'Kendal is worst town in UK for disabled people' - claim (From The Westmorland Gazette)

“Our view is that disabled people can afford to pay the charges but the issue is not enough dedicated spaces. We are investing money to create these larger spaces.” quotes Cllr Vincent in today's Westmorland Gazette.

Might I suggest that Councillor Vincent actually talks to disabled people in South Lakeland before making such assumptions! No there are not enough disabled bays in Kendal but the assumption that disabled people can afford to pay is horrendously arrogant.

Yes some people can afford to pay but many others can't. But if Councillor Vincent reads the letter that is being circulated he will see that we are not asking for free parking, we are asking for a discount on the first 3 hours. We have no option but to use our cars as most of us cannot walk to a bus stop (if we are fortunate enough to live on a bus route) and the buses in South Lakeland are rarely accessible for disabled people. We cannot park in the town centre after 10am, how many of us would love to be able to be up, dressed and shopping done by then? It is physically impossible and many of us have carers who come in to get us up, we have to wait for them which can be any time up until noon.

If we could walk into town, then we would have a choice on bringing the car in. WE DON'T HAVE THAT CHOICE!!

This is the same Lib Dem dominated council that has proposed £65,000 for a shindig to celebrate the olympics. I hope every voter in South Lakeland remembers this when the next local elections take place. I certaintly shall!

The news today in the paper is just the council not admitting they want to make more money.
They are changing the two laybys in kendal (one outside Boyes, another opposite McDonalds) from as they are now 8am - 6pm mon fri to seven days a week and only usable between 9am 11am and after 4pm.....They also say that it is to cut down on traffic in pedestrian zones...Well the two laybys i mentioned above are not in pedestrian zones. The older ones which nobody uses (in market place behind soldier and opposite TSB) are never or seldomly used?? Can someone make sense of the traffic cut down then statement???? Also do they really think disabled people can arrange their days to fit in with in town parking? Life is not like that let alone if youve have a bad night/day and if you can hardly walk or cannot walk at all.....
Wardens should also be targetting the white van men and Mc Donalds freebies using the laybys and not turning a blind eye.......
I myself have stage 4 osteochondritis dissecans and cant walk far at all....Id say 25-50 yards is max.......
As for making disabled spaces bigger...Well the ones ive seen bollards in place, im assuming to do said work, on library road, then there is four available, if they make them bigger then only two users can use them and they are ample as they are.
This council have it totally wrong, from the k village parking which is badly priced and disability unfriendly too, to new road which could be used for parking at a reasonable hourly tariff....
Instead what are SLDC doing? I will tell you - they are getting rid of loyal workers who wont pay to park, tourists will spread via word of mouth that kendal is too expensive, no park and ride, and disabled users penalised even more.....So thats workers halved, tourists halved, disabled drivers alienated....Well done SLDC...Thumbs up and well done whoever has thought up this brainstorm.....

mmm - Councillor Vincent again. His name crops up it seems like every time there is a contentious issue at SLDC - I wonder why ? Do SLDC's councillors have some kind of dimension jump device because they all seem to exist in a different reality to the rest of us :) !
Seriously though what does headline articles like this say about SLDC's attitude to some of the most vulnerable people in society ? Well done SLDC - real positive story for South Lakeland - NOT !!

Next time you drive through the multi-storey car park, have look around Level 3. Loads of empty bays with just the odd Range Rover, Jaguar or Mercedes in between! How many of them have got cars free of charge on motorbility? We all know that the vast majority of blue-badge holders are not in any way disadvantaged (some are of course, but not most). A couple of days ago I had an argument in Booths Car Park with a chap who parked in a 'parent toddler' parking bay despite having no children with him. When I challenged him he indignantly told me that he was "blue badge" because he had a hip replacement 2 years ago! Perhaps if Blue Badges were only issued to those who genuinely need them then there would not be a problem. However, as most folk who comment here are firmly under the illusion that everything that is wrong with the world is the fault of SLDC I assume I will now be rounded on, dissected and insulted!

