Why did the Tameside Advertiser choose not to print this letter?

Dear Sir

I read the report on Parking tickets in this week's Advertiser with interest. (24 July 2008)

Despite having a Blue Disabled Badge I was booked (incidently by the same Warden who booked an earlier correspondant to the letters page.).

Upon asking Tameside Council for information I learned that during the 12 months up to May this year, the same period covered by your own investigation, 782 tickets were issued to disabled drivers (that's 5% of issued tickets) Of these 346 were subsequently waived (44%).

Overall 15,744 tickets were issued of which 987 subseqently were waived, that's 6.2%

In other words 6.2% of drivers overall were wrongly booked but a staggering 44% of disabled drivers who are booked are booked wrongly.

Imagine if a similar discepancy were to be discovered along ethnic lines.

It is quite clear that the disabled are being targeted as an easy touch, or the Parking attendants need disability awareness training.

Yours Faithfully

Anthony David Jones MA
* ****ford street
Ashton u Lyne
Lancashire

0161 *** ****