Disabled Parking Place for Child at School

[Rowan4Keir]

I have an 8 year old son (and wife) who suffers from the rare Familial Cold Autoinflammatory Syndrome Type 2.

There are only 13 reported cases of this in the world and my wife and son are the only cases in the UK. The others are in Guadelope, Northern Italy and South of France.

The condition is is a mutation of the NLRP12 gene at the ninth chromosome, The condition causes his autoimmune system to switch on irregularly and the faulty switch is not always able to switch itself off, therefore his body attacks itself. This leaves him in severe to excruciating pain.

My son attends St John’s Primary School in Edinburgh. He misses about 50% of school because of his condition, however, we do everything we can to get him to school, using a lot of analgesia, as much as possible.

Outside the school there is a painted disabled parking place but this is not enforceable so it is used regularly by people without a disabled pass, visiting the school and most importantly very regularly by two residents of the street where the school is located. This causes me to, at times, carry my son, who will be in severe pain, out of school, across a main road with him, and put him into the car at least 100 yards from the school gate.

The council have been trying for more than 18 months to enforce a traffic order to make the parking place enforceable but one person has held this up initially by submitting freedom of information requests followed by an objection to the traffic order. The objector is one of the residents who uses the disabled space even although he is not disabled. He is also the Secretary of the Local Community Council.

I have been informed that the Council will accept letters and emails of support from anywhere for the traffic order so I have come here for the first time to get some help. It is very easy.

Simply email [email protected] saying your support proposed traffic order TRO/14/28B

You can check out the traffic order at the following URL: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/download/1523/tro1428b_%E2%80%93_dppp_introduceremove_disabled_bays.

If you feel you can help me get this passed as soon as possible, can you also pass this post on to your network and ask them to do the same.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry if this is a stupid question but I don't know the area but is it not possible to park onsite ? Where do the teachers park ?

It is not possible to park on site. The teachers park in the street and surrounding streets.

Thank you for your reply toughasoldboots. I hope you email.

Floralnomad - This is a link to the disabled parking space on Google Maps www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.949163,-3.1212378,3a,75y,239.65h,79.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8sWWYdEIGqeUzI-Qwx1bzw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Have you spoken to the local press, MP, councillor etc?

There is a Facebook page called Edinburgh Mums and Dads. I 'day post this there too.

Such a shame that you are unable to park in a disabled space. As someone who has a blue badge due to mobility problems, it angers me when any disabled person is unable to use a space. Is St John's one partaking in the new no traffic round the school which means it should be easier for blue badge holders to park?

The local press are working on a story now.

@Groovee - thanks for the information. Didn't know about the Edinburgh Mums and Dads Group. St John's is in the new School Streets trial but the major problem is that it is the residents parking in the disabled space and they have passes to be in the street. It is also a resident who objected to the traffic order.

The person parking in the disabled space is being very selfish.

Does your son have a wheelchair so he can use it rather than be carried?

@orangepudding - Yes he does have a wheelchair but I don't always take it because it is a pain to put in and out of the car all the time. It's only when I arrive at school that I see the disabled space used up.

I should really just carry the wheelchair all the time to be sure, but it really annoys me. I hope you sent an email.

Done it. Make as much fuss as you can. These people should be ashamed of themselves. I wish you success with your campagin!

Cant spell. Campaign!

Is there anything stopping the school from erecting a collapsible bollard and giving you the key?

@lougle - the parking space is not just for me. It is for disabled parents and grandparents visiting the school as well. I don't think we should have our own parking place - I don't believe that would be fair either on the other school users or the council tax payer.

If the person who regularly parks there doesn't have a blue badge, could some friendly locals take photos of the car every time it parks there? Local newspapers love abuse-of-disabled-parking stories, especially if its a local councillor type.

@NotCitrus - There are lots of photographs of the residents parking in the space. They have a very shiny brass neck.

I've emailed. Really hope your campaign is successful. Wishing you and your family all the best.

Disgraceful behaviour, so this person thinks he is entitled to use a disabled bay without having a disability or blue badge, because he is a resident? And has seen you and your son in need of using it to go to school? I agree share on Facebook local paper etc he may stop then or if he's that thick skinned and selfish it may take the long road down the council route, why has he objected to the bay being enforceable?!

Shame on this person, as a blue badge holder myself with a disability I can imagine how difficult and infuriating this must be for you all. I struggle to take my daughter to school but on the days I can I am lucky to have a permit for the disabled bay in the school car park, if that is already taken I'm allowed to block the 2 school secretaries cars. Surely the school would be willing to help you in some way? Those 3 cars parked in front of the iron gates on Google, are they in front of the school or a separate place? Just thought maybe while this is going through you could be given a space there? I will email too.

Disgraceful behaviour by the resident in question. I wonder if he considers himself beyond the law due to his position on the Local Community Council?

Are the markings still as worn as on the Google picture? If so, shiny new markings could help.

But yes, I'll e-mail, although you really shouldn't need to go to all this trouble for one, or maybe a few, extremely selfish individuals.

Best of luck with your campaign.

@CheekyBambino - Thank you very much for your support.

@Moochy1 - Thick skinned and selfish is pretty much on the money. He is a former senior civil servant who keeps saying he has spent his life saying "Yes minister". The school have been extremely helpful. They want 2 disabled spaces there. Unfortunately because of the way the council works, if there is objections and FOIs then they have to deal with them before passing the traffic order. The three cars parked there are right in front of the school entrance gates. The Land Rover (Overfinch Land Rover) is normally parked in the disabled space if the Volvo belonging to the Community Councillor isn't.

@SantasLittleMonkeyButler - The markings are exactly as in the picture. It was only taken a couple of weeks ago. Shiny new markings will not help as the traffic order is to repaint and put up the signs warning of a £60 fine if someone parks there. At the moment the markings alone are only advisory.

Thank you all so much for your support. Please share this post with your network on Twitter and Facebook.

Good luck, OP. I've shared your post and will now go and send an email. I hope the selfish user of the space will be shamed, as he deserves.

@pusspusslet - thank you very much for your support. It is extremely kind of you.

If you could also share this post on Facbook, Twitter and Google + I would be grateful.

Shared on twitter.

I wish you success in your campaign.