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Writing a polite letter to rude people
Nuzak
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
ok, so, my dad is disabled. he has multiple sclerosis and, among other things, finds it very hard to walk distances- going about half a mile gets him puffed out on a good day.
but he still needs to have an active life and do some errands and things, so he often uses the car to go shopping or whatnot. the thing is, he needs a place nearby to park so he doesn't have to walk far.
to this end we asked the council to create a disabled parking space outside our house, which they did. the law says that there's nothing illegal about anyone NOT disabled parking there, but either people don't know that it's not illegal or they don't park there out of common courtesy.
recently, some neighbours a few doors down have started parking there after a traffic warden told them it was legal to do so, and while i have told them last time they did this not to do so, since blah blah dad disabled blah, they have since parked there again. when my dad needs to use the space. and struggling with shopping bags.
so, they are basically dicks. the thing is, i can't get a hold of them at their house whenever i try, and i can rarely catch them in the street. so i need to leave them a message on their car in the disabled space.
can anybody help me write them a polite, formal letter that tells them to move their shit since they are being total bastards?
but he still needs to have an active life and do some errands and things, so he often uses the car to go shopping or whatnot. the thing is, he needs a place nearby to park so he doesn't have to walk far.
to this end we asked the council to create a disabled parking space outside our house, which they did. the law says that there's nothing illegal about anyone NOT disabled parking there, but either people don't know that it's not illegal or they don't park there out of common courtesy.
recently, some neighbours a few doors down have started parking there after a traffic warden told them it was legal to do so, and while i have told them last time they did this not to do so, since blah blah dad disabled blah, they have since parked there again. when my dad needs to use the space. and struggling with shopping bags.
so, they are basically dicks. the thing is, i can't get a hold of them at their house whenever i try, and i can rarely catch them in the street. so i need to leave them a message on their car in the disabled space.
can anybody help me write them a polite, formal letter that tells them to move their shit since they are being total bastards?
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Something along the lines of, "This parking space is intended for my father, who suffers a condition in which it is difficult for him to walk from other parking spaces. Although it is completely within your legal rights to park in a disabled spot without actually suffering a disability, it shows a lack of courtesy and respect for those who really need it. We would appreciate it if you could refrain from parking here in the future, as it restricts my father's independence and ability to lead a normal life.
Thank you,
Nuzak"
I'd also make sure just to use your first name, not that I think they'd do anything 'bad' with your last name, just they don't really need it and it seems less like a demand that way.
thanks!
Just a quick google check shows that it is in south dakota:
http://www.state.sd.us/drr2/motorvehicle/disability.htm
Not sure where you live but you may want to look it up.
either the people will respect it and not park there, or they'll continue to do so and all you can really do is hope to catch them out there and shame them in person
You can't write a note and not come across as some passive aggressive douche. You need to confront them in person.
Would it be possible to just have your dad go to their house and say what Wez said in person?
A note is just something they will probably laugh at. A guy with MS asking for courtesy in person might guilt them into doing it.
edit: next time im refreshing a tab when i leave it open for 20 minutes. BEAT'D
Except that he says he tried that several times and can't get a hold of them. Unless he's being misleading about how hard he's tried, it's not like the note was his first choice.
And?
It doesn't change the fact that he needs to do it in person and not leave a note.
I want to thank you for showing me this site. I totally got paid today to read this for 5 hours. Thumbs up to you.
I think you're missing the part in the OP where he says he has, in fact, told the people in question not to park in the handicapped spot.
Personally, I think a short, curt note written in dark ink large enough for passers-by to easily read might shame these people into parking elsewhere.
The OP needs to:
A.) Try harder to contact these people in person.
B.) Call the cops or talk to the city about that parking spot.
And, really, calling the cops isn't really the non-douche move unless he's already exhausted every other option. And, it doesn't matter anyway since it's technically not illegal to park in that particular handicapped spot.
However, I'm going to self-mod myself and leave since the OP is asking for advice on how to write a note and I can't provide what he wants.
I agree that leaving notes is usually a douchey response.
However, he has already talked to them once about this and has had trouble getting in touch with them since.
And calling the cops is definitely a MORE douchetastic response than leaving a polite note like the one in the second post.
I have a neighbour who has a disabled space marked on the road outside his house and the council were able to put up an enforcement sign as well. Anyone parks there and they can get a ticket & towed.
I'm in Scotland FWIW
Not that I'm condoning anything illegal... but I wouldn't feel sorry for them if their tires just happened to be flat when they got back to their vehicle. Let's see how they like reduced mobility.
Also, I'd take peil's advice and see if an exception can be made for that space.
If they're just being inconsiderate, a note could take care of the problem. If they're assholes, this could make the problem worse and start a more "public" battle.
In other words, they could start being confrontational, which is something it sounds like your father would have trouble with. You need to be prepared for that possibility.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Parking in a disabled parking space while you are not disabled? That's a douche move.
As a suggestion I would also include.
"If you wish to discuss this matter please stop by at X o'clock." Often this scares people off as it's a confrontation and it's easier for them not to actually do it.
Satans..... hints.....