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Should the disabled
park free
of charge?
I READ with interest that the new leader of the council in Chesterfield is to make one of his priorities to slash the charges for disabled car parking.
I recall that I first suggested charging disabled people to park a few years ago at one of the annual council tax meetings. I was informed then, that 25% of the parking spaces in Chesterfield were allocated to disabled people, and at that time they parked free of charge. The other 75% were paying heavily for this anomaly. I also saw this as a huge loss of revenue when finances were tight.
My reasoning behind my suggestion was that it was folly to presume that all blue badge holders were on the breadline, and not able to afford any charge for parking. But in reality, anyone who has the misfortune to be disabled can apply for a blue badge, from unemployed people right through to millionaires. So why should they have free parking. What blue badge holders require is ample parking close to all amenities. That should be the council’s priority.
It is their disability which needs assistance, not their finances.
Mr R A MADIN
Buxton
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Weather for Chesterfield
Thursday 23 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: West
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Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
jumbo1
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 08:03 PMSadly all systems are abused by some, in the main though most people abide by the rules governing such as the Blue Badge arrangement from what I have seen around town. Rules and laws are only made for the law abiding to abide by.
StephenHall
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 10:13 AMI respond to the letters in the past few weeks about should blue badge holders pay for parking.As a badge holder myself I for one would gladly pay to park if it still meant that I could get close to the amenities and not find disabled bays taken up by able bodied people.For example I was waiting for a space a few weeks ago near to the Sun public house in the town center when three young people walked up to their car parked in a disabled bay no sign of a disability whatsoever got into the car and dove away I asked a traffic warden taken number plates if there was anything that can be done to stop the obvious abuse of a blue badge he told me it was a police matter and it often annoys them when they see people park in disabled bays on Rose Hill put a blue badge on the dash ten run across the road straight into the gym so if were asked to pay think should you be parking there.
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