Dear “Respect Disabled”,
Thank you for your letter in a recent issue of the BCT.
It calls attention to a trend which has always annoyed me.
Although I see perfectly able-bodied people grabbing disabled only parking spots every now and then, recent circumstances have increased my awareness of the problem, so I thought I’d share my experience.
A sports-related ankle injury has necessitated my use of crutches over the past month.
Though I commute to various shopping centres fairly regularly I have scarcely used a disabled parking spot during that time, as they are invariably fully occupied.
My most frequented centre is the Rynfield Terrace, and although I haven’t actually seen any confirmed offenders there just recently, I find it highly unlikely that every car in a disabled spot is used by a disabled person every time I go there, especially in light of previous observations.
This doesn’t greatly inconvenience me personally, as I’m lucky to be reasonably young and fit, so I can cope with more distant parking spots.
I am sure, however, that this is a major problem for many others, and it’s caused by a combination of laziness, selfishness, and a lack of consideration.
Surely we, as a community, can do better.
Thanks for standing up for the disabled when you caught some of these shameless people red-handed.
