EDITOR – I took my 89-year-old disabled aunt for a medical appointment at Link Hills Centre in Waterfall. As I am a pensioner myself, I have to bring someone with me to help get her in and out of the car and into her wheelchair.
There are two disabled spaces next to the lifts. However, a 4×4 owner had decided not to park in one disabled space but to use both – two wheels in one space and two in the other.
How utterly selfish can a person be, knowing full well that these spaces are allocated only for disabled use? As there were no other parking bays available, I had to park and block other parked cars for the time it took to get my aunt out of the car and into her chair. It was a very hot day and we were all flustered and irritated. I then had to move my car to a spot far away on the car park and drive it back later to collect her (as the disabled space was still occupied by the 4×4).
A shopper, infuriated at witnessing this, took a photo of the offending vehicle and said she was going to write to the press about it. I hope she names and shames. Centre management were pretty nonchalant and simply told me to speak with the security guard, who said he just gets abuse if he tells shoppers not to park in disabled spaces. I have had the same reaction from centre management at Hillcrest Corner when a disabled space I needed was being used by a family of four sitting in their car eating their take-away lunches.
When I spoke to them and asked them to move, I was told ‘first come, first served’ and they ignored me. Centre management told me it happens all the time and is difficult to control. Why? Clamp the wretched vehicles, for Heaven’s sake. If people have to pay a fine to get their vehicle released they will soon learn a lesson.
A friend since referred me to your article on the whistle-blowing facility initiated by the Quad-Para association of SA, asking those who witness this kind of abuse of parking bays to send a photo of the registration number, date, time and location with the disabled signage clear on the photo to 073 853 9675. Please folks: I implore you do not park in disabled spaces even for a few minutes – your action makes life even more difficult for genuinely disabled people.
Fed-up Pensioner
Kloof
