Last week we paid attention to the story of Zandvoort resident Joop Papavoine (77). He has difficulty walking and has been waiting for a mobility scooter for eight months now. Joop is entitled to this, but does not get it because there is no parking space to be found. The authorities promised help, but did it really happen?
Parking in the hall or corridor of the flat is no longer allowed, because the escape route will then be obstructed. And because of the possible risk of fire when charging the batteries. It is new national legislation that applies from January 1.
Housing association Pré Wonen must look for a suitable alternative parking location in or outside the residential complex and the municipality of Zandvoort is now waiting for this. Once that parking space has been arranged, Joop finally gets his mobility scooter.
Until then, Joop is also in the waiting room, so it has been eight months now. Pré Wonen promised to fix it quickly last week. ‘As far as the situation for Mr Papavoine is concerned, it is of course very annoying that this is taking so long. The situation has our attention and we are trying to find a solution as quickly as possible,” the response read.
Joop had to laugh a bit at that. He knows that last sentence by now. “They say that every time, but nothing happens.” How are things going now? Is there any progress, or rather ‘scoot’, in the case yet?
Text continues after the photo.
“I fell again yesterday in my house, unfortunately. Walking is just very difficult,” Joop said last Tuesday. “I have received many messages in response to the article. Including from a lady who offered to park my mobility scooter in her garden. She lives around the corner.”
‘Nice offer, but not really practical’
Joop thinks it is a very nice gesture from his neighbor. It’s just not practical for him. “I can call her when I need the mobility scooter. But of course I don’t always know exactly in advance.”
“In addition, because it is difficult to walk, the mobility scooter should not be further than twenty meters from my house. But I let her know that I think it is a very nice gesture.”
Text continues after the photo.
“I haven’t heard anything from Pré Wonen and the municipality yet. They’re just putting it off. I’m starting to get more and more angry. And I can tell you, then you have to go far. Even if they would just contact me “That they tell us how far they have come and how long it will take. That would be quite something.”
Phone call
A day later the flag suddenly looks different for Joop. “I received a call from a lady from Pré Wonen and she will come by tomorrow. She probably has a solution for me. In any case, she sounded quite confident.” The employee promises that she will come for coffee at the Zandvoorter on Thursday at the end of the afternoon.
Text continues after the photo.
Indeed, she arrives at Joop’s door at the end of the afternoon on Thursday. “She was a super nice, nice young lady and she had also read your article. She came up with a very nice solution. I am very positive.”
Finally a solution in sight?
It turns out, whether because of the media attention or not: Joop can suddenly get a fireproof playpen. A so-called ‘Bram’. And it can then be placed in the hall of the residential complex. And two more boxes will be added for other residents. “It’s a great solution. I then have to place my mobility scooter on an electric shelf and then it automatically goes into the box.”
Below is a photo of the hall of the residential complex. The boxes will therefore be placed in the place of the bench, on the right of the screen. Then they wouldn’t get in the way in the event of an emergency.
Text continues after the photo.
Joop is very happy that a solution is finally in sight. He thinks it could also offer a good solution for other victims. But the question remains when he will receive the playpen and his mobility scooter.
In the waiting room
“The municipality still has to be willing to reimburse the box. This will be done via the WMO (Social Support Act). I expect that the answer will take a while. They still have to meet about that and they probably do that once a week.” , the Zandvoort resident jokes. “Then they will deal with seven cases and then you will see that I am number eight. Can I wait another two weeks.”
A spokesperson for the municipality of Zandvoort was not yet able to respond.
Response from Pre Living
A spokesperson for Pré Wonen says that the housing association is currently investigating how extensive the ‘scooter problem’ is in the Haarlem region. And whether the parking spaces comply with national legislation and regulations that apply as of January 1.
The question remains whether all victims can suddenly be helped within a few days, just like Joop. “We don’t have all new, fire-safe mobility scooter sites from one day to the next. The most important thing is to have an idea of the extent of the problem as quickly as possible, and then we try to solve the problems as quickly as possible.”
Pré Wonen expects that the new national law may actually be enforced as of July 1, 2024. “There is still discussion about that.” If the law does indeed come into effect in July, it will give Pré Wonen some time to look for suitable solutions, but with some effort. “We are faced with a lot of legislation, it is not always possible to anticipate it.”