parked in disabled parking spot - deepdale retail park

fad1211

I am able bodied and never park in a disabled spot as I know they are to be respected for the people who really need them.

Having said that, I visited deepdale retail park in preston and I parked in a disabled bay for 5 minutes to pick up my grandma who is genuinely disabled and in a wheelchair. She and her carer were dropped off there earlier in the day, and I had to go and pick her up. She has a disabled badge on her sons car who at the time was at work.

I parked in a disabled spot, and it took me 5 minutes to fetch them from where they were waiting to bring them back to the car. In this 5 minutes, i received a parking ticket. I tried to explain the the guy, who was still writing the ticket out, but he ignored me, even though he could see a women in a wheelchair next to me. All he did was slap the ticket on, take a picture and moved on.

Can I do anything in this scenario. The parking ticket is for £60 if paid within 14 days, or else £85. Any help or advise will be appreciated.

thescouselander

This happened to my dad years ago - he appealed the ticket and was successful.

Unity

fad1211 wrote: »

I am able bodied and never park in a disabled spot as I know they are to be respected for the people who really need them.

Having said that, I visited deepdale retail park in preston and I parked in a disabled bay for 5 minutes to pick up my grandma who is genuinely disabled and in a wheelchair. She and her carer were dropped off there earlier in the day, and I had to go and pick her up. She has a disabled badge on her sons car who at the time was at work.

I parked in a disabled spot, and it took me 5 minutes to fetch them from where they were waiting to bring them back to the car. In this 5 minutes, i received a parking ticket. I tried to explain the the guy, who was still writing the ticket out, but he ignored me, even though he could see a women in a wheelchair next to me. All he did was slap the ticket on, take a picture and moved on.

Can I do anything in this scenario. The parking ticket is for £60 if paid within 14 days, or else £85. Any help or advise will be appreciated.

Who issued the ticket?

Check this forum out http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showforum=30 you'll really get the best advice from there.

fad1211

its been issued by a company called central ticketing

wuckfit

The question in my mind is why the disabled badge was being abused by being on a car where there was no disabled person.
There are far too many people who abuse Blue badges to get free parking, and it really gets my goat.

The answer is that the OP should really have ensured that they had the Blue badge to start with before parking in a disabled spot, regardless of whether they had a blue-badge holder with them.

My gripe with the system is the grey area that says that an able-bodied person on an errand for a blue-badge holder is entitled to use the badge. I do think that it is abused so much as well as fake and black-market badges being used to avoid parking charges.

trisontana

fad1211 wrote: »

its been issued by a company called central ticketing

Just relax then, "disabled bays" on private land have no legal standing and you have not broken any law. Just ignore any subsequent threatening letters from them. They will eventually stop bothering you.

This from the Government's own website:-

If a non-disabled motorist has parked in a bay reserved for disabled people in a private car park, for example a supermarket, an employee of the store can ask the driver to move their car from the reserved space, but they cannot legally insist on it.

Coblcris

thescouselander wrote: »

This happened to my dad years ago - he appealed the ticket and was successful.

I would advise against appealing.

elsien

wuckfit wrote: »

The question in my mind is why the disabled badge was being abused by being on a car where there was no disabled person.
There are far too many people who abuse Blue badges to get free parking, and it really gets my goat.

The answer is that the OP should really have ensured that they had the Blue badge to start with before parking in a disabled spot, regardless of whether they had a blue-badge holder with them.
.

I think you're being a bit harsh on the OP.
My dad always kept my grans blue badge in his car as she very rarely used any other vehicle. He did not abuse the system by parking in disabled bays when she wasn't with him as he is only too well aware that the spaces are really needed by people with disabilities.
It's only too easy when you're nipping out to pick someone up as a favour to forget the badge until you get there and remember you need it. Done it myself a few times when I took gran out unexpectedly. Doesn't mean anyones abusing the system, just means that if you're not used to using the blue badge, it's not the first thing that springs to mind until it's too late.

Quentin

Coblcris wrote: »

I would advise against appealing.

I think Coblcris is (correctly) advising against having any contact at all with the issuer. Just ignore the ticket and any correspondence that follows.

McKneff

if the carer and grandma were dropped off why did yu have to go into the store to get them, why didnt the carer come out to the car with grandma for you to just pick them up in a pick up point or even on the road.

mcjordi

ignore it:D:D