add more signage (???), but - wait for it - security were now patrolling the area, and transgressors were being asked to move their vehicles!
    Which I think is a pretty decent result - even though I no longer use the store... ;-)
  • Dippypud
    Dippypud Posts: 1,927 Forumite
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    Having had the problem ...


    disabled driver and able bodied passenger ...


    need to put wheelchair in boot, having been left about a foot of space ... I lifted the wheelchair onto the bonnet of the Mercedes that had parked too close and ignored the sign in the rear window requesting "at least 4' of space please" and then dragged in to the edge of my boot laid it down and slid it in and secured for travel ...


    Not a problem ... well maybe, I'm only 5' 2" and the wheelchair is heavy ... maybe that driver will not park that close to a vehicle displaying that sort of sticker again ...
    C.R.A.P.R.O.L.L.Z # 40 spanner supervisor.
    No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thought.
    Only after the last tree has been cut down. Only after the last fish has been caught. Only after the last river has been poisoned. Only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten.
    "l! ilyë yantë ranya nar vanwë"
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