UNDER normal circumstances I hate to see people getting parking tickets, especially when the case is a few minutes over the metered time.
This is usually the case with me as I never remember to tear the time off my parking disc thus having a reminder when my time is up.
There is one situation though, when I relish in someone getting a nice hefty fine and that is when the culprit parks in a disabled space.
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There is never a justifiable reason to take the spot of someone who depends on these spaces to lead as normal a life as possible.
I am one of those people who points it out to offenders and I have been subjected to verbal abuse on more than one occasion, but I am a tough cookie and I am of the opinion if everyone stays quiet then nothing will change.
I wonder do these thoughtless people ever think about the cruelty of their actions? Would they take the disability along with the parking space?
Recently while walking up Castle Street I witnessed a minibus driver trying to open the backdoor of his adapted vehicle, however due to the inconsiderate parking of the woman behind him he was unable to get the door open.
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It was dreadful to see a child in a distressed state at the back of the bus unable to get out as there was not enough space, even though there was a big sign on the back window.
By the time I passed back up again the guards were there and they were reading the woman the riot act. I know that you should never take pleasure in other people’s pain, but in this instance Karma worked her magic.
Parking is always going to be an issue in every town, but if we all make a conscious effort to ensure that disabled spaces are kept for disabled people it will hopefully make life a little easier for those who, unfortunately, for one reason or another, have a disabled car sticker.
On another note, one thing I have also noticed is that some people think it is perfectly okay to park in disabled spots at night. This makes no sense whatsoever, do disabled people not go out at night?
If the offence carried three penalty points instead of the existing €80 fine then maybe it might act as a deterrent. Certainly something needs to be done about it as currently the consequences are not severe enough.
Until next week,
Think twice!
Orlagh x
