Game
Over for Space Invaders
Space
Invaders – the selfish motorists who dishonestly use disabled parking bays –
are to be taken to task in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.
MSP
for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, and MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Johann
Lamont, both of whom have been campaigning on the issue for some time, have
secured a Member’s Debate on a jointly drafted motion.
Mr
McNeil, who has been looking into the abuse of disabled parking bays in private
car parks, says it might be time to increase enforcement powers:
“Disabled
drivers from across my constituency express to me their frustration, not just at
the bone-idle and selfish ‘space invaders’ who abuse disabled parking
spaces, but at the apparent reluctance of the car park owners to enforce their
own parking policy,” he said today.
“According
to the ‘Baywatch’ campaign, 1 in 5 disabled parking bays in supermarket car
parks are being used by non-disabled drivers.
That cannot go on. Not only
are disabled drivers denied access to vital services, stores who turn a blind
eye could face legal action under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
“If
we can’t make the present system work, perhaps it is time to go beyond
appealing to people’s better nature and start appealing to their pockets.
I have no problem with, for example, fining lazy drivers for their
thoughtlessness and I hope this debate will allow us to discuss a range of
tougher enforcement options.”
Ms
Lamont highlighted a similar need to look again at the rules governing the abuse
of parking bays outside disabled drivers’ homes:
“The
accounts of intimidation and neighbourhood conflict which some of my most
vulnerable constituents relate to me are, frankly, deplorable,” she said.
“Their only crime is to be sufficiently infirm to require a disabled
parking space outside their homes.
“This,
of course, is largely down to the people who either don’t realise or don’t
care about the inconvenience and trouble their total lack of consideration for
anyone other than themselves causes.
As the mother of a disabled daughter said to me recently, ‘if
they want the space, they can have the disability that goes with it.’
“I
therefore hope that this debate will prompt more MSPs to back my call for a
comprehensive awareness campaign highlighting the rights of disabled people and
emphasising the unacceptability of harassing those who have been allocated a
disabled parking space. And, like
Duncan McNeil, I believe that if a satisfactory solution cannot be found,
strengthening the law needs to be examined.”
ENDS
The
full motion reads:
S2M-1235#
Mr Duncan McNeil: Space Invaders — That the
Parliament notes the difficulties experienced by people within local communities
who have secured disabled parking spaces outside their homes; deplores the fact
that these spaces can become a focus of conflict within communities where people
seek to use such a space, despite not having a disabled parking badge; notes
with equal dismay the figures published by the Baywatch campaign group that show
that over 20% of disabled parking bays in supermarket car parks are being used
by non-disabled drivers; recognises that the current legal position, which
distinguishes between courtesy parking spaces and those supported by traffic
regulation orders, creates problems for people with disabilities who need to
rely on a designated parking space outside their home; appreciates, in the case
of car parks on private land such as those belonging to supermarkets, the
frustration of disabled drivers where the store management appears reluctant to
enforce its own parking policy; acknowledges that, for their part, some store
managers are not clear about their powers to compel drivers to move from
specially designated bays; notes that this situation leaves supermarkets
vulnerable to future legal action under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
(as amended); therefore believes that the Scottish Executive, local authorities
and all relevant agencies should work together to develop an awareness campaign
to highlight the rights of disabled people and to emphasise the unacceptability
of harassing those who have been allocated disabled parking spaces, and
considers that, if a satisfactory solution cannot be found, the possibility of
legislating to address the problem and giving local authorities the appropriate
enforcement powers should be examined.
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