People who abuse the use of blue badges are a different issue and it is a national problem not just a local one. Wazoo's attitude towards them however is somewhat prejudicial and each case should be judged on merit not by sweeping statements. If that's an insult to you Wazoo - then read what you said again and my response very, very carefully.
No one has said that SLDC are responsible for everything wrong in the world - that's just Wazoo's stance not anyone elses.
SLDC are responsible for their own actions/inactions however and are therefore in the firing line when people disagree with their actions.
That's what they get elected for - to take the credit when they get it right but also to take the flak when they get it wrong.
In this case, IMO they've got it wrong. If they don't want the flak - then they need to consider/re-consider their own actions/behaviour (sound familiar ?) ;)

Wazoo, the only reason I take issue is that you are grossly uninformed, bigotted and ignorant in what you state. To get a blue badge you have to prove that you need one, it's a long process and the medicals required to apply for a blue badge are rigorous. Motorbility is only available to those claiming the higher level of disability allowance and to claim that you are most definitely seriously disabled!! You say most people are well off, I beg to differ, the large majority of people with a disability in this area are elderly and only in receipt of a pension. If your disability starts after the age of 65 there us no entitlent to Motorbility. For those with private pensions or those of us able to work then why shouldn't we have a big car, they're easier for us to get in and out of!. On the other hand those cars may belong to non blue badge holders parking there. As to the bays on level 3 bring empty, I wish I had been there then as we usually have to drive to the top as there are never enough bays on level 3! Perhaps a little more thought and compassion rather than a predjudiced rant next time eh?

I used to visit Kendal before I became disabled, I always liked the place and the people were great.
Perhaps you will allow me to comment on a couple of discrepancies people have made here.
Firstly, disabled people do not get 'free' cars, they are part of a contact hire scheme run by Motability and the car user loses his/her Disability Living Allowance Mobility component.
Secondly, have the council not taken into account how long it takes disabled people to do their shopping? It takes far longer, believe me. Therefore it is unfair for the council to expect disabled people to pay the extra time it takes to park and do their shopping etc.
I hope something can be worked out that is fair to everyone, after all it is how well the council treats it disabled and elderly citizens that measure how good it's performance really is.

This article's headline should refer to disabled drivers not disabled people in general. It should also make clear which Council it is on about as there are 2 different ones each responsible for highways and car parking. Blue badge users can park on any yellow line in Kendal all day and on double yellows for 3 hours. The only place with restrictions is Finkle St and Market Place and the town centre is bigger than that.
Most importantly it should ask disabled people who don't have cars and don't use car parks how they enjoy shopping in Kendal as the response may suprise readers.
Articles like this do nothing to help our important shopping economy or what message this portrays to visitors. Sensationalising stories that haven't been researched properly and putting up harmful negative headlines does not help our town. The front page should have been the fantastic Ofsted story for Kendal College, great for attracting new students and spin off jobs. Another unsatisfactory article from the Gazette.

But it's not just disabled drivers is it kendalbelle? Many of my friends don't drive or are forbidden from driving because of their disability so they rely on family or friends to drive them into town but they are still eligible to use their blue badge.

It's quite obvious from reading the article that it's South Lakeland District Council we are talking about and your statement that any disabled driver can park on yellow lines is totally wrong and 3 years out of date.

Blue badge drivers, along with every other pivate driver are forbidden by law from driving from Library Road to the Town Hall between 11am (10am at weekends) and 4pm never mind parking on double yellow lines in that area. The disabled bays at Finkle street and Market place are only accessible between 4pm and 11am, not particularly convenient times to do your shopping, banking ect!

This was a very well balanced article from the Gazette without a trace of sensationalism. Statements were taken from many people with disabilities, as can be seen in the article, and SLDC were able to respond.

And although I am also very proud of what has been achieved at Kendal College it is hardly going to sway disabled or able bodied people to visit the town is it?

There is a very strong feeling against the charges being introduced by both locals and people who regularly visit the town as again can be seen from the comments in the Gazette.

