Not disabled? You'll feel fine (From Thisisdorset)

Not disabled? You'll feel fine

7:00pm Thursday 17th May 2007 in

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CASTLEPOINT bosses say a crackdown on people who illegally park in disabled bays is already proving a success.

Since Monday bosses at the Bournemouth shopping complex have issued £100 fines to anyone parking in the disabled bays without a blue badge.

They decided to take action to combat the hundreds of shoppers regularly abusing parking spaces for disabled people who make up one in five of centre users.

And only a few days into the scheme Castlepoint general manager Peter Matthews says 26 tickets have been issued to drivers.

However this is a huge drop from the 20 per cent illegally using the disabled spaces before, he said.

Three of the tickets are to be rescinded however as they were issued to people who had failed to display their disabled badges. The scheme will continue indefinitely to free up disabled spaces, he added.

He said: "I am disappointed by the fact we've had to give out 26 parking tickets with all the publicity we've done in the Echo and 2CR. We hoped people would have heeded.

"It wasn't even on our busiest days. What we would hope is that people stop doing this and that people will not abuse the spaces and disabled people can park there.

"We know the number has gone down but not to zero which is what we would want."

A spokesman for Devere Parking, which issues tickets, said ticket officials visit the shopping complex four or five times per day which adds up to between 30 and 40 hours over a seven-day period.

He warned genuinely disabled people to be sure to display their badges correctly to avoid a ticket.

Michael Witherden, a member of Castlepoint's Disability Forum, said it has been easier to park since the scheme started.

He said: "I drove straight into a space today. It's better than it has been. The abuse was so bad in this area it needed a solution and this is one of the solutions you could do.

"Some of the worst offenders are the mothers in large 4x4s."

Disabled shopper Herbert Hardy, a great-grandfather of three, of Castle Lane, Bournemouth, said the scheme was working.

He said: "It's been a big problem. I am 92 and disabled. My back has gone and my legs, but often when I come here I have to park right at the back.

"I was glad to hear about it on the wireless this morning."