Clarkson: The torygraph - Jeremy Clarkson criticised for parking in disability bay

So where else should they have parked their invalid carriages? Seems a bit silly not to use the designated spaces. I think that was the joke here.
 
A ripost from the TG team has appeared at the bottom of the article, which I'm only posting because it means I'm right;)


A Top Gear spokesman said: "Top Gear does not condone the misuse of disabled parking bays. The programme had permission from the owners of the car park to use the bays for a short period of time to enable filming to take place unhindered, and members of the production team were with the cars at all times. There were other disabled spaces available, and of course had anyone needed to park in one of the spaces occupied by Top Gear, we would have moved immediately."
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Amie8 said:
A ripost from the TG team has appeared at the bottom of the article, which I'm only posting because it means I'm right;)
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It would have been much funnier if you had posted that twice.

Yo dawg, we heard you like riposts, so we put a ripost in your repost.....
 
narf said:
That's why they're required to display their disabled parking permit behind the windshield.
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I'm just used to people getting pissy about those who have permits but appear to be fine. It's an inevitable outcome of a lot of people "borrowing" their grandmas permit, those who have an actual internal disability AND a permit still get shit for it.

hmmm this may be a US thing
 
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Goose+ said:
You have a very strange sense of humour, MWF :mrgreen:.
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And you must be really slow on the uptake only to have noticed that just now. :p
 
Sounds like a lot of trouble to go through to secure permission and all that when I'm sure there are other perfectly good free for all parks elsewhere that would've provided the same filming opportunities...
 
Red_Bull said:
Sounds like a lot of trouble to go through to secure permission and all that when I'm sure there are other perfectly good free for all parks elsewhere that would've provided the same filming opportunities...
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One of the trickier things about outdoor shooting is the sun. It's a blessing and a curse... if you're trying to film at the wrong angle, everything turns out rubbish. I suppose it's even possible to damage the equipment through accident if you catch the sun at the wrong angle.

If these spots provided the best lighting, fewest obstructions and overall 'best shot' ... then they did the right thing in using them for a tele program.


And as far as I can tell, the person who actually parked in that bay was James. Jeremy parked in the spot closest to the handicapped stalls with his Leaf.
 
I'm actually surprised Clarkson doesn't have a placard given the state of his hip(s). Over here you can get them for being fat (/irony).
 
I thought they are trying to recharge their cars?
The closest spot to the shops are always disabled parking. thast why its parked there...
 
Am I the only one who suspects they closed the entire parking lot for filming? If the lot is closed to the public, which would be logical given they were filming something and don't want random people in the shot, then it doesn't matter what spots they take.
 
BobAndy said:
A parking permit which they probably have, as Kiff, the one armed sound man, is still working for them. He's got an artificial arm... which doesn't lend itself too well to performance driving.

Unless Kiff MacManus in the sound department of Top Gear is not Kiff the one armed sound man, in which case, my mistake.


Given the subject matter of the final film, I'll let this one go. I've seen plenty of supermarkets with 8 or 10 empty handicapped spaces while the rest of the lot is full. Additionally (I've had another look), that parking lot looked relatively empty while they were filming.

Much ado about nothing.
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zing


To add fuel to the fire, just after the slot about electric cars, Richard Hammond met a team of disabled soldiers who had been severely injured in Afghanistan.

The disabled soldiers - some who had lost three limbs - were shown laughing and joking with Hammond as they took part in a cross-country racing in 4x4 cars as they prepare for the grueling Dakar Rally.
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did anyone read that and think "are thetorygraph telling us that having fun with or as a cripple is inappropriate?"
 
Fiorano said:
zing




did anyone read that and think "are thetorygraph telling us that having fun with or as a cripple is inappropriate?"
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I must admit, I didn't know what they were getting at with that. Laughing and joking with Hammond? Scandalous!
 
TestECull said:
Am I the only one who suspects they closed the entire parking lot for filming? If the lot is closed to the public, which would be logical given they were filming something and don't want random people in the shot, then it doesn't matter what spots they take.
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The entire parking area wasn't closed,you could see cars parked behind them in the service station area.jeremy and James looked like they were parked outside some restaurant or cafe and that's probably the owners who gave them permission to film there.
 
Speaking as your actual proper disabled person, and a Blue Badge (UK disabled parking permit) holder, I did notice that they'd parked in a designated bay. But I didn't give a crap. No-one will ever construe that shot as a tacit acceptance of, or instruction to begin, the misuse of disabled spaces - people are, on the whole, a lot more intelligent than to take the show as a design for life. Disabled spaces are important; if someone struggles to get out of bed, how are they meant to cross a whole car park? The misuse of these bays doubtless causes pain and frustration, I've had personal experience of just that, but they're going after the wrong target here.

(If anyone was wondering but didn't like to ask, I have nerve damage in my spine and legs due to spinal injuries from an accident when I was 18. I an also currently learning to drive. I am also currently engaged as a volunteer welfare advisor at a charity working with disabled people in my home town. We're not all on a hair-trigger looking for any excuse to get our cause in the spotlight.)
 
PS - Sorry, I forgot. I'm not sure you'd qualify for a Blue Badge because of having an upper-limb amputation. I'm willing to stand corrected, but they permits tend to be for people with mobility problems, and therefore focused mainly on issues with the spine and lower limbs, although heart and lung conditions can sometimes be enough to get one. I would be very surprised to learn that a GP and local council would award one for an upper-body condition, particularly since an adapted vehicle is meant to put the disabled driver on a level playing field.

Additionally, I think the piece about the injured servicemen was really very well-handled. It could have been a godawful mawkish pity piece, or might have tried to patronize the team by talking constantly about how brave they were to overcome their injuries. It didn't. I'm glad. The show should be commended for hitting the right tone in an area that other shows tends to make a maudlin mess of.

Besides which, and going back on-topic at last: come on, they would have moved the cars...
 
TraumaDoll said:
PS - Sorry, I forgot. I'm not sure you'd qualify for a Blue Badge because of having an upper-limb amputation. I'm willing to stand corrected, but they permits tend to be for people with mobility problems, and therefore focused mainly on issues with the spine and lower limbs, although heart and lung conditions can sometimes be enough to get one. I would be very surprised to learn that a GP and local council would award one for an upper-body condition, particularly since an adapted vehicle is meant to put the disabled driver on a level playing field.
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I know the ones here are very specific to "cannot walk 200 feet" so you are right, that probably would not count. IIRC asthma, heart, and arthritis were specifically outlined on the one for this state but not neurological for some reason, you have to write that in.
 
peodude said:
Not forgetting the fact, that, in the UK at least, there is no provision in law for disabled parking spaces on private land. It is a please don't park there symbol. You can't be fined for parking in it. The ONLY people that can issue parking fines are councils on public roads and the police. Yes, i know some private companies TRY to, but they are unenforceable in law.
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This, simply ignore them and they go away.

Don't do what a guy did in our local ASDA and run the attendant over.
 
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