Last updated 11:38, Friday, 10 October 2008

ARE you proud to live in Workington?

Well, after reading this you may not have the same feelings about your Allerdale Borough Council.

f you go to Upton Street, off Murray Road beside John Walker the jewellers, you will notice what is described as a loading bay. If you look again you will see that the paint on the ground can be read as a disabled parking bay.

Two weeks ago I took an 84-year-old war hero, who is blind and has difficulty in walking, to the shops in the town.

As he has a blue disabled badge we parked in Upton Street as there were no other parking spaces so he could walk the short distance that is all he is capable of to conduct his business in the town.

The badge was properly displayed, about which there is no dispute.

On our return the parking warden had issued a ticket. On complaining to the council their attitude was that you are not allowed to park in a loading bay even though they admit that you can read the disabled bay markings.

The law states that the council must be fair and although the above information about the disabled passenger has been brought to their attention they refuse to budge. Where is the fairness in that?

Allerdale Borough Council does not have a heart, even though I do.

The passenger in question was so concerned with the attitude of the authorities (you know what that generation are like when it comes to dealing with council officials) that from his own meagre pension he offered to pay the fine.

I am sure you will agree that would severely impact on that person's finances and as such I have sent a cheque to the council both to save him money and to stop him from worrying about what the council would do if I refused to pay the penalty.

This war hero cannot walk as far as the bus stop from his bungalow, although such is just a half-mile away, and to go to the town to do his shopping he has to rely upon taxis.

If the council persist in this attitude then more and more disabled people will find themselves housebound all because of the council's heartlessness.

Have you ever seen a delivery lorry using that loading bay? I have never, nor has anyone else that I have spoken to.

Lorries prefer to double park on Murray Road thus causing massive tailbacks all the way to St Michael's Church and yet I have never seen a parking warden issuing a ticket for such double parking.

There are designated taxi parking spaces outside the Carnegie on Finkle Street. Have you ever seen taxis there during the day? No, neither have I. That is yet another example of the council's ridiculous parking rules.

I left Workington to live in the South some years ago, although I am a regular visitor, and with such a council neither I nor my wife have any inclination of moving to the area to live out our retirement.

IAN STUART
Maidstone
Kent