Yesterday, this van (above) was blocking the whole footpath, and a family with a wheelchair user was in front of me at the time..
Family attempts to get around – I tell the driver he’s blocking the path.
I get told to fuck off..
Lovely response from a clearly reasonable and intelligent individual…
So I pop into the Garda station on my way back from the shops, funnily enough, directly across the road from the offending vehicle.
I speak to the Guard inside, and let him know what the story is.
I show him the photo, with the time and date clearly visible – CCTV also everywhere, including more than likely the stations cameras, in the area if needed.
This was the convo:
Me: “I’d like to report this please.”
Guard: “Right. We can send a car out to have a chat”..
Me: “and I assume that will include an FCPN for blocking the footpath, especially so in this instance as it was blocking a person in a wheelchair?”
Him: “No. We can’t do that.”
Me: “Why?”
Him: “You’d have to go to court.”
Me: “Really?”
Him: “Yes. Now, you can of course make a statement, but that would mean you’d have to go court.”
He continued: “This means that if you want to go on holidays next year, and you get called to court, you must go, or YOU yourself could be arrested for not attending.”
Me: “but I have the photo and timestamp here.”
Him: “doesn’t matter, his solicitor could argue he had to park there, maybe he had heavy items to deliver!”
It seemed like this Guard was now attempting to justify his behaviour, and try to dissuade me from making a statement. Again he mentioned he could send out a squad car to “have a chat” with him.
I told him I’d still like to go ahead and make a statement.
Also worth mentioning I actually reported this offence to the station by phone call half an hour before this conversation.
So he was there for at least 30 mins, and the issue was also raised with the station prior to my engagement with the van driver.
I am appalled at this entire situation..”