Finally if you yourself are disabled and are able to get into town without using a car then you are very, very lucky as most of us can't, without a car we would be housebound!!

Yawn....the usual loads of over reacting....people won't be put off coming into Kendal to shop or visit, they will still come to see the town and spend their money here.....all I can see are lots of knee jerk reactions. I think it's ridiculous that anyone....yes anyone, is able to park on double yellow lines. They cause bottle necks and blockages to some of the narrower streets in Kendal, and make it difficult for traffic to flow in these streets. And as for blue badge holders having to pay for parking.......we should all have to contribute to parking, why should anyone be any different. Disabled people have the same problems getting into town as many able bodied people in the region who would like to have a usable public transport system in place.

Free parking for disabled, isn't that classed as Positive Discrimination? (look it up if your not sure)

MT there was a noticable drop in disabled people coming into Kendal when the traffic restrictions came into place 3 years ago. The staff in Shopmobility will I am sure verify that for you as I have spoken to them about this many times over the years. Apparently the amount of disabled people who regularly came into town from other areas of Cumbria, Yorkshire and Lancashire dropped considerably and those people havent returned. Not a good omen for when parking charges come in as well. As to public transport, yes able bodied people would like a regular bus service but they have the option of using the car and parking away from the town centre, walking or cycling. Disabled people are usually unable to access the bus as there are very few accessible buses in South Lakeland and as we (disabled people) cannot walk or cycle our only option is the car!

Wazoo, patronising as ever I see. Of course I know what Positive Discrimination is and if you truly understood the meaning and the DDA 1995 you would see that this is NOT positive discrimination. If the infrastructure was in place such as on street parking during core hours and accessible public transport then it would be positive discrimination. That infrastructure doesnt exist and therefore this is discrimination in it's purest form.

I think you'll find that this is positive discrimination....by anyone's definition. I also challenge you to prove beyond a doubt that disabled people have abandoned Kendal for other towns and villages.....Madgran
6....you seem to have the ability to be able to speak on behalf of every blue badge holder in the area....that's very clever, but not helpful. I'm sure that those who say they will no longer visit Kendal, will still come back as normal....people say these things on an emotional basis, to try and make someone change their minds. It's ridiculous to think that everyone with blue badges will totally abandon Kendal.

You say that disabled people only have the option of using the car....so pay for parking like the rest of us, and if you still have the right to park on double yellow lines, do it responsibly. The sooner blue badge holders pay for parking, whatever the amount, even if it's only a token amount (and who can't afford £1.....come on, really....that won't break the bank) the better off we'll all be. I don't see why you should get free parking and I don't. I'd love to know by what means you speak for the whole population of Kendal Madgran6...both disabled and able bodied people....you obviously think you have a mandate to do so!

I'm not speaking on behalf of all blue badge holders just myself and all the others I've spoken to who feel the same and we aren't asking to park for free. What we have suggested is half price for the first 3 hours, this takes into account the lack of on street parking and the fact that it takes twice as long for us to do what we need to do in town than it would take an able bodied person

Can I have the first 3 hours at half price? Would that be fair to all the tax paying public? Better still....can I park on double yellow lines and cause needless obstructions all through the day? Of course there's a lack of on-street parking....Kendal was not planned and built in the last fifty years....it's built on a 17th century plan of narrow streets and by-ways....no-one should be able to park on our streets!

A large number of disabled drivers that enter Kendal are rude and think they have a priority over others, the blue badge system is grossly abused i know blue badge holders who easily gain a badge for old injury / disability they should be ashamed. Lots of locals are using their parents car with the blue badge or using with no disbaled person in the car etc. I have children but if i went to park in parent and child bay with no child in the car i would be embarrassed, some of these users dont care, have a look next time your shopping. Also the battery operated pavement racers act like they are trucks, they are a nuisance they should not be permitted to go a fast as they do around the town. Yes disability should be addressed for users but large numbers of people in Kendal abuse the facilities and therefore thats why Kendal has adopted this complacent attitide and overlooking the needs of the many other innocent disabled visitors. Attitudes would change if these abusers of the system relented and behaved more resposnibly.

