Parking ticket on a disability exemption vehicle help.

[Speedracer329]

I knew this would start to happen, and I am hoping for some replies from people with experience or knowledge of the thread title.
My parents have a Motability car, and yesterday parked in a council run car park, the same one they have used for quite some time now. As this car park is free to vehicles with a disability exemption, they put their blue badge on the dash as they have done many times, but when they returned to their car it had been ticketed.
My father rang the council when he got home & was told because the car wasn't displaying a tax disc he should have bought a ticket, as their system isn't able to differentiate between PLG tax and vehicle which are exempt.
I think this is garbage, as we all know as long as tax is current there is now no longer a requirement to put your disc in the window.
I expect this to be a problem for many people in months to come, but can anyone offer advice as to how to having the ticket rescinded please?
I don't want to get into an argument about whether tax exempt vehicles should pay for parking or not as that is a separate issue.

[btsidi]

By their thinking a Hybrid car owner could park there, as pays no tax?

[W124Bob]

Contact your local councillor and MP this is their systems fault since soon no one will be displaying a tax disc. Local press as well. This and any other authority have had months to solve this issue,I hope your father is a in a fighting mood.Please keep this updated.

[Trollied]

W124Bob said:

Contact your local councillor and MP this is their systems fault since soon no one will be displaying a tax disc. Local press as well. This and any other authority have had months to solve this issue,I hope your father is a in a fighting mood.Please keep this updated.

Exactly this OP! They would've known this was happening since at least October.
It was probably 1 moron ticket officer, who obviously did it, then they are trying (awfully) to defend his/hers actions.
Good luck!

[V8 Bob]

The blue badge should be sufficient as not all people who are eligible for a badge get a disability car or are eligible for zero tax. On the highway you need to display both parts of the badge.

[gshughes]

Sounds like a load of rubbish. We sometimes take my wife's 95 year old Grandfather out in our car and as far as I know it is perfectly fine to use his blue badge for parking. He doesn't own a car as he can hardly walk let alone drive, but has a blue badge so that others can drive him and park in disabled bays.

I'm sure a second appeal to the parking adjudicator would overturn the ticket no problem.

[Red Devil]

Speedracer329 said:

My father rang the council when he got home & was told because the car wasn't displaying a tax disc he should have bought a ticket, as their system isn't able to differentiate between PLG tax and vehicle which are exempt.
I think this is garbage, as we all know as long as tax is current there is now no longer a requirement to put your disc in the window.

Here's an example of one LA's guidance on the issue - http://www.poole.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/park...
However there is by no means a unanimity of response. This LA proposed to make all Blue Badge holders pay for off street parking.
http://www.rushmoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=13...

Where the LA continues to allow the concession it should be quite simple to prove that the vehicle is exempt. If the LA in your example refuse to cancel the ticket create a storm with the person's local ward councillor and appeal to the TPT (or PATAS for London Boroughs).

All LAs have had ample time to put suitable arrangements in place, publicise them, and provide guidance to their tame enforcement sub-contractors (hardly any LAs do DPE in house). The abolition date for VED discs was known months ahead so none of them have any valid excuse for not getting their ducks in a row.

[PanzerCommander]

It is also no longer a legal requirement to display a tax disk; it hasn't been since last October. Unless Motability cars still have to display some sort of "exempt" disk?

[etchacan]

Sounds like the usual council inefficiency... If you get no joy with the council, contact your local councillor, that's what they're there for.

A bit more to the point, while I agree that vehicles/people that have blue disabled badges should get wider, closer, more accessible parking spots reserved for their use, why should they be exempt from paying the same parking charge as all the other users of the car park? Are they poorer than the rest of us?

[Speedracer329]

etchacan said:

Sounds like the usual council inefficiency... If you get no joy with the council, contact your local councillor, that's what they're there for.

A bit more to the point, while I agree that vehicles/people that have blue disabled badges should get wider, closer, more accessible parking spots reserved for their use, why should they be exempt from paying the same parking charge as all the other users of the car park? Are they poorer than the rest of us?

I did say at the end of my post that this is a totally separate issue and didn't want the thread to go off on an unnecessary tangent. However, for the record I also have a blue badge & a tax exempt "tax disc", and I don't have an issue with being charged the same as everyone else for parking.

[Speedracer329]

Thanks all for your suggestions and thoughts on the matter. I have appealed the ticket on my fathers behalf, pointing out if their system can't work within the framework of the new rules it is hardly the fault of the drivers involved. If I don't get a satisfactory reply from them I will be going to my MP and the local press as has been suggested by some of you.

When I get a reply I will come back and update the thread for anyone interested in the outcome.

