We are all pleased I am sure that the building work at the shopping centre is now complete apart from a small list of issues over which the Community Council are in correspondence with the owners.
A request has been made by a resident to have eye-level “disabled parking” notices near the bays so that they can be clearly seen especially in wintery weather. I have also been following this up for the resident who herself is disabled. She is championing for fellow disabled neighbours and friends, not just herself.
She has pointed out a further issue whereby delivery vans are dropping off in front of the shops, using the disabled parking bays.
Charges and conditions of use in off-street car parks are a contractual matter between the car park owner and the motorist. Enforcement of parking bays for people with disabilities is therefore a matter for the individual owner or operator of the car park.
If a non-disabled motorist has parked in a bay reserved for people with disabilities in a private car park, for example a supermarket, an employee of the store can ask the driver to move their car from the reserved space – but they cannot legally insist on it.
I have therefore written to the management of the shopping centre to highlight not only a health and safety matter but an equalities issue.
I hope that both issues are addressed speedily.
What about parent spaces? There is no mention of them on the car park signs, and I have never ever seen anyone patrol the car park, yet these are misused every day. Whats the difference between these and disabled spaces?
The difference is that disabled spaces are mandatory and must be provided. Parent and child spaces are provided at the discretion of the car park owner which as you know in this case is a private company. Some supermarkets in other areas are considering removing parent and child spaces due to the amount of stand-offs between customers.