Disabled OAP slams abuse of parking spaces

A DISABLED Fife man has hit out at able-bodied drivers “nicking” designated parking spaces at K i r k c a l d y ’s V i c t o r i a Hospital.

David Elrick, from Lochore, said blue badge holders with appointments at the hospital found it extremely difficult to park because of t he selfish actions of others.

The 67-year-old has now called for better policing of disabled spaces by NHS Fife staff.

While t he number of spaces allocated at the Vic for those with disabilities complies with Scottish Government recommendations, parking generally is an issue for both patients and staff at the hospital.

The car park is also the subject of a parking regulation order which means fixed penalty notices can be issued to those parked inappropriately.

Nonetheless, Mr Elrick said he was often forced to park far from the hospital entrance when non-blue badge holders were taking up disabled spaces.

“Non-disabled drivers are nicking our parking spaces,” he said.

“The last time I had an appointment there were five cars without blue badges parked in disabled spaces near the Hayfield entrance and three of them are regular users of these spaces.”

Andrew Fairgrieve, NHS Fife’s director of estates, facilities and capital development, said: “NHS Fife works to ensure that both patients and staff have access to appropriate parking spaces at our hospitals, although we acknowledge this is often difficult due t o a high demand that is reflected across Scotland.

“We monitor the impact of existing arrangements at regular intervals to make sure we are best serving our patients and our staff.”