News

Car parking changes spark college chaos

By Sally Bryant
March 11, 2013

A student and her mother are furious about car parking changes at Reading College because of building work.

Jacqueline Hawkins contacted getreading claiming her daughter – who suffers from anxiety – had returned home in tears after queuing at the King’s Road campus then being unable to park.

Ms Hawkins, from Leyland Gardens in Shinfield, said “20 of them couldn’t park” on Tuesday of last week.

She gave her daughter, Rachel Boyd, a lift back to college and was preparing to collect her again that night.

She said 19-year-old Rachel, who is in the second year of a beauty therapy course, was going to continue having problems because of her anxiety and would not cope with getting a bus, or walking a distance after parking elsewhere.

The concerned mother also doesn’t want her daughter walking to her car in the dark when she finishes college at 9pm on Thursdays.

Her worries were for others, too.

She said: “She has to go an hour earlier and so will everyone else.”

Rachel also spoke of her fellow students, as well as her own ongoing problems. She said on Wednesday: “I am having to get to college at eight and I don’t start until nine – on Thursday I start at 2pm, so I haven’t done that yet.

“Every morning students are turning away. There is two-hour parking elsewhere but it’s not safe walking to college. A girl from Maidenhead was fuming that morning [Tuesday, February 26] and had to park round the road.

“They [the college] have said I need to give them a doctor’s note and they may make me a priority, make a dispensation because of my anxiety, but that’s only me – what about other people?”

Rachel said she thought the building work was for a special needs unit, but she felt students should have been surveyed to see whether they wanted it or not.

In a statement, the college said: “The college acknowledges that owing to the commencement of building work onsite to erect a new specialist teaching facility for students with autistic spectrum disorder, there has been a reduction in parking availability for students and staff.

“From January 2013, Reading College issued leaflets to advise students and staff that there would be a change to the parking facilities whilst the new ASD unit was being built.

“It also emailed all students directly, as well as providing information online, advising of alternative parking options.

“Students were also advised that the parking situation is temporary and that of the 88 places currently occupied to establish the ASD Unit, 47 will be made available again in September 2013.”

It added parking policy had always been first come, first served and students living outside the four-mile radius could apply for a permit.

Special arrangements were available for students with a registered disability. The college also confirmed one complaint had been made over the temporary change in parking, which was being dealt with.

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Mavado thanks for expessing what you mean by get a grip, now i didnt now thats what you meant ,now i do. it tells me you care

Mr Carter
13/03/2013 at 10:57

Like ive said without the hard facts wether the girl has genuine anxiety one dosent know. I agree anxiety could be used as an excuse and mum could be making things worse and life wont treat one specialy because of anxiety. All im trying to point out is words of choice like get a grip dont help many. its a very common saying and has been around for generations,there are other words of expressing oneself .Many who have mental health problems say that the saying get a grip dosent help,its like a slap round the face, it can be humilating and ridiculing and uncaring and cold. We have picked up these sayings without thinking what they mean or how they may affect the other party.of course its open to each persons interpratation. it can have a bit of humour behind it or it can have anger and frustration behind it or unhappiness, its not exactly a supportive saying. People having every right to use what ever words they choose, many think they are trying to be helpfull and supportive but ask any sufferer and they will say how it affects the way they feel. i know many many sympathetic people towards sufferers of anxiety,they say things like hey yea i feel like that too, its horrible isnt it,this is how i cope ,theres nothing wrong with anxiety its when it becomes troublesome is the problem.and if the person dosent know how to cope with it a downward spiral can prevail. Talking about it helps the sufferer ,get a grip expresses dont talk about it.i just dont like the saying personaly as i have seen what affect it can have on people. Many have to learn over a long period of time to "get a grip " many just dont know how to as they were never shown or taught. I hope this young lady learns from this and if she has a anxiety problem she gets help and support

Mr Carter
13/03/2013 at 10:51

@Mr Carter - but we ARE talking about the parking. The anxiety is being used as an excuse for not being able to park, and that is where the connection is. If it is affecting her ability to park a car 100 yards away, or get public transport, it IS going to rule her life, so she DOES need to get a grip. But by saying that I don't mean she needs to just decide one day that it's all better. Anxiety is a mental condition, and it can only be fixed using mental corrections, such as psycotherapy and CBT. That is what I personally mean by get a grip. Try to rule it through treatment, don't let it rule you. But she has to WANT to get it fixed, and if she is doing nothing about it except complain, no one will have ANY sympathy.

If there is a doctor involved, and the condition is diagnosed, then a priority parking space will be given. The college have said that. Then there's no issue and no story. That no attempt has been made to secure that space, despite the advice given by the college prior to construction taking place, suggests either the condition isn't diagnosed, in which case it isn't recognised yet, or it isn't as severe as she is playing it up to be, in which case "get a grip" is perfectly valid.

