February 2024
A disabled man has told of his fury after receiving a £130 parking ticket on his mobility car after he left it on a pavement outside a store for four minutes.
Alan Jolson, who is registered disabled and uses his one-seater vehicle to get around at speeds of between 4mph and 8mph, said he was ‘outraged’ at being targeted by an enforcement officer.
Mr Jolson, 63, of Goodmayes, Essex, admitted his disability vehicle is licenced for road use and can be taxed and insured like cars.
But he said: ‘I am registered disabled and can only walk with a walking stick for a few minutes before I am in pain or out of breath.
‘There was only a narrow one-way road outside the store with yellow lines and I could not have left it on the road and gone into the shop as it would have held up the buses.
Alan Jolson, who is registered disabled and uses his one-seater vehicle to get around, said he was ‘outraged’ at being targeted by an enforcement officer
Mr Jolson, 63, of Goodmayes, Essex, admitted his disability vehicle is licenced for road use and can be taxed and insured like cars.
The Redbridge Council penalty charge notice that the enforcement officer put on Mr Jolsons mobility car.
‘Most people accept disability transport scooters and cars need to be left close to stores.
‘It is not as if the pavement outside was narrow and people and prams could get past easily. I reckon it is at least 12 feet wide and I was not causing an obstruction. Nobody complained.
‘I went into a store called “Savers” and I was inside for four minutes . . . that is what it says on the ticket that the warden gave me.
‘He had put it on the windscreen and he said my transport was the same as any car and was liable for a ticket.
‘But as a disabled man, I should be given more consideration than able-bodied people. I can’t walk very far because of a condition I have called spinal osteoarthritis or spondylosis.
‘I also have arthritis and a form of Parkinson’s disease which means my hands shake a lot.
‘I go into Tesco’s in Goodmayes and ride around the aisles buying my food shopping and the staff and customers are lovely to me.
He is only allowed to reach speeds of 4mph on the pavement and 8mph on the road in his mobility car
He said: ‘I would not have got a ticket if I had been in the seat because I am allowed to ride on the pavement’
‘So if I had sat inside the vehicle I would not have got a ticket, but I would have been using the same space up on the pavement’, he added
‘I am only allowed to go 4mph on the pavement and 8mph on the road. I would not have got a ticket if I had been in the seat because I am allowed to ride on the pavement.
‘So if I had sat inside the vehicle I would not have got a ticket, but I would have been using the same space up on the pavement. So I feel like I have got the ticket and not my mobility transport.’
Mr Jolson, who said he was previously known as Joseph Dooley before changing his name by deed poll in the early 1980s, last worked as a porter at Charing Cross Hospital in 1995 before his illnesses became serious.
He now lives in a ground floor flat and receives Universal Credit and disability benefits.
His ‘Kondor’ vehicle which has a cabin, is 41 inches in width, has a height of 64 inches and a length of 63 inches.
It was purchased second hand for £2,500 three years ago and is battery powered.
But divorced Mr Jolson has a green ‘Stop Ulez’ sticker on the back window and the vehicle has an index plate at the back and front like those required on cars.
Mr Jolson last worked as a porter at Charing Cross Hospital in 1995 before his illnesses became serious. He now lives in a ground floor flat and receives Universal Credit and disability benefits
His ‘Kondor’ vehicle which has a cabin, is 41 inches in width, has a height of 64 inches and a length of 63 inches
It has no in car entertainment, but he likes to take his portable radio inside when he is travelling.
The mobility vehicle cannot travel at more than 8mph and has a maximum load weight of 200kgs. Because of his disability he pays no road tax.
Each night before he sleeps, he plugs a cord into the vehicle and the other end into his bedroom and out through a window to charge the battery which can give him up to four hours of power.
His mode of transport also has turn signals, a headlight, a windshield wiper, rear view mirror, side mirror, 15-inch wheels and front and rear bumpers.
He added: ‘People on the pavement are always okay with me as I go quite slowly and they know I am disabled.
‘Sometimes car drivers beep at mewhen I am on the road and tell me to get a move on, but I can’t go any faster than 8mph. I am not allowed in cycle or bus lanes so I do slow traffic down. I stay on pavements if I can at 4mph.
‘But I am going to have to cut down on my heating or food if I have to pay the £130 or the reduced fee of £65. I am on benefits and it is difficult enough. This just isn’t fair. It is outrageous.’
Redbridge Council has been approached for comment.
