Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
A White Mercedes-Benz Puzzle
Wandering along the the relatively short Courcy Road today I came across three Mercedes cars all white, all fairly new, and all with disabled parking badges. Seems very odd or is it just me?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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I think it is worth emailing the photos Antoinette. Almost 3,000 blue badges were stolen in 2015 and the number has been rising every year.
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Permalink Reply by Antoinette on
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The figure I found was 2,017 thefts out of 2.39m valid blue badge holders. I don't understand this latent resentment of blue badge holders; particularly if they are wealthy. It's as though being disabled and rich is a crime.
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I don't think it's resentment of blue badge holders themselves, more the ease with which stolen badges can be used without fear of penalty (because they're not tracked), meaning people just use them as a free parking permit. You see people attaching them to their steering wheel with heavy duty bike locks. And when there are several matching flash cars in a row with badges, I guess it looks suspicious.
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That's just a misconception that there is no fear of penalty. My friend Lisa has a prosthetic leg and is constantly challenged by traffic wardens and members of the public, often very aggressively, certainly unsympathetically, when using her blue badge.
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I don't think anyone resents the use of blue badges by those who need them. My father had one that he used almost daily to attend dialysis. But there is a market for stolen ones. Prosecutions for using a stolen blue badge are tiny so reporting suspected abuse is the right thing to do.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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The numbers of reported thefts of blue badges are indeed small. But the trend apppears to be upwards.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37138440
One point I made is that people with a disability *should* be able to attend football matches and other public events. Which may mean parking nearby. If spaces are taken by people wrongly using blue badges then this aim can be frustrated.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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My experience Alan differs from that of your family member. I recently applied for a blue badge and after ten days I received a letter with an appointment for assessment one week later in Bounds Green where there was dedicated parking lot. A week after the assessment, Haringey sent me a letter to say that my application had been approved and today, a further week on, the blue badge duly turned up.
This part of the Council administration seems to be pretty efficient. All I need now is a white Mercedes
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Thanks, John D. I'll pass that on to my family member so she can compare. And decide whether to follow-up with a complaint/suggestion. Some learning from good practice seems possible.
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Thanks again, John D.
Following up, I mentioned your comment to my family member. Who told me she asked about car parking when she phoned the assessment centre (not run by Haringey Council); but they couldn't tell her. She was also uncertain how long the appointment would last. Having checked out the street, there are parking metres. But she was anxious about the time running out and getting a PCN. Obviously a bigger worry as she can't move quickly or without pain.I'm sure there are ways round this sort of problem, with a little imagination, flexibility and inter-agency co-operation.
For example, in the past I got agreement from Haringey's Parking Service to make temporary arrangements when a resident was very seriously ill, and getting essential daily support from church members who in different cars were driving to the person's home. (Inside a Controlled Parking Zone.)
Compassion, sensitivity and common sense can build confidence between residents and their local council. Parking Services are supposed to run for the benefit of residents. Not as a business.
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