Baywatch
The campaign to tackle abuse of supermarket car parking spaces.
Baywatch
News
Baywatch has unfortunately stopped as supermarkets just could keep it up. Horror stories like mine started everywhere. It was a shame but here are some articles from the Baywatch. And remember Asda was once a champion in Baywatch!
Background
In 2001 Bert Massie, CBE, Chairman of the Disability Rights Commission,
addressed the British Polio Fellowship's Annual General Meeting. At the time
members expressed frustration at the widespread abuse of supermarket parking
facilities and Baywatch was born. In fact, Baywatch was not the first initiative
to address the problem: the earlier 'Disabled Link Up' scheme had been
successful
in bringing the supermarkets together and at the time of the Baywatch launch
current partners, the Disabled Drivers' Motor Club, were pursuing their '"Give
us Back our Parking Spaces Campaign".
Supermarket involvement
Meetings with representatives from
Asda,
Tesco,
Sainsbury's and
Safeway (the big four)
have secured board-level commitment to tackling abuse. Each company is now
looking at things such as signage and parking bay colouring to try to improve
facilities. Sadly, changes will take time
and
we still hear some local horror stories but we aim to keep the pressure on and
to work at finding solutions with the stores.
Involving members
Members
of all four participating organisations have helped the campaign through surveys
of provision throughout the UK. In 2002 'undercover agents' undertook a spot
check of nearly three hundred stores. They discovered eight hundred and ninety
eight instances of cars using bays designated for disabled motorists but which
were not displaying a blue or orange parking badge. This represents nearly a
quarter of all the bays surveyed. This demonstrates that the supermarkets have a
long way to go - although perhaps not so far as the visitors to the 37% of
stores that had no free spaces during peak times. For them a solution cannot
come soon enough. Another survey is planned for
January 2003.
Future action
An aid to further action will be the financial support for Baywatch from the
Government announced on 18th December by Transport Minister David Jamieson. In a
statement he reaffirmed the government's support for the Baywatch campaign and
announced he was committing £15k "to part-fund a pilot project with supermarket
companies to test different approaches to raising awareness and deterring
abuse."
With this funding we intend to run a feasibility study in partnership with
supermarkets, which will include local pilot projects in designated areas. We
hope that this will provide a platform for participants to unroll their models
of best practice in tackling abuse and in raising awareness of the issue amongst
customers and staff. With such models, tried, tested and laid before them on a
plate, we hope that ministers will be keen to follow things through. (Another
survey was conducted in January 2003).
Early Day Motion 211
MP, Laura Moffatt, tabled an Early Day Motion in support of Baywatch, which is reproduced below. If your MP hasn't signed up you may care to send them a fax, which you can do from here.
That this House commends the Baywatch Campaign set up by the British Polio Fellowship, the Disabled Drivers' Association, the Disabled Drivers Motor Club and the Newspaper Disability Now to encourage more protection of disabled parking bays in supermarket car parks from abuse by able bodied drivers; condemns the selfishness of able-bodied drivers in occupying disabled parking spaces; welcomes the initiative taken by ASDA, Safeway, Sainsbury's and Tesco to tackle this problem more effectively than in the past; and wishes the campaign every success in its efforts to eradicate a problem which causes unnecessary annoyance and inconvenience to disabled people.
As
well as the Baywatch Standard another string to our bow lies in the
RAC's kind agreement to
provide sponsorship of £5,000 for the Annual Baywatch Awards. This will provide
excellent publicity for the campaign and for its members but, most importantly,
it will help to raise awareness of the problem. View the RAC/Baywatch Christmas
2002 press release
here
With your help we have already undertaken two major nationwide surveys and in 2003 we're keeping up the pressure.
The results of our January 2003 survey can be found at our new dedicated Baywatch website: www.baywatchcampaign.org (currently under construction).
The Trades Union Disability Conference held on 26th and 27th November at Congress House in London heard all about the campaign from BPF and Amicus Union member, Steve Melia. The conference of 190 delegates representing 31 unions, with 105 observers and visitors present, heard from Steve about the involvement of the BPF, DDA, DDMC and Disability Now in efforts to tackle parking abuse.
A
motion calling upon the Government to give urgent consideration to a legislative
review of current regulations attracted unanimous support, raising hopes that
the TUC will be lobbying in support of the campaign's objectives. Maria Eagle
MP, Minister for Disabled People and TUC Deputy General Secretary was present
and spoke of plans to improve travel for disabled people.
You can't park here Officer!
The
Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO),
has urged police chiefs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to remind their
officers to use parking bays designated for disabled motorists in emergencies
only. The advice came after Baywatch partner,
Mobilise,
told
ACPO of cases in
which parking spaces had been misused by police officers.
New dedicated Baywatch website
Campaign
partners are currently in the process of creating a single, dedicated Baywatch
campaign website:
www.baywatchcampaign.org.
The site is under construction (March 2003) and when fully operational will provide a one-stop source of all the latest news on the campaign.
