Disabled bay outside house - no longer valid - disagreement

[DickusMaximus]

My girlfriend's about to get a car and there's a disabled bay right outside her house on a very busy road.

The neighbour's the 'owner' and he's 90. He lets his family use the space but nobody else (I parked in it for 3 minutes and he caused a scene. I backed down - not wanting the carking of a nonagenarian on my conscience)

The council have confirmed that he doesn't own a car and the space is no longer 'live'. "Anyone can park there - there's nothing we will do."

Questions:

1. I'm not too happy about sticking a nice car in an otherwise fully live looking Dis bay - good chance it'll be vandalised by an outraged MOP since there's nothing to show it's not real

2. The council say they'll 'wait until the paint's faded naturally' which could take years I should think

Any advice welcome...

[MonkeyBusiness]

Pot of black paint and cover the markings?

[JustinP1]

Tell the guy what the council told you.

It will dawn on him he does not own the road.

[Far Cough]

Selotape a bin liner over the disabled sign ( post ) and attach a note declaring that it is no longer a valid disabled bay. Or get the council to remove the sign.

[DickusMaximus]

Far Cough said:

Selotape a bin liner over the disabled sign ( post ) and attach a note declaring that it is no longer a valid disabled bay. Or get the council to remove the sign.

Hmmm...there's no sign on any post. Just the road markings. Am I missing something?

Edited by DickusMaximus on Wednesday 29th April 15:29

[Hackney]

MonkeyBusiness said:

Pot of black paint and cover the markings?

This. (Maybe try to remove the current paint rather than painting over it as council could say you damaged the road)

JustinP1 said:

Tell the guy what the council told you.

It will dawn on him he does not own the road.

and This.

[DickusMaximus]

ok - apparently it's a 'courtesy disabled bay' and so no sign was ever there

West Sussex CC

[john2443]

Round our way the council strip the paint off when a disabled bay outside a house is no longer needed, I'd guess the painted lines take years to wear off, I know they repaint lines but you don't see them doing it very often.

I don't think you'll be able to remover them yourself, IIRC they do it with a chunking big blow torch.

[Butter Face]

I'd go with the paint, a few pots of black paint, do it overnight when the old boy is asleep. Job done.


Get it in writing from the council that it's no longer a valid disabled space.

[TooMany2cvs]

If it's a proper official disabled space, then only people with a blue badge (and anybody with a blue badge) can park there. Otherwise, it's just some paint on a road, and has absolutely zero meaning.

Whether that'll stop her getting an earful is another question entirely, of course. What's neighbourly relations worth to her?

[worsy]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

[Mandalore]

JustinP1 said:

Tell the guy what the council told you.

It will dawn on him he does not own the road.

Also, get it in writing from the council, post copies in ALL the immediate neighbours doors and put a laminated copy up on the side of GF property.




Qu? Why was the space not directly outside the neighbours house/gate/door??

[Rangeroverover]

Sounds like when a family member visits he sticks his "blu book" in the windscreen for a bit of free convenient parking.

I spose it's abusing the system but does it matter

When I moved my mother in law I told the council that the disabled bay outside her house no longer required so they did the right thing and came along and repainted and renewed it

[Who me ?]

TooMany2cvs said:

If it's a proper official disabled space, then only people with a blue badge (and anybody with a blue badge) can park there. Otherwise, it's just some paint on a road, and has absolutely zero meaning.

I've enquired about one, to find my road is not the required width. But if I could get one, than ONLY a disabled badge holder could park there .Only downside, is that police enforce this ,and it might not be high on list of priorities.

[Black_S3]

Maybe he has given up his car because his physical ability has decreased to the point he found driving unsafe. There is still every reason for him to have a reserved disabled space outside his house so that family, carers and even ambulances can collect him without having to drag him on a 100m walk to the next nearest space.

Can't believe advice so far has sided with you... Yes, technically you could fk the old guy over but that would put you in the same category as those who refuse to give up priority seats etc.

[pork911]

Black_S3 said:

Maybe he has given up his car because his physical ability has decreased to the point he found driving unsafe. There is still every reason for him to have a reserved disabled space outside his house so that family, carers and even ambulances can collect him without having to drag him on a 100m walk to the next nearest space.

Can't believe advice so far has sided with you... Yes, technically you could fk the old guy over but that would put you in the same category as those who refuse to give up priority seats etc.

did you not read the OP before frothing?

[Black_S3]

I think I did... have read it again and I think what I said is valid, maybe a bit grumpy though.

Anyway the old guy probably knows the space is no longer valid but wants to protect it... OP probably doesn't want to go provoking a parking dispute with a neighbour in that age group - stubborn bunch without much for entertainment. It sounds like if you push ahead and get the disabled space removed it will just become a free for all anyway.

Edited by Black_S3 on Thursday 30th April 02:43

[Mandalore]

Black_S3 said:

Maybe he has given up his car because his physical ability has decreased to the point he found driving unsafe. There is still every reason for him to have a reserved disabled space outside his house so that family, carers and even ambulances can collect him without having to drag him on a 100m walk to the next nearest space.

Except. The OP have confirmed with the council have already confirmed its no longer an official space.

Black_S3 said:

Can't believe advice so far has sided with you... Yes, technically you could fk the old guy over but that would put you in the same category as those who refuse to give up priority seats etc.

Black_S3 said:

I think I did... have read it again and I think what I said is valid, maybe a bit grumpy though.

I don't think you do understand.

In your example you labelled him selfish for asking to use a priority seat, that he positively knew was just a normal seat that somebody couldn't be bothered to take the sticker off of.

Other people might rightly view the old guy as selfish for denying residents valid parking that he was (allegedly) only awarded because he had a car. His reason? - that he has abled bodied visitors, who wish to abuse its use.

Edited by Mandalore on Thursday 30th April 08:28

[GreatGranny]

These bays are not legally enforceable as has been mentioned.

They are installed to allow disabled drivers who have mobility issues to park as close to there house as possible.

Part of my job years ago in north Leeds was to sort these out.

Had a few heated discussions with applicants who argued that it should be directly outside their house even when it was on a blind bend on a road only 6m wide!

WE used to paint over them when they weren't required any more but this was years ago when councils had plenty of money :-)

[DickusMaximus]

Excellent - thank you for all the advice

I think I'll only use it in extremis and keep on the right side of the old git :-)