Unfair Parking Fine

[JBA]

I had occasion to visit the Lefkosa State Hospital recently for an transfusion of platelets prior to my operation. With crutches I could walk maybe 25 metres so asked the security guard for somewhere to park near the entrance - I had a letter from my doctor explaining my disability. The guard directed me to a disabled space.

When I came out I had a parking fine for 173tl issued by Lefkosa Belediye. After several telephone conversations I have discovered that there is no appeals process and my only alternative is to let the fine double after 15 days, double again after 30 days, await a summons and hope I get a sympathetic judge. That is a risk too far.

I have had my op now and can walk a little better but still some way to go - but I will go to the Belediye so I can tell someone to their face what I think of them.

[tomsteel]

Other than your personal satisfaction, what will you gain from such a confrontation? At best you'll get the 'shrug', at worst you could police involvement if the official you confront takes offence. Put the £40+ down to experience.

[Keithcaley]

Other than your personal satisfaction, what will you gain from such a confrontation? At best you'll get the 'shrug', at worst you could police involvement if the official you confront takes offence. Put the £40+ down to experience.

...and just to add...

If you were to go and tell 'someone' what you thought of them, then it really ought to be the Mayor - it would hardly be fair to tear a strip off a counter clerk who has no control or authority to vary the rules!

Anyway, good luck with that!

[Groucho]

JBA - there is no rhyme or reason to the application of the rules here - it's one of the great mysteries of life... Best not to let the injustice get under your skin or it will eat away at you....

Double parking on Zebra crossings is apparently the norm!

We just make an effort to obey the proper rules and hope that we don't offend anyone by parking correctly!

[waddo]

As an aside - today I saw my very first disabled sign on a vehicle here. Local registration plate but on the left hand side of the plate, before the letters and numbers was the disabled sign very well displayed. I have long looked for disabled stickers in car windscreens here but find them few and far between. Perhaps this is a new design or maybe I have not seen one before but I understand that if there is no disabled badge displayed and you are in a disabled parking spot then it matters not who said you could park there, you are still breaking the law!

On a personal note I think you have been targeted as an easy catch for fines and should at least complain to the Mayor while providing him with the proof from your doctor that you were required to park in that spot - however, pay the fine first and argue later or you will suffer the added fines that would come with it. Maybe that much daunted publication of Cyprus Today would like to report this act as well.

[Ragged Robin]

Provided JBA complains to the appropriate person (I agree no point in "sounding off" at a Counter Clerk who has no authority) and can keep his temper (difficult I know!) and put his situation politely anclearly he MUST complain for the benefit of others. LIfe is too hard here for those who are - whether temporarily or permanently disabled particularly if they are alone and cant afford taxis - and very few people (and that is not just Cypriots) drive or park with consideration for the less fortunate;

Does anyone know where and how one applies for a disabled sticker?

[waddo]

I was not fast enough to catch the guy who was driving the car with the disabled emblem on his number plate - drives faster than me and I am not yet disabled!! Will ask around and see what I can find out for you.

[Ragged Robin]

Walkıng dısabılıty does not necessarıly effect one's ability to drive fast modes of transport , viz Gp. Capt. Sir Douglas Bader

Can also be misleading. Twice I have been annoyed to see large , expensive fast off road cars parked in supermarket disabled spaces. In the first case I found it did actually have what looked like a disabled badge - but both badge and number plate were unfamiliar to me - presumably foreign (ie neither English nor Cypriot). In the second case I was even more annoyed when two perfectly fit able bodied young people returned to the vehicle and was getting up courage to "tell them off". Imagine my relief that I didnt when they were joined by a third person - in a wheelchair!

[kerry 6138]

Cemal the metai smith in Ozankoy has a disabled plate for his wife ,dont know if its official or just a plate you can get made up in the shops, most plates now have a section on the left for EU,TR,CY logo's

Edit. Just to be clear this is just a number plate with the wheel chair logo where you normally see the usual nationality logos, I imagine you can get any symbol here

[Ragged Robin]

I am somewhat puzzled here. It us the driver who is disabled not the vehicle. The entitlement for special parking goes with the DRIVER not the VEHICLE and when I was last in the UK was a card which was to be displayed on the windscreen so that the disabled driver could change cars - and indeed could be used by anyone else who was driving a disabled person . If the badge is fixed to the number plate of the vehicle what does the disabled driver do if he changes cars temporarily or permanently, and indeed, what is to stop an able bodied person borrowing his car so that can use the spaces?

