Blue Badge fraudsters blamed for parking woe in a private car park

HappyMJ

http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/News/Blue-badge-fraudsters-are-blamed-for-parking-woe-27042012.htm

This was front page "news" in the local Burton Advertiser and the crap that is in the article really got on my nerves today. The so called journalist refers to the ticket as a penalty charge notice. You cant actually read the sign in the picture but it clearly says "PARKING CHARGE NOTICE"....oh and later on in the article it refers to the parking attendants issuing fines.

“In order to deter people from abusing the blue badge system, we have stepped up car parking patrols and there is a fine for anyone who misuses the disabled spaces because it prevents genuine users such as Mrs Matthews from finding a designated space.

I am trying to explain to everyone in my area that the parking company is scamming everyone and the go and print this rubbish and now everyone in town that I talk to is taking this as the gospel truth and are paying the outstanding tickets for overstaying short stay bays. The article has scared them. It is so annoying. Sorry this is just a rant really.

Please can you friendly people post something on this thread so I can show them this is a scam company trying anything to get £35 or £65. P.S the parking charge for overstaying is not £5 as in the article it is actually £35. Blue badge and/or disabled drivers cannot park for free in the main car park so thats another thing that gets on my nerves.

lilac_lady

Why do blue badge holders get free parking?


Not trying to stir things, just wonder why.

HappyMJ

lilac_lady wrote: »

Why do blue badge holders get free parking?


Not trying to stir things, just wonder why.

No idea and the disabled car park doesn't even have wide spaces. I thought blue badge holders get free parking anyway in council pay and display car parks....

esmerobbo

They have it so wrong on so many issues's

Firstly no one has to give disabled badge holders free parking the badge allows you to park in certain places on the public highway. Like double yellow lines as long as there are no other restrictions.

Second as we all know PPC's cant fine or penalise you, they could claim for actual losses. So no loss no claim.

Third anyone who has a disability has to by law have adequate adjustment made for them. Lets take the short stay bay this person has been scammed for. If an able bodied person is allowed to park there for 2 hours then a disabled person should be allowed longer. Simply because it would take a disabled person longer to do the same things.

Finally as for blue badge holders getting free parking, some councils do, some councils don't, it is not set in stone that they must! However if you look at the tariffs they normally say something like on displaying a blue badge you get an extra period.

In Liverpool if you park in a disabled bay in a council car park its free, if you cant find a bay and use your badge you pay but you have an extra hour. If you park on a Pay and display road side its free.

There is a problem with some people believing a blue badge allows them to park anywhere they fancy. We had someone on a local radio just this week complaining that they had received a FPN for obstruction from the police. We was complaining he had his blue badge on show, but they still give him a FPN.
The radio presenter said write and ask why they gave you an FPN, so the man says I asked them as they were there when I got back to my car. They had to wait for me to come back because they couldn't get out of the street until I moved my car!:eek:

give_them_FA

Perhaps if this so called reporter had researched his article in a more professional manner, instead of merely repeating propaganda, he would have discovered that blue badges do not apply on private land.

pogofish

esmerobbo wrote: »

They have it so wrong on so many issues's

Also - Disabled/BB spaces are strictly and clearly defined in the TSRGD. So if the op tells us that the place lacks wide bays, it is highly unlikely that they are compliant.

HappyMJ wrote: »

No idea and the disabled car park doesn't even have wide spaces. I thought blue badge holders get free parking anyway in council pay and display car parks....

Nope - no absolute requirement for free parking in P&Ds, that is left up to an individual authority to enact. The only requirement in the regs is that any charge for disabled parking cannot exceed the equivalent rate for able bodied.

treeboa

a lot of them allow you to park in disabled spaces with a blue badge, only those with disabled tax as well as the badge get the free parking

taffy056

Good newspaper that, if you disagree with their reporting they don't put your replies on the article

Half_way

Good newspaper that, if you disagree with their reporting they don't put your replies on the article

maybe the person who puts the coments up isnt at work at the moment, the Burton mail isnt exactly a big paper, even by local standards.

Coupon-mad

I posted a comments straight away but it hasn't been put up either. Nothing defamatory, just telling the bloke from the Hospital that he is mistaken and should read the Equality Act sharpish, if he thinks this is about 'Blue Badge abuse'.

The lady in the article has it right - she was of the opinion there are not enough disabled spaces and the provision that exists is inadequate - which would seem obvious to all expect the 'mouthpiece' Management bloke from the hospital.