Charging points are branded unfit for the disabled
There is no room for disabled drivers to get out of their vehicles at these bays. The bays are neither long enough nor wide enough to accommodate the vehicle Chair of the Carmarthenshire Disability Coalition, Clive Poulton
ELECTRIC vehicle charging bays in two of Carmarthen’s main car parks have been branded unfit to be used by disabled drivers.
The bays at St Peter’s and John Street car parks have been criticised by disability campaigners who argue the bays are both too short for vehicles and also not wide enough to accommodate larger modified vehicles and those which allow side wheelchair access.
The Carmarthenshire Disability Coalition claims that if another car is in the next bay, there is simply no way a wheelchair can get in or out of a disabled vehicle’s side doors.
The council has already installed 28 fast charging points across the county with a further 15 being added by the end of March next year, coupled with a new dedicated charging facility in Cross Hands off the A48.
Chair of the Carmarthenshire Disability Coalition, Clive Poulton, has written to Carmarthenshire Council with his concerns over the bays at Carmarthen’s car parks and is calling for a rethink of their design and positioning.
Mr Poulton also wants disabled drivers across the county to contact him with photographic evidence of other council car parks with electric charging bays causing the same problems for the disabled community in Carmarthenshire.
He said: “There is no room for disabled drivers to get out of their vehicles at these bays.
“I was sent a photograph by a disabled driver charging a Peugeot e-traveller in the charging bays in St Peter’s car park.
“The bays are neither long enough nor wide enough to accommodate the vehicle. The charging bays in the John Street car park have the same problem.
“Disabled people are being encouraged to purchase electric vehicles but these bays are unusable if there are other cars parked next to a bay you pull into and are disabled.
“Clearly these charging points are wholly inappropriate for use by disabled people.”
Mr Poulton’s concerns come against a national call for charging points to be accessible to disabled drivers and that the bays and points meet the Equality Act 2010.
He added: “I want disabled drivers to send us photos of electric vehicle charging bays in Carmarthenshire Council car parks with information about where they are located so that we can present a case calling for change to the Senedd.”
In an email sent to Mr Poulton seen by the Carmarthen Journal Carmarthenshire Council’s highways and transport service manager Richard Waters said: “The electric vehicle charging bays at St Peter’s and John Street are generally conversions of the previous standard parking bays and as such they fit in with the wider car park layout.
“The disabled parking bays in these car parks are larger than the standard bays.
“We’ll certainly take on board the comment and where space permits we’ll try to incorporate some larger bays, but there will be physical restrictions in some of our car parks which will restrict particularly the length available for the bays as that could impinge on the circulatory lanes within the car park.”
Carmarthenshire Council was asked to comment further.
Photos and concerns about electric vehicle charging points in Carmarthenshire Council car parks across the county can be sent to Mr Poulton at the Carmarthenshire Disability Coalition by email to office@cdcfa.org.uk or by mobile to 07585 626905.