ASDA & Equality Act

Stephen_Leak

Coupon-mad wrote: »

<snip> Stephen Leak are you able to start a thread to show us what correspondence was exchanged with Asda about the Act - or is it too close to home? I really feel that the big shopping retailers are the main targets for this sort of information campaign - if they are forced to sit up and take notice of who can actually use their disabled bays LEGALLY, then word will get out and we will start seeing a general change I would hope.

I simply sent ASDA an e-mail, based on my "Blue Badge/Equality Act" paragraph ...

The Blue Badge scheme does not apply to private car parks. Anyone, who is disabled under the terms ot The Equality Act can use a disabled parking bay. If they are also Blue Badge holders, they don't need to display it. The Equality Act doesn't say that able-bodied drivers can't also use disabled parking bays. OK, they shouldn;t, but they can. This probably contravenes the contract terms & conditions for the car park. The contract terms & conditions for the car park usually state that you shouldn't park in a disabled bay without displaying a badge. This contravenes The Equality Act.

I also pointed out that their signs were contadiciry, The big one in front of my local one's entrance says, "Blue Badge holders exempt". Correct. But TCP's signs have "parking without displaying a Blue Badge" as one of the contraventions. Potentially embarrassing and expensive.

I suggested that their legal department might like to have a read of the Act.

I haven't had any reply, but I also haven't had the usual return call from an "airhead" in Customer Service.

Then, I read a report on here about signs being changed at one ASDA branch. Then a report of the "enforcer" checking tax discs.

Interesting.

esmerobbo

Another point would be were time limits are involved, if its a two hour time limit and they judge that is time enough for a person to shop then a disabled user would have to be given more time to give them adequate adjustment.
If they have told their car park attendants to check for a disabled tax disc its a step in the right direction, but a disabled person could use a car not taxed as disabled, or a blue badge can be used on a car without a disabled tax disc.
At least it looks as if they are listening.