Victory for Blue Badge holders as work starts
Car park closed for a week as council make good work on disabled spaces
WORK to modify disabled parking bays branded “too small” for blue badge drivers to use began on Monday.
Penlan car park in Pwllheli will be closed for a week from 6pm, June 5, while work is carried out to increase the size of the disabled spaces in accordance with Disabled Rights recommendations.
The move comes after concerns were raised that the parking spaces are too small for blue badge drivers to use.
Jonathan Roberts, a disabled councillor on Pwllheli Town Council, first expressed his frustration over the spaces nearly two years ago.
Cllr Roberts said: “The work that is finally taking place in the car park is years overdue.
“However I am really pleased that disabled people will soon have decent parking opportunities without damaging their and other people’s cars when visiting Pwllheli.
“It’s taken a lot of effort to get to this stage, and I and the rest of the town council are looking forward to seeing the finished result.
“I’m really pleased that Gwynedd Council are finally getting the ball rolling on a long overdue project.
“I’ve had many complaints over the past couple of years and I really hope the results will be worth the long wait.”
The Disabled Motoring UK charity have also slammed the council for failing to provide ‘reasonable adjustment’ under the Equality Act 2010.
A spokesman for Disabled Motoring UK said disabled parking spaces are a lifeline for disabled people who need to park as close as possible to their destination.
He said: “Disabled bays should be designed to allow the occupants of a vehicle to fully open their door to exit, or to access a wheelchair or a mobility aid in safety from other vehicles.
“A disabled bay that is not marked correctly could be unusable to many disabled motorists, which could impact on their ability to park and in turn have a negative impact on their daily living.”
Gwynedd Council has now apologised to residents for the inconvenience of closing the car park for seven days.
A spokesman said: “Essential main- tenance work will be carried out at the Penlan car park in Pwllheli next week.
“Due to this work that will include resurfacing and re-marking of the parking bays, the Penlan car park will be temporarily closed from 6pm on Sunday, 5 June until 6pm on Monday, 13 June.
“All other car parks in Pwllheli will be open as usual during this period.
“Signs have been put up on site and a letter shared with those who park in the car park explaining that annual ticket holders will be able to park on the Maes car park in Pwllheli every day during this period except for Wednesday when the market is held on the Maes site.
“Annual ticket holders will also be able to park in the Cardiff Road car park during the maintenance work.
“The council apologises for any inconvenience during the essential maintenance work.”