Last Updated:
Tuesday, 11
January, 2005, 14:50 GMT
FROM THE BBC
|
|
'Spies' call on disabled parking
|
|||||
It is part of a campaign called Baywatch which aims to put pressure on parking providers to ensure the disabled spaces are available. Volunteers are being asked to monitor store car parks and fill out a survey of what they see. Campaigners in Wales have welcomed the initiative. Coral Williams, chair of the Cardiff and Vale British Polio Association, said able-bodied drivers parking in disabled spaces was already a huge problem.
"It is very frustrating," she said. "This is something that is going on all of the time and we really need to do something about it because there are an awful lot of drivers who rely on these spaces." Mrs Williams said she believed that the problem was worsening and that initiatives to highlight the problem were welcomed by many disabled drivers.
As part of the Baywatch scheme, people are asked to go along to their local supermarket car parks at peak periods and monitor the amount of disabled spaces being used by able-bodied motorists. Douglas Campbell, from the Disabled Drivers Association, said that the problem in Wales was comparable to the rest of the UK and was particularly bad in the bigger towns and cities. "It really is very frustrating for people to go to the supermarket and see that all the disabled spaces are taken up, many by people who are not disabled," he said. Spaces The car parks of Asda, Tesco, Safeway and Sainsbury's across the country are being monitored and the results will be used to put pressure on the stores to find ways of stopping the spaces from being used by the wrong people. The supermarkets have already responded with several schemes which includes Tesco stores in Cardiff installing a mini-barrier system on its disabled car parking spaces. Customers lower the barrier using a key fob and the barrier automatically rises once the motorist leaves the space. Asda have introduced a loud speaker system called Space Hog around its disabled car park paces which goes off whenever someone parks in one of these spots. A spokeswoman for the company said: "The biggest complaint we get in our stores is about the issue of disabled parking. "People get very angry over the abuse of it and we are trying to do all we can to encourage our customers to be more aware of the situation." |
|||||
In the
third in the series of undercover stories, BBC South East Paul Siegert
looked at the problems caused by able -bodied drivers parking in those
bays marked for disabled users only. |
||||||
|
Paul took a look at the problems facing disabled drivers who are being denied their designated parking spaces by able bodied drivers. While filming he met Jan Scotney who explained what problems she faces, as a wheelchair user.
Bays were marked out close to shops and local facilities so that the disabled could easily access them. Some bays are above average size for manoeuvring of wheelchairs and allowing doors to be fully opened. Unfortunately a lot of the time these are taken up by people they were not intended for, the unthinking, uncaring members of society who can't be bothered to walk. Bay abuse is not new but it is ongoing, with up to 30% of non-disabled people at the last survey, taking spaces away from those less fortunate than themselves.
Just try and imagine what it would be like if YOU were put in the position of not being able to walk unaided for 50 yards. Horrific??? But it happens and I'm sure you would be mortified to think you couldn't enjoy all the everyday pleasures we all take for granted. My wheelchair has replaced my legs and has to be carried at all times, but I still drive and I need entry to my vehicle via a side door. The width of the disabled bays allow for this but imagine if I park in a normal bay and no-one read my notice saying "Please leave 8 meters for access". Believe me, I have sat in rain and shine waiting for car drivers to return before I could load my chair aboard! Some
people are born disabled and others become less able but we are still
members of society who have needs and dreams. Let's hope you never have
the need to use a disabled bay and if you do I hope you can find
one. |
July
2005 Baywatch
In May, supporters of the Baywatch campaign raised concern that it could collapse after two leading supermarket groups, Sainsbury's and Safeway/Morrisons, withdrew their support from the annual Baywatch Awards.
Two months on and organiser Douglas Campbell, chairman of the Disabled Drivers' Association, confirms that a lack of funding and resources means the campaign is "simmering on the backburner".
The scheme, launched by DN, the Disabled Drivers' Association, the Disabled Drivers' Motor Club and the British Polio Fellowship in 2003, campaigns for an end to disabled parking bay abuse. Yet despite recent high profile interest from the likes of Halfords, B&Q, Somerfield and UCI Cinemas, without time to look at a new direction for campaigning, Mr Campbell says only lottery funding over the next three years could help save the scheme.
"We proved in the last 12 months exactly how much can be achieved if we put the work in, but over that period it was being funded by a research programme at the Department for Transport and goodwill from campaigners."
Mr Campbell says disabled drivers must now take charge of the campaign, forming local lobby groups to "keep on nagging" stores.
But Michael Gould, who was the Lib Dem candidate for Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, in the general election, says he is "sick and tired of complaining" about the lack of disabled bays at his local Tesco store. Despite recently expanding its premises, the supermarket failed to put in any bays.
He told DN: "Tesco said it would be sorted by September 2004, but nothing has been done to date. I can only assume they do not want disabled people to shop at their store." Tesco has refused to comment on the issue.
But the problem is not restricted to this supermarket and several appear to have lost momentum on ensuring disabled parking bays are kept free for those who need them. Mike McCunniff wrote in to tell DN that his local Asda in Halifax, West Yorkshire, used to be "on the ball as regards the abuse of disabled parking bays," but says their level of care "has since deteriorated".