wezzyk wrote:
A large number of disabled drivers that enter Kendal are rude and think they have a priority over others, the blue badge system is grossly abused i know blue badge holders who easily gain a badge for old injury / disability they should be ashamed. Lots of locals are using their parents car with the blue badge or using with no disbaled person in the car etc. I have children but if i went to park in parent and child bay with no child in the car i would be embarrassed, some of these users dont care, have a look next time your shopping. Also the battery operated pavement racers act like they are trucks, they are a nuisance they should not be permitted to go a fast as they do around the town. Yes disability should be addressed for users but large numbers of people in Kendal abuse the facilities and therefore thats why Kendal has adopted this complacent attitide and overlooking the needs of the many other innocent disabled visitors. Attitudes would change if these abusers of the system relented and behaved more resposnibly.

I would like to just state a few things as i feel some people are making very sweeping comments and being very unfair towards disabled people.
Firstly I do not own a jaguar, mercedes, bentley or any other high class car, secondly I am a younger person (42) who has had a condition since the age of 18 and who only last year have applied for a blue badge as said above condition has deteriorated considerably ( I only have about a third of the movement anyone with a healthy knee would have and cannot kneel, bend, crouch, lift from knees, nor can i walk far due to pain). Thirdly i am a considerate driver and do not abuse places allocated for parent and child, nor would i confront someone else if they parked in a blue badge bay next to me in a supermarket. If i cannot get parked in a blue badge bay i need a space where i can open my door very wide as i need a stick to steady myself and often dont get out on first attempt. On the issue of parking on yellow lines i do not do this unless i cannot park anywhere else and only do so if it is safe to do so. Also the comment made about someone having had a hip replacement 2 years ago well my father had one done 4 years ago, a new knee in 2009, he cannot get in and out of his car the same way as before. You basically need to try and get your whole body swung round if you can and then get out of the car the best you can. Whether you have this operation 2 years ago or 10 years ago your body is never the same again.
Talking of abuse i mention again the McDonalds munchers who abuse spaces opposite establishment and wont move even when they see a disabaled person needs to access the space. If someone does park in such a bay then if photographed then can be prosecuted and i only know this after seeing an encounter between a white van and traffic warden who was doing his job, he got sworn ar and told not to touch his jeffing car.
I do not abuse my badge and though my father has one also we never use each others as we know this is wrong. Also if a disabled passenger asks someone to take them somewhere they can drop them off, but without the badge holder in vehicle they can be prosecuted - ie they are not allowed to stay in bay without holder.
If my condition got any better, but as its a form of osteoarthritis then i know it wont...I would surrender my badge, i use it because i need to.
If you are fit enough not to have a blue badge please dont tar us all as abusive of badges, high class cars and abusing other bays for other users. We are not like some people have made awful, direspectful comments, some deserve to be ignored as they are just purely ignorant.

I don't want to comment on whether Kendal is "the worst in the UK for disabled". I just want to question the accuracy of the headline. This is a major smear on the town and as usual I studied the article to find out which major study had come to this conclusion. I could find no reference to what organisation had commissioned the research. Can you please enlighten me. As I said in a speech last week, I rely on the Westmorland Gazette to give me accurate information on our community. Please assuage my fears that the Gazette is committed to good journalism and this was based on an accurate independent survey.
Thanks
Martin Rayner

wazoo wrote:
Next time you drive through the multi-storey car park, have look around Level 3. Loads of empty bays with just the odd Range Rover, Jaguar or Mercedes in between! How many of them have got cars free of charge on motorbility? We all know that the vast majority of blue-badge holders are not in any way disadvantaged (some are of course, but not most). A couple of days ago I had an argument in Booths Car Park with a chap who parked in a 'parent toddler' parking bay despite having no children with him. When I challenged him he indignantly told me that he was "blue badge" because he had a hip replacement 2 years ago! Perhaps if Blue Badges were only issued to those who genuinely need them then there would not be a problem. However, as most folk who comment here are firmly under the illusion that everything that is wrong with the world is the fault of SLDC I assume I will now be rounded on, dissected and insulted!

