Parking shake-up in Fishponds ignores needs of disabled drivers

“Who's using the family braincell today, 'torysarecool'?”

“Nearly all of the main stretch is available for 1hr park, there are a few shorter sections which aren't available and there's two large supermarket car park and soon to be three plus the Fishponds car park and parking along the Straits Parade. It's hard to find places where you can't park in general including lots of side streets.
This couple are outside of a general newsagents store and these are all across Fishponds. Go 60 ft in either direction from here and across the road and if there are spaces, simply park your car.”

“Yet another Tim Kent - LibDem success story in Fishponds!

Anyone know what Fishponds did to upset Tim Kent so much?”

“What is more to the point is that the first Disability Discrimination Act came in in 1995, the second in 2005 and the Equality Act in 2010. The council should, therefore have had 27 years experience in always considering the possible impact upon disabled people of any changes to rules, policies,buildings etc. and ensuring that changes to not put them at a disadvantage, eg by removing parking by changing double yellow lines to no loading areas. Even if disabled bays are made, I often find that they are too far from where I need to get to and using my blue badge to be able to park considerately near where I need to get to is essential, if I am to retain my independence. The latter is an aim which local authorities are supposed to foster, not eliminate.
It is not good enough for a council spokesperson to apologise after the event, when there is a clear need for all staff and councillors to receive adequate training to prevent such a fiasco happening in the first place.The council is subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty, INCLUDING THE NEED TO TAKE STEPS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF DISABLED PEOPLE and not, as in this case, put the needs of delivery firms above those of disabled customers. It is hardly helpful to traders for some of their customers to be prevented from shopping at their premises. When the need for provision for deliveries to be made was being considered, the fact that the provision should not put disabled people at a disadvantage should have been considered automatically, had the Council staff and councillors been adhering to the law. I hope that questions will be asked about the training received and what monitoring of decision-making is being done, to ensure that the law is being adhered to.
I have referred this case to Disabled Motoring UK, as this charity looks after the needs of disabled motorists and has links at Government level. Clearly the council needs to be reminded about its responsibilities concerning the public sector equality duty.”

“Aaah, I stand corrected, I didn't realise that yellow lines on the pavement meant no parking, even for blue badge holders.

Sorry Post, and fair enough other posters with more knowledge!
Hopefully the council will sort this out.”

“A few people seem to have missed the point of this article, Anne and Ivor are objecting about the yellow lines on the pavement meaning that even with a blue badge they are not legally allowed to park on the yellow lines. They have done the same here in Portishead highstreet but have kindly painted in 3 disabled spaces for when disabled people need to park on the highstreet, not that you can ever park in them as they are always taken up by non disabled people "just nipping into "xxxxx", I won't be longer than 2 minutes".”

“@Jimmer
Are you certain this is a non story
it says "The new rules mean that parking on Fishponds Road is now only possible for traders delivering goods – no longer accommodating blue badge-holding disabled drivers."

This reads to me that a site specific TRO was initiated here to vary the "normal" blue badge concessions. Which I'm sure there would be legislative powers to do so, where a valid case can be made.

Btw , it wasn't me who red arrowed you,”

“@Jimmer, I've not green arrowed your comment, as I'm too tickled by the thought of someone being so offended by the truth that they red arrowed it. "These facts don't fit with my preconceptions! Damn your eyes, sah!"

Thanks for pointing that out, I didn't know that was the case. Blimey... If I were disabled, think of all the awesome places I could park!”

“This is a non-story.
If you have a blue badge you can park on double yellow lines:
"In England and Wales, Blue Badge holders may generally park:
on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours, unless there is a ban on loading or unloading
at 'on-street' parking meters and pay-and-display machines for free and for as long as they need to
in disabled parking bays"
http://tinyurl.com/56f83p”

“The whole traffic scheme in Fishponds is a complete farcial mess. Millions of pounds wasted on an utter shambols. Incompetant council, incompetant workers. There were yellow lines painted - then burned off a few days later and new ones re-painted slightly closer to the kerb. A bus shelter was completely removed and rebuilt when they realised they had used the wrong kerb stones or some such drivel. The turning to Morrissons was changed to suddenly make it a no left turn (causing lots of near misses so far - just waiting for the fatality which will happen eventually). Bus lanes that last for a few hundred feet - lost parking spaces etc. etc. etc. Do the council give a damn? No.”