Published: Friday, 6th June, 2008 16:30
Stop abuse of disabled bays
By Dan Gowar
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I WILL not be alone in welcoming the bid by Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie to make the Scottish Parliament take a stronger line against drivers who abuse parking bays for the disabled.
She has presented a Member’s Bill aimed at these creeps being fined up to £60 for what can only be described as a fraud against those for whom life is hard enough.
My understanding is Ms Baillie’s campaign is to target able-bodied motorists who use the bays and also certain individuals who display blue badges issued to allow them to transport people who cannot walk very far.
The latter category involves those who should have surrendered the badge when the intended beneficiary was no longer capable of leaving their home or, indeed, had passed away.
I am certain the vast majority of blue-badged cars in disabled parking bays have a genuine reason to be there.
It is generally easy to identify those abusing the system. They sweep into the bay, get out of their vehicle, scowl at any member of the public who has the temerity to even think an abuse of the system is taking place and then swagger off.
I believe a maximum penalty of £60 — if Ms Baillie’s bill is successful — is merely a slap on the wrist and unlikely to dissuade serial offenders.
Let’s really get tough. My proposal would be a minimum fine of £1,000 plus a year’s driving ban. Failure to pay the penalty would involve a couple of weeks sharing a prison cell with long-termers who last washed a decade ago and the offender’s car would be sent to the crusher.
As I have long suggested, the UK is going bonkers. All manner of Loony Tune organisations and weirdoes can win substantial discrimination payments from our courts courtesy of political correctness, but the judiciary is failing others whose lives are made difficult by miscreants.
That’s why disabled parking bay offenders should be hammered by the courts.
Recently, I was with the General Manager when she gave the ‘evil eye’ to a gent swathed in gold jewellery who parked his large 4x4 — minus a blue badge — in a disabled bay.
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