I usually go into Kendal at least once a week and you are right. EVERY time I go into the shopping centre car park Level 3 is practically empty, whereas the rest of the car park is usually chock full. So all those disabled drivers bleating on about lack of spaces, maybe they need to look a little harder.
As for disabled drivers parking in parent/toddler spaces, I had the same problem in Booths in Windermere. An old lady parked in the last parent/todler space and when I challenged her on it she very rudely informed me that all the disabled spaces were taken. So following on from that, next time all the parent/toddler spaces are full I shall park in a disabled space and use the same argument.
I have to say, on this occasion I agree whole-heartedly with Magical Trevor, why SHOULD our streets be allowed to be obstructed by disabled drivers, double yellow lines are there for a reason.

It coming out now isn't it! As i said right back at the start, we all know that there are many, many blue badge users that don't need them, abuse them and/or are able to pay for parking like the rest of us. The chap who stole a parking space from me at Booths (no limp, no struggle, no stick), is he more important or deserving than my children? The Mercedes drivers who have a slight limp, are they more deserving of free parking than a single mother on low income? There are many disabled people who need free, accessible parking, but there are far, far more who don't need it!

Agreed Wazoo. I'm not stating for a second that there are disabled people out there that don't need free accessible parking, however for everyone of those, there are so many that will abuse the system and think, just because they have a disabled badge in their car, it gives them the god given right to park anywhere they **** well feel like, regardless of how much of an obstruction they are causing.
My view on free parking... if you can afford to drive a car, you can afford to park it too.

As mum to a profoundly disabled little boy, I don't mind at all paying the same tariff as any other driver, disabled or not. My personal opinion is that we all should pay for the right to park in a safe environment. All I ask is for enough spaces to be provided to allow for both side and rear entry vehicles. I do like the idea of a free 30 minute drop off period, for all drivers...this will allow those who can get a lift in and out of town to be dropped off and collected...It will also allow for people picking up items from shops in the center.
Kendal on the whole is reasonably accessible. The only element sadly lacking in mu humble opinion are adequate changing/toilet facilities. My son is too big now for the baby changing areas, and other than the new K village, which is quite a hike with a wheelchair from the town center, there are no adequate disabled toilets available anywhere. We need at least one somewhere with a hoist and high low changing table.
Just to add also, one thing Kendal is not lacking, is helpfulness. I am still relatively new to the disabled world as my son is not quite 4 yrs old, but the people of Kendal are always happy to help, always have lovely things to say, and very accepting. It's not all doom and gloom.

zaksmum wrote:
As mum to a profoundly disabled little boy, I don't mind at all paying the same tariff as any other driver, disabled or not. My personal opinion is that we all should pay for the right to park in a safe environment. All I ask is for enough spaces to be provided to allow for both side and rear entry vehicles. I do like the idea of a free 30 minute drop off period, for all drivers...this will allow those who can get a lift in and out of town to be dropped off and collected...It will also allow for people picking up items from shops in the center.
Kendal on the whole is reasonably accessible. The only element sadly lacking in mu humble opinion are adequate changing/toilet facilities. My son is too big now for the baby changing areas, and other than the new K village, which is quite a hike with a wheelchair from the town center, there are no adequate disabled toilets available anywhere. We need at least one somewhere with a hoist and high low changing table.
Just to add also, one thing Kendal is not lacking, is helpfulness. I am still relatively new to the disabled world as my son is not quite 4 yrs old, but the people of Kendal are always happy to help, always have lovely things to say, and very accepting. It's not all doom and gloom.

