For the last fortnight anyone living in London Street will be aware of the very large red Mercedes van with very inconsiderate parking habits.
Sometimes it parks on the double white lines at the junction of London Street and Drummond Place, forcing other large vehicles to cross the white central line into the oncoming traffic.
At other times, it parks at right angles to the pavement in the ticket zones, either sticking out over the pavement or else nearly into the middle of the road. The latter makes it very dangerous for other cars parked alongside to emerge from their parking spaces.
How does the driver get away with this inconsiderate and dangerous parking? Because there is a disability badge and wheelchair sticker in the windscreen and neither the police nor the wardens are inclined for action.
It has, however, been reported that the driver was seen to emerge from his cab and run … an unusual qualification for the disability badge.
Do residents have any idea how we can deal with this inconsiderate parking, or do we just have to wait for the inevitable accident?
Hugh Lockhart
(London Street)
Dear Mr Lockhart
Spurtle is not sure how to solve this problem. A similarly sized vehicle was parked on the other side of the road during the Festival, and appeared to have people living in it. Perhaps ask the City Centre and Leith Neighbourhood Partnership for advice.
We don't know the precise conditions required to qualify for a Disabled Parking Permit. In this case, though, a partial explanation for the driver's behaviour may be that the van is a 'Mercedes-Benz Sprinter'.
Alan McIntosh
Editor
Andreas De Battles The Fire Brigade may be sympathetic and contact Plod about it causing a potential instruction in an area of dense population where multiple appliances would be required to fight a fire?
Andreas De Battles It's not actually illegal.
The legal confusion over perpendicular parking -http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30488190
Rhona Stewart Cameron Should the Council not be checking the eligibility of the disability badge. There's another dubious one on Dundas Street. I've seen the driver carrying large bags of cement. He's a big strong boy!
Gaye Cleary As far as I understand, disabled permits are for a person - not the vehicle and the person - so a disabled person can be a passenger in many different cars and take the permit with them. You can report suspected misuse using one of these numbers.http://www.bluebadgescotland.org/contact_local
@theSpurtle The photo of disabled badge isn't legit - is there an official blue badge? Are blue badges applicable to LGV's?
@theSpurtle Also worth checking if it's taxed and has a valid mot - https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax …
@fountainbridge @theSpurtle My blue badge has a long number on the display side so that I can be identified. Doesn't look anything like that
@chronicknitting @fountainbridge @theSpurtle Also - valid blue badge or not, running no indication of disability. Some disabilities hidden
David Cameron @Notthatdavidcam
@chronicknitting @fountainbridge @theSpurtle the image shown is a sign from a Disabled Toilet
Nikki MacLeod Schrapnel/tacks
@iratesheep @chronicknitting @fountainbridge @theSpurtle hidden yes. But surely there's a mobility issue ? Anyway, that ones clearly fake.
@Notthatdavidcam @theSpurtle @chronicknitting @fountainbridge Yes, this is no official hologram blue badge so confers no parking privileges