The British Polio Fellowship
Worthing & Sussex Branch
Registered Charity no. 1108335

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A Disabled Parking Bay, but park there, and you'll get a ticket.
     

Park here if you dare...
Nobody likes getting parking tickets of course but disabled drivers should be warned that traffic wardens are now issuing parking tickets to disabled drivers that park their cars in designated disabled parking spaces in many towns around the country, oh yes, its true, it happened to me.
 
We regularly take our little Springer spaniel for a walk along Worthing Seafront, and park near the local swimming pool. The road has a single disabled parking bay, and when free I always park there, as I have done for five years or more, but on May 3rd 2008 I returned to my car to see that I had been left a parking ticket issued by NCP who now control the parking in Worthing .

Well you can imagine my bewilderment; my car was clearing displaying my blue badge, the clock showing the correct time and it was in a designated disabled parking space, so why the ticket??
Later I went onto the Worthing website to check the local regulations, and as you can see if you read this link, I was perfectly entitled to park there.

A strong letter was called for, so I wrote off to the appeals officer in Worthing with my complaint and my fingers crossed..
Meanwhile I managed to have a chat with my good friend Peter, who is himself a traffic warden in the Horsham area, and he told me that if I park my car in a designated disabled parking bay in a residents only parking area, then the residents restrictions come into force above the rights of the disabled driver, unless a separate sign is posted near the bay to say that the disable bay was for all disabled drivers to use......, well I had never heard of this before and this also contradicts the information on their own website. Anyway, letter sent, and now I wait to hear from the NCP appeals board.

A couple of weeks on and a letter from NCP accepted my explanation, and cancelled the £35 penalty ticket, but they hadn’t addressed the contradictions I had pointed out, and I have now emailed the borough council for an explanation.

I will keep you posted.

 

Robin Stephens 6th June 2008

 

 

Buddy and Karen
  
If anyone else has a similar story, I would love to hear it.
  
Thanks to Joy from Peacehaven for the following email:-
 
Hi Robin,
 
Thanks for your email, what ever your camera type, the taking of such good photos as you take must be down to the photographer - yourself.
 
Reference parking conflicts I have experienced, the last incident I had (not on a disabled bay) but in a side road with yellow lines and a plate on a pole that permitted parking which I used  every Friday displaying my orange badge as per usual, when I went to have my hair done at my usual little hairdresser. I was never ever parked there more than 40 minutes and when I returned to my car there to my surprise was a PARKING TICKET! While pondering what to do next a couple came up to me and said ''we saw your car  booked by a rather full of herself attitude young woman'' who appeared to be trying to impress a couple of brewery supply drivers further up the road. However, I went straight to Seaford Police Station and reported the situation. I was told that I would have to write in to (can't remember where it was now) and they would take appropriate action. This I did, and in the fullness of time they wrote to me and rescinded the parking ticket.
 
On another occasion I was parked on a two hour no return I think it was right outside the Arndale Centre at Eastbourne, when I returned to my car I found a parking ticket on my windscreen.
I called in to Newhaven police station on my way home only to be told by the official on the desk that the registration on the ticket was not mine (which I had not noticed) and he insisted that I would still have to write in and enclose the ticket even though it was nothing to do with my disabled vehicle.
 
These two accounts may not be of much use to you but have recorded them for you in case!
 
The incident that really got to me was recently I received the usual reminder that my Blue Badge was due to be renewed (three years up end of May) I completed their form and sent them a copy of the exemption from road tax form etc. About three weeks later I receive my new badge made out for only 6 months. I telephoned the issuing office at Eastbourne who informed me that my benefit (The mobility allowance) expired at end of April!  The jobs worth lady also added that I would have to send her proof from the Benefits Office to confirm that it had not expired  before she would send me the correct badge! I sent a email  and complained to the head place in London as well as contact the Benefits Office in Blackpool. Finally, I received the new correct badge. The thing about this latter palaver Robin is that it is on record that I have had polio since age 6 months old and post polio syndrome for the past 10 to 15 years which has reduced my mobility to nigh on zero. Would imagine that the bods at the issuing office have access to any of this information - wouldn't you? I find it all quite demoralizing as if one was ''coming it'' Enough said!
 
Sorry if I have warbled on and this information probably useless to you, but I will conclude and mention when out on my scooter in super market and else whereI have encountered some hostile folk, who say ''you shouldn't be in here on that'' and quite a bit of antagonism directed at scooter users.
If they only but knew.
 
Referring back to your photographs I would be jolly grateful if you could put a tip or two my way as I try very hard to produce nice pictures and never really pleased with results.
 
Be happy and keep well - love to Karen.
Joy  
Thanks to Jim from Worthing for the following email:-

Dear Robin,
I have read with interest your article on parking issues with your blue badge in Worthing. Just like you, we are going through the same problem. My wife, holds her blue badge because of severe rheumatoid arthritis. We parked over the Xmas period on a disabled  road marked bay, displaying her badge and correct time of parking. On return, just over the hour we found a ticket placed on our vehicle. Also included in the PCN was a multi tick box that said we were parked in a residents restricted bay. Like you I have not heard of this with regards to disabled bays and have submitted an appeal. Also I have enclosed photo's and a Worthing guidelines to parking for Blue badge holders issued by Worthing Borough Council with the relevant disabled bay points underlined
 
As I have researched, there appears to be only two types of disabled parking bays in force. The first is the standard disabled parking bay. the second is a dedicated disabled bay that will have the registration number of the dedicated vehicle on a post next to the bay.
If worthing believe that there is a third type, I.E., one that becomes residents only at certain times of the day, then they will have to prove to myself and the judge that this is legal.
 
I will keep you informed as to how this pans out. I will fight this one all the way to court if required to do so.
 
Regards,
Jim Clarke.