Thank you Zaksmum for being the voice of reason in an otherwise emotive issue. Here we have someone who clearly needs a blue badge for the practical advantages it affords. She has no issue with paying, and finds the services provided in Kendal (parking) adequate for her needs. Perhaps those who are whinging how hard done to they are should read her comment and reflect on their own selfish sentiments, If you are capable of walking a hundred yards without assistance, if you can afford to run a car, if you aren't caring for a disabled child then perhaps the world doesn't owe you a favour and the next time you steal a parent/toddler parking space or leave your vehicle on double yellow lines inconveniencing every one else, you might stop and think "maybe paying a quid and walking 50yards won't hurt me after all and I should leave that parking space for someone who really needs it!"

I would only like to add one more statement.
Nobody would doubt in anyway zaksmum's needs for herself and her child. I do however feel that certain comments on here are without biggoted. Disability can come in lots of different forms, whether someone fits an idea of that is one's own judgment. Of course a profoundly disbaled little boy needs the utmost care and help. That does not dismiss other people with their own disabilities - someone you see on the street may look okay, who's to say they havent got cancer, mental issues? Who are we to question others......? Also just because someone is snappy with you in a car park after using a parent and child space when not qualified to use it does that mean you go and do as they do and add fuel to the fire? Isnt that what we are taught - two wrongs dont make a right. Treat people as individuals. Set a good example to others.
I have on two occasions pointed out the mcdonalds munchers, cheeky people who dont give a **** even to council employees but that has been ignored and the mercedes driver is utmost in some minds, with the thought that a slight limp is dismissive of that person. This is therefore not a valid discussion if comments are not taken on board. I take no further part in this and think some comments should be looked at again by wg and watched.

woodyhay wrote:
I would only like to add one more statement.
Nobody would doubt in anyway zaksmum's needs for herself and her child. I do however feel that certain comments on here are without biggoted. Disability can come in lots of different forms, whether someone fits an idea of that is one's own judgment. Of course a profoundly disbaled little boy needs the utmost care and help. That does not dismiss other people with their own disabilities - someone you see on the street may look okay, who's to say they havent got cancer, mental issues? Who are we to question others......? Also just because someone is snappy with you in a car park after using a parent and child space when not qualified to use it does that mean you go and do as they do and add fuel to the fire? Isnt that what we are taught - two wrongs dont make a right. Treat people as individuals. Set a good example to others.
I have on two occasions pointed out the mcdonalds munchers, cheeky people who dont give a **** even to council employees but that has been ignored and the mercedes driver is utmost in some minds, with the thought that a slight limp is dismissive of that person. This is therefore not a valid discussion if comments are not taken on board. I take no further part in this and think some comments should be looked at again by wg and watched.

Presumably you are refering to the way some users have described a certain group of people as "mcdonalds munchers", which is clearly a very judgemental, narrow minded and offensive term aimed at a particular part of society.
You site an example of misuse outside mcdonalds, but I presume you are not suggesting everyone is the same, just that you are giving an example to back up your point (have you guessed where I am going yet). pot-kettle-black!

marrayn wrote:
I don't want to comment on whether Kendal is "the worst in the UK for disabled". I just want to question the accuracy of the headline. This is a major smear on the town and as usual I studied the article to find out which major study had come to this conclusion. I could find no reference to what organisation had commissioned the research. Can you please enlighten me. As I said in a speech last week, I rely on the Westmorland Gazette to give me accurate information on our community. Please assuage my fears that the Gazette is committed to good journalism and this was based on an accurate independent survey. Thanks Martin Rayner

Thanks for your comment.

The quotation marks and use of the word 'claim' indicate the Gazette is quoting from someone.

Using an eye-catching quote from the story in a headline is very common. For instance, two of the top stories on the BBC news website at the moment are Global economy 'in recovery mode' and Suspects 'need strip searching'. Someone in both stories has said those things, which makes them newsworthy, but it does not mean the BBC is stating they are facts.

The Gazette is merely reporting that a group of campaigners has branded Kendal an unfriendly place for disabled people. It has quoted half a dozen people and organisations to give their opinion on it, some of whom agree and some disagree.

The Gazette is not taking sides but merely reporting on the lively debate.