uk.people.disability

* Palindrome wrote, On 12/09/2007 10:01:
> Serena Blanchflower wrote:

>> Yes, I think that would be an excellent approach. Of course, stolen
>> ones would probably still be usable for on street parking but it would
>> certainly help.
>
> Traffic wardens, even police cars, could have RFID readers to scan the
> car (and hence the badge) as they walked/drove past. It would only take
> an instant to spot a car without a badge. A quick photograph and a fixed
> penalty ticket in the post..

Yes, that would probably work.




>>> Finally, if the badge holder is not present when a traffic warden/
>>> police office/ cso checks the car, one "point" will be added to the
>>> badge. After 2 points in any calendar month, the badge is deactivated
>>> for the remainder of the month.
>>
>> The problem with that is that the badge holder will probably only be
>> present for a few minutes, when arriving and leaving. In between
>> those times, they are likely to be away from the car and unavailable
>> for checking.
>>
>> Even if the warden (or other official) was present when the car either
>> arrived or left (but not both), it would be hard for them to
>> differentiate between cheats and people who were using the badge
>> legitimately to drop off or collect the badge holder.
>>
> I was only thinking of such checks being carried out as the vehicle
> arrives or leaves.
>
> I reckon that:
>
> 1) if a car arrives without the badge holder, the driver should be given
> 5 mins to produce them. No badge holder within that time, 1 point.
>
> 2) if a car is in a bay for 5 mins and the driver returns without a
> badgeholder, then 1 point.
>
> In both cases, the warden can afford the 5 minutes needed to complete
> the check.
>
> In the first situation, 5 mins is long enough for able bodied drivers to
> collect a badge holder waiting for their arrival.
>
> In the second, 5 mins is long enough for able bodied drivers to escort
> the badge holder to the place intended.
>
> The points scheme allows for those odd instances where things take much
> longer than intended.
>

I'm not convinced that it would be workable and I'm sure it would need
quite a bit longer than 5 minutes. I really don't think you can
assume that anywhere the disabled person needs to be delivered to will
be within 3-4 minutes pushing / hobbling time (to allow the round trip
to be not much over 5 minutes).

I don't think you can assume / insist either that the badge holder has
to take the most direct route to their destination and not do anything
else on the way, just because their pusher won't be staying with them
for the whole outing. For example, it seems perfectly reasonable for
someone to take an elderly (or disabled) friend or relative into town,
taking them shopping before dropping them off at their ultimate
destination and walking straight back to the car. In this case, the
time away from the car could easily be an hour or so, with the badge
holder and driver being together up till the last few minutes.

Another approach might be to give Police / Traffic Wardens / et al
(but *not* vigilantes) the power to insist on the name and current
location of the badge holder. They would then be able to phone the
luncheon club (or whatever) and confirm that Mrs Bloggs had just been
dropped off by her daughter.

--
Cheers, Serena
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask
remains a fool forever. (Old Chinese saying)