[Keithcaley]

...when I was last in the UK ...

Is that a clue?

Expecting the rules here to be the same - or logical - is being rather optimistic, given the years that you've spent here!

[waddo]

Perhaps, much like in the UK but why the UK should have bearing on what happens here is quite beyond me, the vehicle itself has been provided for a disabled person and due to many things - such as wheelchair ramps, wheelchair lifts, single handed vehicle controls etc, etc, it is the only vehicle that the disabled person can actually drive or be carried in! I feel very sure that few if any disabled people in the UK, who travel on public transport, rush to the driver to make sure their disabled card and make sure it is displayed!

[Ragged Robin]

Keith; good point as a result of which I googled it - if all else fails first read the instructions.

Waddo: Strictly it is the blue card scheme which exists in many countries including European ones incl. the RoC and most accept each others' though you are advised to check. There is a notice on the site which can be copied by visitors to the Roc which they can display alongside their national disabled badge explaining it - in Greek! There is of course nothing about TRNC but Turkey does not have a scheme .............hmmmmmmmmmm...........

There are many different types of disablement only the worse need wheelchairs and many are not obviously visible - someone who cant walk far may still be able to drive a normal car as indeed myself but would qualify for the UK parking scheme even if not special vehicles etc. Strictly it is the disabled driver and passenger scheme and it is still signified by a card placed on the dashboard. So the driver of the car need not necessarily be disabled themselves - actually in the UK I regularly carried a card because I was main chauffeur to a relative who could no longer drive at all - as at the time I was able bodied I just had to make sure I did not display the card when I was not carrying a disabled passenger. A badge on the number plate would have meant nothing - perhaps they do themlike "baby on board" sticker to try to make other drivers more careful?

[Ragged Robin]

To clarify the above if you are in the UK and disabled you may qualify for a number of grants and for specially adapted vehicles etc. depending onthe nature and degree of you handicapp. The blue card scheme is independent of these and people who drive a standard car but have walking problems (distance is specified but I forget what - I am just within it!) as othrwise they may be unable to walk from their car to destination -- as indeed was the case for the original poster.

If there is a scheme now operating in the TRNC it does not seem to be widely publicised - I have been unable to find a Cypriot who has heard of it! let alone an expat - if JBA does visit the bele perhaps he could ask how the **** he could be expected to know the rules. HOwever in the UK the Local authority operates the scheme within its area and can change the rules, so who knows what happens here?

[JBA]

The fine was paid yesterday - but a TC friend did it for me. Firstly, I could not be sure that I could park near enough to go myself and secondly I am still so angry about this that I couldn't trust myself not to explode.

My friend was there at 10:15 am and drew no 172 from the machine - they were all paying fines. That's just short of 30,000 even if all were minimum fines - it doubles automatically after 15 days. What a nice revenue earner.

[sophie]

None of the above surprises me one little bit (except I can't understand why people talk about how it is in UK and rest of Europe as we are in neither) Handicapped people in the TRNC, regardless of their handicap are treated appallingly and this is why I wish more people would place The Cheshire Home higher up their list of charities to support.

[Ragged Robin]

JBA Were those in the queue just for parking in disabled spaces, or was it for parking offences generally?

Sophie: I do so agree : I was a volunteer for Cheshire Homes for several years before (being being struck down myself!) They really do an excellent job for their "core clients" who are very seriously disabled, as well as providing various services for all types of physical handicapp and sectors of the community. I was constantly disappointed how little expat support it got, It was started as a joint venture with half expat supported by ST. Andrews Church and half TC on the Commitee but got down to only one solitary Brit representative!

We got on to other countries because I was puzzled by the badges on the car and then went on to explain a misapprehension of who qualifies. I dont think it is ot as many of us may be interested to see if theTRNC is/is intending to follow the European sytem, andother may be contemplating a return and want to know what facilitites there are in the UK,