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| The disabled parking bay in Pennycook Lane |
I am pleased to say that Dundee City Council has agreed to my request to widen the disabled parking bay in Pennycook Lane, following my highlighting to the council its inadequate size for people with walking difficulties.
A local sheltered tenant rightly raised concerns about the disabled parking space that is in the car park in Pennycook Lane, along from Blackness Primary School.
The gentleman is the main carer for his wife who has various health issues and he often takes her out and about in the car, getting her to the car by wheelchair. He is having difficulties as the disabled space in the car park is very limited, being the same size as a normal parking space. There is no additional space to allow for getting someone from wheelchair to car.
This is a very valid point and its clear that widening it would benefit this couple and also other disabled people who use this car parking space. What I cannot understand is why Dundee City Council created such a narrow disabled parking space in the first place. Clearly anyone needing to get from a wheelchair into a car needs a bit of extra space and a ‘standard size’ parking space is clearly not fit for purpose.
I contacted the City Council’s Head of Transportation about the issue and have received the following response:
“This will be addressed as we formally progress the Disabled Parking Places Act in our off street car parks, with a minimum improved provision in car parks such as Pennycook Lane.
I can therefore confirm that this bay will be 'widened' to make it more usable.”
I am pleased at this positive response from the council and I hope that the space can be widened in the near future. As there is a small area of unused ground to the south of the space, this should mean the space can be widened without any loss of other car parking spaces.