[Quinny]

Hang on a minute........ When you tax a car now, you no longer get a tax disc......so how can you display something that isn't even issued??

[Red Devil]

Further to my earlier post it seems that a good many LAs are well behind the curve. This one didn't get round to even thinking about properly considering the matter until after the abolition date (see Agenda item 8)
http://www.lymeregistowncouncil.gov.uk/document/do...

I have also found another LA which is now planning to abolish free off street parking for former nil tax/disabled tax disc holders.
http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/c...

I can see charging becoming the norm as LAs choose the easiest (for them) option. All that will do is drive badge holders back on street to park on yellow lines. A great way to add to congestion and make life difficult for everyone.

Yet another government initiative whereof the full implications were not properly thought through. Couple that with a disconnect between the various tiers of government (national and local) and the most disadvantaged in society are subject to more undeserved barriers to their social integration.

[rewc]

Red Devil said:

Yet another government initiative whereof the full implications were not properly thought through. Couple that with a disconnect between the various tiers of government (national and local) and the most disadvantaged in society are subject to more undeserved barriers to their social integration.

The Government did think it through and made it clear to local authorities that it was not the function of Tax Discs for them to be used for the implementation of their parking regimes. It is up to local authorities to put in place the means to enable vehicles to comply with their parking regulations or to change the regulations.
The Cornwall link you provided says "Councillor Bert Biscoe, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for Transport, said: “The reason we gave this concession in the first place was because our equipment was not helpful to some disabled people. As we are now able to replace that equipment and have the RingGo service, we feel that this is a moment to consider re-introducing charging.
“We are keen to hear what people think. Needless to say the Council is in straightened financial circumstances and every penny counts.”

That is what it is about, local authorities looking at ways to make money rather that modify their schemes.

Edited by rewc on Tuesday 3rd February 15:40

[speedking31]

I wonder if he said "straightened" or "straitened"?

Are they sure that the parking conditions have not changed?

[stuart313]

What difference does the tax disc make? if you display a blue badge do you not get free parking no matter what type of tax disc it is? can others who don't have a blue badge get free parking?

All very confusing.

[anonymous-user]

stuart313 said:

What difference does the tax disc make? if you display a blue badge do you not get free parking no matter what type of tax disc it is? can others who don't have a blue badge get free parking?

All very confusing.

You neglected to mention public/council parking and private parking.

Maybe to make it easier all round as suggested above, all should pay to park to prevent confusion?

[Riley Blue]

speedyguy said:

stuart313 said:

What difference does the tax disc make? if you display a blue badge do you not get free parking no matter what type of tax disc it is? can others who don't have a blue badge get free parking?

All very confusing.

You neglected to mention public/council parking and private parking.

Maybe to make it easier all round as suggested above, all should pay to park to prevent confusion?

AFAIK from when I used to drive my blue badge holder parents around, not all disabled parking is free. In some car parks it's chargeable, it's just that the disabled spaces are wider and closer to the exit.

[aw51 121565]

Speedracer329 said:

Thanks all for your suggestions and thoughts on the matter. I have appealed the ticket on my fathers behalf, pointing out if their system can't work within the framework of the new rules it is hardly the fault of the drivers involved. If I don't get a satisfactory reply from them I will be going to my MP and the local press as has been suggested by some of you.

When I get a reply I will come back and update the thread for anyone interested in the outcome.

I'm sure several of us will be interested in the outcome - but a cynical me suspects that you can expect nothing more than a fudge after being put through the mill over this matter (and no meaningful sanctions for the contractor nor the CEO involved) .

PS you know this anyway - but a vehicle's taxation status (whether Disabled or PLG) means nothing as to whether a Blue Badge is valid in its use or not - unless the LA concerned has some very Kafka-esque rules!!

PS it might be interesting to do a "freedom of information" (or whatever it is called) request as to how many other vehicles have been issued tickets by this LA in these circumstances...

[tvrgit]

aw51 121565 said:

I'm sure several of us will be interested in the outcome - but a cynical me suspects that you can expect nothing more than a fudge after being put through the mill over this matter (and no meaningful sanctions for the contractor nor the CEO involved) .

PS you know this anyway - but a vehicle's taxation status (whether Disabled or PLG) means nothing as to whether a Blue Badge is valid in its use or not - unless the LA concerned has some very Kafka-esque rules!!

PS it might be interesting to do a "freedom of information" (or whatever it is called) request as to how many other vehicles have been issued tickets by this LA in these circumstances...

Absolutely correct.

It might also be interesting to request a copy of the Council's Order or regulation and see if it even mentions the tax status of the vehicle - as above, the blue badge goes to the PERSON not the vehicle, so they can normally use the badge whether they are in a tax-exempt vehicle or not.