Concerns raised over proposed King's Square revamp

9:11am Friday 1st February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

City of York Council has drawn up proposals for King’s Square City of York Council has drawn up proposals for King’s Square

A DISABILITIES campaigner has raised concerns about proposals to reduce the number of disabled parking spaces in a York square during a revamp.

York Independent councillor Lynn Jeffries, who is herself disabled, claimed the plans for King’s Square seem to fit into a pattern of a gradual tightening of restrictions on disabled motorists in the city centre.

She said City of York Council had already scrapped some disabled parking bays outside the main library, and decided to restrict access to Davygate, and she wondered if there more such proposals now in the pipeline.

She said she fully understood the desire to reduce the number of vehicles in the city centre to make it safer for pedestrians, but claimed there did not seem to be an understanding that more severely disabled motorists needed to be able to park right in the centre if they were to be able to go shopping.

The Press reported yesterday how the council is planning a major investment in the square, which would increase the amount of space for pedestrians and street performers, and might also include the introduction of new cafe seating areas.

But the extra space will partly be achieved through a narrowing of the road at one end of the square, which it is believed will result in a reduction of three or four disabled parking spaces.

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A council spokeswoman said the central objective of the King’s Square project was to make more of the space feel like a ‘pedestrian-focused environment.’

She said: “The language of roads, such as asphalt, road signs and parked cars, make it currently difficult to achieve this objective, because people don’t feel safe to wander in some places, so we are investing in the square to change this.

“The whole of Colliergate, including Kings Square, is and will remain a blue badge parking zone, ie we will not be changing any traffic orders, and we have designated two disabled spaces specifically to encourage blue badge holders to park in this location.”

Comments(13)

Jo13 says...
9:45am Fri 1 Feb 13

When will everybody realise that making more of York pedestrian will make it safer for disabled people? On a number of occasions I have been coming down Goodramgate towards Kings Square on a busy summer day and have found a car or two behind me, when the road is full of people walking.I can move to the side but a wheelchair user couldn't nearly so easily, and a deaf and or blind indvidual might not be aware of the car at all. The only way of making York, with it's narrow busy streets truely safe is to cut down as much as possible on cars in the city centre, so that there is safe space for pedestrians/wheelcha
ir users alike.

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JHardacre says...
9:55am Fri 1 Feb 13

Let's remember that a car with a Blue Badge on the windscreen is still a car.

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Von_Dutch says...
10:31am Fri 1 Feb 13

Agree with the 2 posters at the top. My sympathies with those who find moving around difficult, but that doesn't give them carte blanche to use their cars when and where they like, especially in extremely busy streets full of pedestrians.

The fact is that there's a lot of shopping areas in York (i.e. Coney Street) where the disabled simply can't park their vehicles immediately outside their desired shops. As has been pointed out on here before, you couldn't drive into the White Rose Centre or Meadowhell and proceed down the pedestrian 'streets' there. You'd park at the edge of the building and make your way in. This should be the same.

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Garrowby Turnoff says...
11:00am Fri 1 Feb 13

Perfectly healthy individuals park in disabled bays all over the place. Their aggressive belligerence to complainants is on par with road rage. "My life is much more important than yours" is their motto and God forbid anyone who points out that they're in the wrong. It's not a heinous crime, I know, but it shows little regard for their fellow man.

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pedalling paul says...
11:24am Fri 1 Feb 13

There seems to be ineffective enforcement of the access regulations for motor vehicles, during core time. The 10mph speed limit and the requirement to give way to pedestrians seems to vanish, espercially when drivers sight the end of the restricted area. This is particularly endemic in Lendal and Colliergate. The restrictions apply equally to blue badge holders, although a minority seem to think is gives them the right to charge along at 30 mph. How about a 20mph limit in the centre, for starters?

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Older Sometimes Wiser says...
11:49am Fri 1 Feb 13

A lot of interesting comments including PP, but essentially if the disabled person needs access so this MUST be provided.
Put yourself in their shoes and try and visualise the problem before spouting off. Its no use expecting the disabled person to park a long way from their destination, they just haven't the ability to walk that far, and some do not have a wheeled mobility aid .
There needs to be more active enforcement of current disabled parking so that they are only used by those who really need to have access.
I hope ALL City Councillors support Cllr Lynn Jeffries as someone who really cares for her constituents.

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arglemcgee says...
12:39pm Fri 1 Feb 13

I would propose getting all car parking removed in these areas and instead have mobility vehicles available for borrowing at the nearest car parks. I suspect there's a business case for this, given the economic benefit of truly pedestrianised streets compared to the status quo.

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bob the builder says...
1:01pm Fri 1 Feb 13

... a high percentage of blue badge holders may have a mobility scooter but perhaps lets think longer term... perhaps a city centre based park and ride specifically for them with a shuttle bus which is more supportive.

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meme says...
2:36pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Genuine disabled people need to access the City centre but many non disabled cheat.
To stop this how about removing the disability badge of anyone found cheating for 5 years with no excuses.Plus only people with severe disability should be given them. That will stop them being lent out as the penalty will be draconian then the public will not feel too many peole are cheating and only genuine disabled are using the privilege given to them.
Likewise there should be a draconian punishment for anyone non disabled parking in a disabled bay..No excuses at all accepted

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Paul Meoff says...
9:13pm Fri 1 Feb 13

If someone is so crippled that they need to park within a few yards of the shops, how do they get around them. Can't drive around M&S can you?

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m dee says...
9:25pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Paul Meoff wrote:
If someone is so crippled that they need to park within a few yards of the shops, how do they get around them. Can't drive around M&S can you?
err, sorry for stating the obvious but usually with a wheelchair ( its a mobility aid for getting around).

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Magicman! says...
3:54am Sun 3 Feb 13

The language of roads, such as asphalt, road signs and parked cars, make it currently difficult to achieve this objective, because people don’t feel safe to wander in some places

That would be why there are loads of people walking all over Goodramgate and Colliergate and Petergate after pedestrian hours have ended then?

dummy.

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Sillybillies says...
12:09pm Sun 3 Feb 13

The answer for the disabled and indeed most York resident is to boycott the city centre unfortunately and shop out of town.
pedalling paul says...
11:24am Fri 1 Feb 13
There seems to be ineffective enforcement of the access regulations for motor vehicles, during core time......

And all the road traffic and highways act laws concerning cycle use, such as obeying all road signs and traffic lights, keeping off pavements, and displaying lights during the hours of darkness.

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