Woman fined for parking in disabled space - despite being with elderly mother in wheelchair

[dutchman]

She was given a fine, but was told if she notified staff earlier, she would not have needed to pay it



A woman has voiced her anger after being slapped with a fine for parking in a disabled bay - despite the fact she was with her elderly mother who was using a wheelchair.

The woman, who asked not to be named, parked in a disabled bay at Arena Park on March 9 so her mother - who had just come out of hospital after having an operation on her hip - had space to get out of the car.

When they arrived back they found they had been slapped with a fine.

She appealed the ticket twice, but was turned down on both occasions - first for having provided "no supporting evidence of the short term disability" and then for not parking in accordance with the terms and conditions.

But she says her mother's right to shop would have been infringed if they had parked in a normal space.

She said: "I got a parking ticket at the Ricoh for parking in a disabled space when my mum came out of hospital and she was in a wheelchair.

"I appealed twice and lost but my argument is where do you park when you’re in a wheelchair and don’t have a blue badge?

"We visited the centre on Easter Monday and the Parkwatch attendant said I should have gone in first and explained and he’d have let me off, but the duty security man said if mum can’t get out of the car then she can’t visit the shop.

"I wouldn’t mind but on the actual day I was the only car in the whole row and I left a note with my number on it saying any problems please ring me.

"When he said we must use a normal bay we said 'But she can’t get out' and he said 'Well she can’t use the shop then'."

When CoventryLive asked Parkwatch where people who had no blue badge but were in a wheelchair could park, and the process they must follow, we had no reply.

[Melisandre]

You do need a blue badge to park in a disabled spot best way for her to solve her plight is to park on the end of a normal bay where no car can park on one side.