Letter of the month HOW TO GET HOME AFTER A PUNCTURE
Sir – In the July/August issue of your magazine, John
Powell of Melton Mowbray complains about punctures
and insurance in respect of his scooter.
Scooter tyres are notoriously prone to punctures and I doubt if any company would insure against them. But if he insures his scooter through Alexander Forbes Risk Services of 2nd floor, The Heights 59/65 Lowlands Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HAE 3AE (Tel: 020 8869 5501) it is then possibe to pay another £42 per annum to take advantage of a get-you-home service provided by Autohome Assistance.
Upon receipt of your telephone call they will arrive with a trailer to tow your scooter home. (The nice young lady at Alexander Forbes will send you an application form). Then a telephone call to your local mobility supplier should result in a repair or a replacement tyre.
An alternative is to invest in a buggy with larger wheels and tougher tyres, such as the Breeze, which won't be subject to as many punctures.
One of the problems around Maidstone, Kent, is the council. Not only do they refuse to keep the pavements in good order but they are also slow to clear up broken glass when the local yobs go on a glass-breaking spree.
David G Evans
Maidstone
Kent
THERE IS LIFE NORTH OF THE BORDER 
Sir – I have just received my July/August copy of Disabled
Motorist magazine which I usually enjoy, but am a bit disappointed to find very little mention of the roadshow recently held at Ingliston. There is plenty about the one at Donington Park – but does Britain end there or are we disabled people in Scotland just not worth the effort!
While I appreciate that time was probably against you for
the publication date, on looking through my last magazine
before going to the event at Ingliston I found very little mention in that either, indeed I had quite a struggle to find mention of opening times. Even when I registered to be able to arrange test drives at the show the letter I was sent referred to the event at Donington, which by the time I received the letter had already passed and on arriving at Ingliston had to complete all the forms again.
Although the event was well organised I was disappointed
at the number of car manufacturers there – one of my main
reasons for going – there being only Renault, Vauxhall, Nissan
and Mercedes. I have since received a letter from Vauxhall
hoping I enjoyed my day and also one from Toyota, who were
not even there.
Perhaps a bit more publicity north of the Border would have
helped attendance figures. There are disabled people up here
as well and we can't always make it to the events south of
Carlisle
Thank you for a normally very good magazine.
Catherine Mclean
Strathaven
Lanarkshire
The Editor writes: We actually thought we'd done well publishing pictures of the Princess Royal, among others, enjoying the Ingliston roadshow in our July/August edition, as the event took place after our normal deadline. Also we had a team of volunteers at the show (pictured above) ready to meet our Scottish members. The nature of the event is out of our hands as we are not the organisers. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the photographs from Scotland in this issue as we highlight how it is making life easier for disabled visitors north of the Border.
ROADSHOWS NEED A RETHINK
Sir –You report a Mobility Roadshow attendance about a fifth
less than the 20,000 last year at Donington Park due to the
very bad weather. It was very bad weather, but the arrangements coped with the situation excellently. You also report that Mobility South mustered just under 2,000
The organisers of Mobility South say they have tried to
combat complaints that other shows are too big for some visitors and this probably contributes to the turnout.
I visited last year's Mobility Roadshow and did not go again
this year for two reasons. The first was lack of choice in subjects; but more especially in different manufacturers of each subject. The people who parked next to us had come to make a specific purchase but, as Ann Robinson would say “they left with nothing”.
The second reason you have photographed attending this
year's show again on page 22 of your July/August issue – the
three musicians, especially the one with the large wind instrument.
One little puff from him drowned out any conversation with a stall holder virtually anywhere in the hall which, because of its acoustics, became the most powerful amplifier I have ever encountered. The volume was painful to my ears. He started up again as we were in the middle of a discussion with a holiday firm; we left quickly without finishing it.
I agree that bigger shows have a lot of things that do not interest some visitors, and they tend to be all mixed up together.
Mobility South's objective would be better achieved by becoming as big as the others but carefully grouping the
displays by subject. Manual wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs and scooters are really three distinct subjects. Beds, bathrooms, hoists, adapted car controls, vehicles with ramps or hoists, holidays and so on all need their own distinct area of display. If they did this successfully then, maybe, the organisers of other shows would do likewise.
Ronald Boyle, Windsor
THE DECENT THING
Sir – In response to R. Johnson's letter in the July/August edition of Disabled Motorist, I feel it is about time my local
supermarkets found some way of enforcing the total ignorance of able-bodied drivers using disabled bays. I once commented to a lady using a disabled bay,“Excuse me but you don't look very disabled”, and the reply I got was two
fingers and the comment, “I am doing my dad's shopping and he is disabled”.
If the Tesco store in Doncaster, namely Balby, sent someone to remind people who are able-bodied not to park in disabled
bays or, as I once suggested, put on a clamp and charge the offender £10 to remove it and gave the money to charity,
then maybe people would respect the disabled bays more than they do.
When I approached the security guard the response was, “We have orders from our manager not to do anything about
it”. This in itself is disgusting and maybe Tesco should get some bad publicity then they would maybe do the decent
thing.
S Blandford, Balby, Doncaster
ATTITUDE SHIFT
Sir – I should like to add further comment to your letter of the month in the July/August issue, regarding the attitude of B&Q stores to disabled parking.
