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May 2022

Last Updated: 05/05/2022

Community

Ripon gran, 81, misses family moment due to council van in disabled parking bay

by Tim Flanagan

| 05 May, 2022

Harrogate Borough Council apologises after one of its vans was parked in a disabled parking spot near a school, causing a disabled gran to miss the chance to surprise her granddaughter at pick-up time.

An 81-year-old disabled gran from Ripon missed a special moment with her granddaughter because a council van was parked in a disabled space.

The woman, who asked not to be named, had been driven to Holy Trinity primary school to surprise her granddaughter at pick-up time.

But she was unable to park near enough to the school to do so because the disabled space was taken.

She contacted the Stray Ferret to raise awareness of the need for drivers to be more considerate.

She said:

"My granddaughter has recently started at the school and I knew it would be a lovely surprise for her if she came out of her classroom and I was there to meet her.

"I can only walk very short distances and was taken to the school by my son, but had to stay in the car while he went to Holy Trinity to collect his daughter."

The woman, who is a blue badge holder, added:

"It was distressing and I would just like to ask those able bodied people, who think it's OK to park in bays provided for the disabled, to be more considerate."

Jeremy Dunford, a trustee of Ripon Disability Forum, said:

"When people see empty accessible parking bays or areas they tend to think the following: 'I will only be a couple of minutes' or 'There is plenty of space for others'.

"Others just think 'I’m in a rush, so where's the harm?'"

"These people do it for their convenience and, to be brutally honest, to avoid having to walk too far.

"This is an option that many people with disabilities do not have."

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Mr Dunford said the scenario facing the grandmother was common to all disabled drivers. He added:

"It is not about having to be near to a specific shop every time, it is about having access to buildings, areas and facilities with the relative ease that able bodied people have.

"We also have to say that parking up with a disabled passenger, leaving them in the car, and then going off is also unacceptable. This is also down to laziness

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council, said:

"We’d like to apologise to the Harrogate district resident who sadly could not park in the disabled parking bay near Holy Trinity School in Ripon.

“Our vehicle shouldn’t haven’t been parked there and we be reminding staff who drive work vehicles the importance of disabled bays.”

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Ripon gran, 81, misses family moment due to council van in disabled parking bay

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