When he complained, he was told that Asda could not clamp, fine or place notices on abusers' windscreens because "they may stop shopping here".
A lack of understanding of disabled shoppers' needs is also reflected in national reaction from the store.
A spokesman for Asda says: "We don't clamp for a number of reasons, because a disabled person may be accompanying someone else who isn't disabled, or someone might be temporarily disabled and not have a Blue Badge. If anyone is having a problem getting access to a disabled bay, they must phone the store beforehand and talk to the customer service manager and they will help find them a suitable place to park."
Another problem facing Blue Badge drivers is that more councils are introducing charges for them to use disabled parking bays.
Spelthorne Borough Council in Hertfordshire has incurred the wrath of 300 people who are petitioning against proposals to charge drivers for using disabled bays.
The council says it is losing £100,000 annually by not charging disabled drivers. Nigel Lyn, strategic director for the council, explains: "If the policy goes ahead, that extra money will go back into the refurbishment of car parks."
Despite a new duty on public authorities to promote disability equality "even where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably than other persons" that will come into force next year, a spokesperson for the Disability Rights Commission says parking charges will be at the discretion of councils.
Despite the doom and gloom though, positive results are possible if disabled people take Mr Campbell's advice and push for change.
Manoj Kanth pressured his local leisure centre in Eastham for more than 18 months to take more responsibility for parking facilities as the centre's four disabled bays were constantly being abused by non-disabled drivers.
His perseverance paid off after the centre manager, Gary Dark, introduced a policy that abusers could lose their memberships. Mr Kanth tells DN: "You always hear negative stories about bay parking abuse, but there is a positive side. The leisure centre finally realised their responsibility towards disabled people and took positive steps to address the issue."
July
2005 Baywatch
Leading supermarket chains have failed to tackle the abuse of accessible parking bays, the latest Baywatch survey has shown.
The survey – the fifth since 2002 – was carried out in late
July by more than 500 Mobilise members, readers of Disability Now and members of
the British Polio Fellowship.
The results showed more than one in five accessible bays were being used by
people without blue badges, the same levels of abuse as the last survey in 2005.
For both Asda and Tesco, more than 23 per cent of their accessible bays were
being abused, higher than in 2005.
In total, in more than a third of car parks there were no accessible bays free
for disabled shoppers because of abuse. This has risen from 28 per cent in 2005.
Sir Bert Massie, chairman of the DRC, said: “Supermarkets need to understand
that their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act are considerably more
than just painting some lines and a wheelchair symbol in the car park.
“Supermarkets are legally bound to make their services accessible. If they don't
take steps to stop non-disabled people parking in these spaces they could be
breaking the law.”
Ian Macrae, DN`s new editor, said: “The continuing failure of supermarkets to
tackle abuse of blue badge bays is an ongoing disgrace.“I'm amazed that people
like the CEOs of Tesco and Asda aren't squirming with embarrassment and thinking
about whether this represents a failure on their part to meet their
responsibilities, both to disabled customers and under the DDA.”
But there were positive aspects to the results. Morrisons cut abuse from more
than 19 per cent in 2005 to less than 13 per cent. A Morrisons spokeswoman said:
“One of the things Morrisons does is try to provide the best service possible.
We try to get our car parking monitoring to a very good service level.”
Sainsbury's, where abuse is still at nearly 19 per cent, hopes to move towards
enforcing accessible bays across all its car parks. A Sainsbury's spokeswoman
said: “We know that people care about it and therefore we are going to do
something about it.”
But Tesco had no plans to introduce stricter enforcement. It came as the company
became a “gold” member of the Employers` Forum on Disability, which said it was
“disappointed” by Tesco's results.
Asda was “extremely shocked and disappointed” with its results, but added: “You
have to understand that we have to be quite gentle [with enforcement] because we
don't want to upset anybody.”
And your see below that Asda has done in the past really well. Its just a shame that it all fell away..........
If you have a story about Asda and it's
Disabled Peoples Parking Policy and would like it added to my
site, please email me at the address below, I'll publish it and if you will
allow me, I'll pass it on to them as well. Weymouth can not be the
only store with TCP and this issue, so come on let me know.
Please note that I shop here. I have nothing against the shop, its brand
or any other issue than Disabled Parking Space abuse by non badge holders and
Asda's policy to allow it to happen. Some item on this website are
copyright of the respective owners and I respect that. If you feel that
you would like your item, name or comment to be removed or a link added, then please let me know.
You can contact me at
Thank you. I do not mean to hurt, insult or bring personal harm anyone who
is mentioned on this website and will remove sections when asked. This
site is to show everyone the truth and to show personal emails between me and
the companies involved to try to change company policy towards the disabled
drivers. Any use of personal threats verbal or physical made to me will be
taken very seriously and reported to the relevant authorities.
There are so many people who are elderly, infirm and
disabled and need these spaces
Blue
badges and disabled bays go hand in hand, you can't use one without the
other. The only people issued with blue badges are those who are
registered with a permanent disability, or who need to escort a
disabled person, who cannot for various reasons walk any distance
unaided.
