Anger as selfish drivers abuse disabled parking

A community council has hit out after spending £4000 to improve disabled parking spaces only for thoughtless drivers to use them.

Eliburn Community Council used Town Centre funds to get two existing bays widened and an additional three bays added at Newyearfield and say drivers often become abusive when asked to move.

Just last month we reported police said they had stepped up issuing fines to drivers using disabled spaces without blue badges.

But many people have since got in touch to say this has not been their experience when they complain to officers.

Stephen Egan, chair of Eliburn Community Council, said :“This year alone we spent £1000 getting the existing two accessible bays widened as well as two additional bays at the Co-op and one at the dentist.

“Since these bays have been introduced they are abused on an almost hourly basis. We have asked Police Scotland to take action, have sent photographic evidence, but have had no direct feedback from them.

“At our recent meeting our two members who use blue badges had to get delivery drivers to move from the bays. This abuse of accessible bays is unfortunately endemic and only the police can intervene.”

Another local blue badge holder, who asked to remain anonymous, said she had also spoken to officers at Livingston Civic Centre when she found there were no disabled parking bays left for her to use.

She said:“A sergeant said he was in the process of obtaining tickets from Edinburgh and if/when his officers get a chance due to lack of staff they would start to ticket those not displaying a blue badge.

“I was told I couldn’t take pics of offenders. The sergeant also said the community sergeant and inspector were going to meet about it.”

Officers said they handed out 20 tickets to people abusing disabled parking spaces over two weeks alone last month.

Constable Ewan Hannay said police were aware of the problem and added:“We do carry out enforcement. We aren’t able to do a dedicated enforcement strategy.

“What we are doing is an unpredictable enforcement so people won’t know when it is or where it is that they can be caught, so they are always going to be at risk.”