Parking on disabled boxes

[stanbesida]

Could anybody suggest a way to embarrass my neighbour in the hope that he will stop parking on the disabled box outside my bungalow? The council put a disabled box on the road outside my bungalow a few years ago but the man who owns the shop next door (I purchased the bungalow from his family), told me that I would never get to park on it as I was using his customers' parking spaces up. W€henever I moved my car off the box to go shopping or to the doctor/hospital, he told his staff to let him know and he put his car on the box. He got a MP friend of his to write a letter stating that it was not illegal to park on a disabled box outside somebody's property, or at the top of a driveway, he photocopied this letter and enlarged it and passed copies to all his customers and pasted them all over the door and window of his shop to encourage people to park on it. There has been a lot of problems over the years but I always thought that it was the old man who was causing all the problems until I arrived home from hospital yesterday morning and the son who is a partner in the business had parked his delivery van on the box. I reversed my car up to the front of the van and drove my wife's car behind it so that he would have to shunt to get the van out. He left his van on the box overnight and his son came to collect him, when we got up this morning he had parked his car behind my wife's car. I had to go to the chemist this morning so the ???? parked his car in front of his van while I was away. The old man has just come in his car albeit that he only lives about 700 yards from the shop, and he has now parked that behind my car, (so much for ME using his customers' parking spaces!!!!) I have taken photographs of the vehicles showing them parked on the disabled box but I don't know what to do with them and would welcome any advice as it is not illegal to park outside somebody's property on a disabled box albeit that the law is going to be changed some time

[steg]

it looks like the law is going to change soon and people parking in disabled spaces without permit will be fined
http://www.ableize.co...gets-backing-n36.html

[squarebear]

If you had blocked my van in, I too would be annoyed at you. What do you believe he is doing wrong?

[stanbesida]

Replying to squarebear.WHAT IS HE DOING WRONG? What do you think he is doing wrong? I am crippled with arthritis and also have asthma and COPD. This idiot thinks that because he owns the shop next door to me, he also owns the entire road, when the council put the disabled box at the front of my property I hadn't asked them to, I had enquired about having a ramp at the rear of my premises but they decided that this was not a very safe idea. If you read my query again you will note that he told me I would NEVER get the parking space as I was using HIS customers parking spaces, and he also told me that I should park my car round the back even though this meant that I had to open 2 sets of gates. I suppose you are one of these people who think that it is alright for an able bodied person to park on a disabled parking space and do it all the time.

[ummmm]

I understand where you are coming from Stan but he's not actually breaking the law at the moment. I think that's more Squarebears point. Boxing in his van wasn't a wise move.

[Count-A-Strong]

Yes stan, but you didn't make it clear that the space had been put there specifically for your own use.

[stanbesida]

I would just like to point out that although the box was put there for my use because of my disability, any person with a disabled badge can park on the box providing that they display their blue badge, but this idiot does not have a blue badge and there is nothing wrong with him, he runs a disco in our area and carries his equipment without any problems

[ummmm]

I don't think that just because there is a disabled box that it's illegal to park there though. Until it is there isn't much you can do. Boxing his van in will make him do it more.

[theshedman]

Hi, a friend of mine told me that although she has a disabled box painted on the road outside her property anyone can use it, but if the council was to put up a post saying disabled bay then only a disabled person can use it. Anyone else who used it could then be fined. If as it sounds you are not getting any joy from the shop owner try the council or police they may be able to adviise you on what you need to do.

[Everhelpful]

ALL People who park in Disabled bays without a Blue Badge should be clamped,no question about it,it is total arrogance or ignorance.

[joko]

what about approaching your local newspaper?...shame him to the entire neighbourhood...he is obviously of the old and ill informed belief that he own the road outside his property

[stanbesida]

Thanks to everybody who has made suggestions on this subject, I have contacted the council and they went to see him but didn't get anywhere with him, I contacted the police and they inform me that they can't do anything and I have to contact the council, (I don't know whether the fact that the police get their dinner from the shop and are friendly with the owner, has anything to do with their reluctance to intervene). A council employee was measuring the box a few months ago and when I asked him why, he said the law will be changing soon and they will be making the boxes larger and they will be enforceable by law after that, but until then it appears that I am going to have to contend with this arrogant sod parking there whenever he likes. Doesw anybody know when this law will be enforceable in Scotland? Once again, many thanks for all your replies. John

[AlBags]

Hi John ..
Hope you get sorted.
If anyone, it will be the Council.
Police really will not be interested until there is an offence.

[Prudie]

Excuse me all but AlBags m2m??... is after you ref dishwasher in How it works

[boxtops]

My mother had a disabled badge which she used in any of our cars (she couldn't drive herself) and she was always incensed by people who parked in disabled bays meaning she had to walk further (she had serious mobility problems). She bought some stickers (I don't know where from) saying "you have my disability bay, would you like my disability too?" and slapped them on the offending windscreens. I am not sure if she would get away with it now.....!
I used to live opposite a row of shops and my garage was accessed by a drive. I often couldn't get in after work because shoppers were blocking my access, until I had a white bone sign painted in the road - and even then one woman told me it was Ok to park there, because she was pregnant.

In our road there is a disabled bay but it was put in for the man who lives there, the last one outside another house was taken away when the disabled person moved. I understood a disabled bay to be for individual users - I don't understand how anyone else can park in it (apart from another disabled person).

[Everhelpful]

See my reply,boxtops.!!

[puternut]

As a disavled driver myself - thanks for the link steg.

I just wonder if this will be in Scotland only as it appears to quote MSP's and Hollyrood.

[brenda]

stanbesida-- I am sorry that I cannot help with your question , but just to say to you that I am disgusted at the lack of compassion that your neighbouring shopkeeper chooses to show.You know sometimes what goes round comes round -- so fingers crossed eh!.All the best.

[puternut]

^^ disabled

[stanbesida]

First of all I would like to thank everybody for their support and to say Hi to albags -
The shopkeeper in question is in his 70's lives approximately 500 yards from the shop and regularily parks his car on the box if I vacate it to go to the hospital as I did on Wednesday, the specialist now informs me that I require new hips. The Ar??????'s son who is around 30-40 years old, was the one who parked the van on the disabled box albeit that it is normally his father who does it. I would like to re-iterate that he informed me that I should park my car round the back as I am using his customers' parking spaces up, yet there has been occasions when he has had his car parked on the box, his son has had his disco van parked behind it, and they have also had the delivery van parked outside, so I am flabergasted how he can make such a claim.

[xobapg]

Old trick from about 40 years ago used by several members of the Police in Manchester during the night for parking problems. Unscrew a valve cap, drop a small pebble in and replace it, air will slowly leak out giving the impression of a slow puncture. When they remove the cap to inflate the tyre the pebble drops out. Needs a bit of practise to find the right size pebble. If the problem continued, 2, then 3 then 4 pebbles. Downside is there may be a law against it now - damage to property or something. Superglue in the locks was a favourite of the bad guys in Liverpool. Just for information only.