Like I say, I don't mock the afflicted, but the article and the situation at hand shows little evidence of any formally diagnosed afflliction I'm afraid. You can't just say "I've got anxiety" and expect everyone to drop everything and make life easy for you. No one will do that EVER in life, and they absolutely shouldn't either. No one is going to put up with more just because someone else *thinks* they are special. But get a real medical report, and sort yourself on treatment to get it all fixed, and people will go out of their way to help.

mavdo, Wokingham
12/03/2013 at 11:36

Im talking about the anxiety and not the car parking or the girls mother. Saying get a grip or pull your socks up is not helpfull to someone affected by anxiety.Anxiety can be very severe and acute. If one can get a grip there would be no need for therapy or doctors. In days gone buy parents would often say get grip,well its not as easy as that. Talk to any mental health proffessional to hear the hard facts. Many have died as a result of anxiety,im not talking about every day anxiety im talking about physiological conditions where it affects every area of the sufferers lives. Think about it this way if the girl had a physical condition or cancer etc... would you say get a grip.there is a web site called Time To Change aimed to a trying to reduce and end discrimination and stigma faced by suffers of mental health problems.One of the reasons why anxiety can be a problem is because they are afraid to talk about it.as i said with out the hard facts its hard to know the truth.What i do know is anxiety is not "just anxiety" there are many many anxiety disorders and many do lead to suicide

Mr Carter
12/03/2013 at 10:47

I think the suspiscion here is that her 'anxiety' is probably self diagnosed rather than a true medical condition and that no doctor would sign her off. To get your luxury, next to the door parking space then needs some external persuasion like a newspaper story. @ Mr Carter, you wrote exactly what my first thoughts were. This girl (and her mother) need to get a grip. Thats not prejudice, just life experience. Anyone with a proven medical condition would have simply talked to the College, given them their Doctors note and said no more unless refused the help they would be entitled to. You would not run to the neasest newspaper as a first resort.

Huntley Palmer
12/03/2013 at 07:37

@Mr Carter - to help you out, I think you mean 'a form of prejudice' or perhaps discrimination. Anxiety can affect people, but a simple doctor's note would mean she can get the parking space she claims she needs. It doesn't need a run to the paper. These changes were announced ages ago and she did nothing to prepare.

In life, there is never enough parking, particularly next to where you need it, and you always have to get to a work site early to get a space. Why should I have to experience an early start but not her?. Not being able to get a bus or walk 100 yards in a relatively safe area of Reading is a concern for anyone's future, and I would hope she is getting the psychological treatment for that condition. The mother probably needs to be a little less controlling and/or pandering to every whim to assist in her recovery.

But if it is really that dehabilitating, I don't understand how she can drive through traffic, which does need strong nerves at times, or attend lectures etc

Anxiety is one of those conditions that is often abused and used as an excuse for being lazy. I'm not saying that applies here, but it is why people are suspicious particularly when it applies to not being able to park exactly where you want to go.

I am not mocking the afflicted.

mavdo, Wokingham
12/03/2013 at 00:40

@Mr Carter - a form of racism???? What are you taking?

mavdo, Wokingham
12/03/2013 at 00:17

For those who are mocking and laughing at anxiety it can be intense indeed with anxiety and panic attacks.your comments dont help the stigma .if you had genuine anxiety problem you would understand. Anxiety can be incapacitating. it can and has lead to suicide so please dont riddicule.at least she had the courage to admit she suffers from it. Ignorance and total lack of understanding dosent help.yes its a learning curve hopefully but to say one shouldn't be driving because of it is errr omg what planet to you live on.talk about stigmatising.its no wonder some people dont share how they are feeling . What you seem to saying this girl get a grip and pull her self together. Utter discrimination and stigma that is.a form of raceism

Mr Carter
11/03/2013 at 23:46

I think this a problem with the youth of today who expect something on a plate and can't handle it when it changes.

Smiffy, Reading
11/03/2013 at 15:59

From the article it would seem that Ms Hawkins is responsible for creating much of her daughter's anxiety. Rather than jsut saying her daughter cannot travel by bus surely in the circumstances she should accompany her daughter a couple of times so that she can see that there is no real problem.

The standard soluton for anxious children with problems due to autism is to help them through the problem rather than let them just avoid the issue.

PoneRana, Wokingham
11/03/2013 at 15:37

FFS

Miss Noma
11/03/2013 at 13:52

It sounds like a Special Needs unit is needed as a matter of some urgency.

Also - one complaint had been made. One.

NEWS.

Nowtas, West Berkshire
11/03/2013 at 13:37

Being a generally relaxed person I struggle to understand people who claim 'anxiety', but having commuted past the College most days for the best part of 15 years I struggle to comprehend how somebody can deal with the free-for-all skirmish that is London Rd in rush hour seemingly without complaint, but can't cope with not having parking right on the college doorstep? I'd contend that if you can negotiate that traffic without blowing a fuse you can pretty much handle anything life can throw at you!

Why not lift-share, cycle or take the bus for a short period? Take it as a challenge to get into everyday activities?

My wife has an employee who claims to suffer from anxiety and takes a lot of time off because of it, strangely it usually strikes on a Monday after a heavy weekend of partying, if her Facebook feed is anything to go by.

Hannibal Smith, surviving as a soldier of fortune in the RG4 underground
11/03/2013 at 12:40

When I travel to client offices, every single one has problems with parking, some seriously so. Not being able to get public transport and not being able to cope with parking less than 100 yards from the door of a building means she won't cope in the real world. Offices are built with a maximum number of spaces that is always far less than the number of people who will use the building to "encourage" public transport use. This is mandated by government. So there is ALWAYS a parking problem, unless the office isn't fully utilised (and then the company is probably struggling anyway).

This is either a medical condition, for which she should be entitled to a disabled pass, or it isn't, in which case she should walk like everyone else, anxiety or none. As Alf Tupper says, if she can't cope with walking down the road, she shouldn't be driving a car (which is often quite a stressful thing, especially in traffic). At least the bus does the driving for you!

As for the girl from Maidenhead who was furious about having to park down the road... seriously! Get on with it. Eesh!

The special needs centre wouldn't be being built if it wasn't needed. There is no need to canvas students to see if it is required. It might not be for you. Live with the parking problems. It is how the rest of your life will be.

mavdo, Wokingham
11/03/2013 at 12:35

I would suggest that naming ones daughter for an online newspaper is going to do wonders for said daughter's anxiety.

Finally, I would just like to say BOO!