On many occasions over the past few years, I have observed delivery pallets dumped in one or two, sometimes even
three or more, dedicated spaces and gone into our local B&Q store (Wigston, Leicester) to complain to the manager.
The reaction is always commendable,“Tut, tut, not again; I'll get it sorted; sorry” and all that, but nothing is done and it persistently happens.
There are six spaces, all correct width and with large signs on the wall declaring their use, but this has no effect either on delivery lorries or indeed on those customers who see fit to abuse the spaces.
Overall, it is my belief that, with the odd exception, there is simply no mindset in the psyche of this nation which accepts automatically that not everyone gets about on two fit and healthy legs. Until we adopt, without thinking, the same attitidue which exists for the most part in the United States, we shall continue to spit into the wind where consideration for those less fortunate is concerned – and how on earth do we
legislate for that?
Sue Lobb
Membership no: 14669
WHO IS WORST?
Sir – The winners of the 2004 Baywatch awards doubtless deserve our praise for their individual acts and continuing
attempts to see that their Blue Badge bays are not abused
However there was no mention of who was the worst. Why don't you name and shame those stores and managers
that cause us all such pain and heart ache.
The statistics show that 20 per cent of bays are used by people who have no care or understanding of the pain they cause by their thoughtless or, more likely, deliberate actions.
You don't normally pull your punches, so come on tell us which store group was the worst? Was there a worst store?
Which manager has done the least to help when asked ?
My worst is the B&Q store off York Road, Leeds 14. Many years ago their manager used two disabled bays as a trolley store. To rub salt into the wound he has never painted out the disabled symbols. When he did replace the bays he made them out of normal narrow existing bays.
John Sidebottom, Leeds
SLIDING SOLUTION
Sir – I was very interested to read the article from KA Hope, of Ormskirk, Lancashire, about sliding doors on cars.
I have had the same experiences as he and his wife in not being able to get into my car if another car is parked too
close. You cannot always get a disabled parking place where there is ample room between parked cars.
On two occasions I have had to wait until someone came back to their cars and asked them if they could get in to
my car and reverse it out enough to allow me to get in.
Both times the car driver has been very obliging but what would happen if there was no one about? I suffer with arthritis and because my knees are affected I cannot bend them enough to go from the passenger seat to the drivers seat because of the gears. It would be wonderful if a car could be built to incorporate sliding doors. They have them on vans so why not on cars? I will make enquiries about this and see if I
can come up with any results.
Jean Hayden, Dumfries
THE HARD WAY
Sir – Regarding two letters in the July/ August issue of Disabled Motorist; first of all to the gentleman from Melton
Mowbray, I have never heard of anyone including tyre repairs in an insurance policy. The best thing I've found, when I had six punctures in six weeks, was to go back to the dealer and have hard tyres fitted at £40 each wheel. Mine have been
on a year now and feel no different to pumped up tyres and the ride is about the same.
Also, in answer to KA Hope of Ormskirk, regarding sliding doors for driver and passenger. Peugeot are next May bringing out a car called the 1007 that has your answer – electric sliding front doors, and it looks a nice chunky
car with plenty of room. The cost, I believe, will be about £10,000 – but hopefully it will come up on Motability.
Vic Barnes
Norfolk
VERY NICE PEOPLE
Sir - My son, Carl Barton, was looking to buy an adapted wheelchair accessible vehicle and I phoned about 12 different
firms. The one that was most helpful, friendly and approachable was Clarke Motability, of Snodland, Kent.
We told them how much we had to spend, they found us a vehicle, came to us for us to test drive it, the took it away,
valeted it, MOT'd it, serviced it, then delivered it to us.
Each time they came, they spoke to my son and explained everything to him even though he was going to be the
wheelchair passenger. They are very nice people to do business with.
PA Barton,
West Molesey
Surrey
THE PRICE IS . .?
Sir – Having read your magazine and others like it, I am struck by the lack of prices in most of the advertisements,
showing equipment for the disabled.
It would appear that whether we answer adverts or make inquiries, we are not told the cost. Invariably, we are told
that depends on xxxxx or yyyyyyyyy.
Why can't we be told a basic price so that as intelligent people we can judge for ourselves between products?
Why does your magazine and others accept advertisements from manufacturers and suppliers without stating their
prices, thus perpetuating the system that the disabled pay “through the nose” for everything?
WJ Bowdrey
Bridgwater, Somerset
PAVEMENT PROBLEM
Sir – I was a disabled driver, but I had to stop driving a car because I was having too many mini-strokes, which are under control now.
I now drive an electric four-wheel scooter. Since I have been riding my scooter I have noticed how bad the pavements are and it takes all your strength to steer the scooter in a straight line.
Plus the other problems, where drop kerbs have not been put in.
Also, I think it's about time the Government made it law that petrol stations could have a machine so people with electric wheelchairs or scooters could get their battery charged so they can carry on the journey home, or an electric plug-in point with a small charge meter unit, because some scooters have their transformers on board.
Robert C Peters, Kent
We welcome your views on any issue affecting disabled
motorists. It may be about something you’ve read in this
magazine or an experience that has affected you.
If you think other people should know about it, write and tell us:
Letters
Disabled Motorist
DDMC
Cottingham Way
Thrapston
Northants
NN4 4PL
or email:
The Editor reserves the right to edit submissions for length or legality.
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