Agenda item

DISABLED PERSON PARKING BAY PERMITS AND WHITE BAR MARKING UPDATE

Minutes:

Report ES16031

 

The report outlined the consultation carried out on Disabled Person Parking Bays and the proposal to introduce a Disabled Person Parking Bay permit.  The report also considered the white bar scheme that was implemented and progressed in the previous  year.  Following public consultation it was recommended to proceed with a revised Disabled Parking Bay Permit scheme, whereby blue badge holders that had had a disabled parking bay provided on street had the option of an exclusive parking permit rather than this being compulsory as previously proposed. The report also outlined the relevant history, previous consultation results and the financial considerations and implications for future budgets. The report set out the Equality Impact Assessment that had been developed during the process.

 

In response to a question surrounding how the distinction would be made between bays that were for sole use and bays that were for general use, the Head of Traffic and Road Safety reported that signage would be installed and that permit numbers would be allocated to specific bays, if non-permit holders were found parked in a bay allocated to a specific permit number enforcement action could be taken.

The committee queried the legibility of signage for disabled users and whether a single sign on a pole adjacent to and facing the carriageway would be readable for people with limited mobility. The committee asked if consideration should be given to an additional sign facing the pavement. The Portfolio Holder sought assurances that any signage would be on lower poles and unobtrusive.  In response the Head of Traffic and Road Safety stressed that there was a need to ensure that any signage was clearly visible in order to aid enforcement but that Officers would seek to ensure that signage was made as unobtrusive as possible.

 

In the course of discussion, Members of the Committee noted that the initial outlay of £160 (£80 for the installation of a bay and £80 for the permit) may deter some service users who would benefit from the scheme from applying, especially those on lower incomes.  Members of the Committee agreed that the following additional recommendation should be added:

 

That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services in consultation with the Portfolio Holder to investigate additional payment options for disabled person parking bay permits.

 

Turning to the issue of the White Bar Marking Scheme, the Committee considered that white bars should only be installed in areas where they were really needed.  The chairman raised the issue that the current scheme did not allow white bars to be installed in addition to yellow lines. It was noted that white bars could not replace yellow lines but Members acknowledged that some residents, especially those living in the vicinity of train stations, benefitted from white bars across their driveways and were willing to pay the fee to have such lines installed as an added deterrent to cars parking across driveways. It was agreed that the scheme would be altered to allow white bars to be installed in addition to single yellow lines if the location met the other criteria defined in the White Bar Marking Scheme.

 

RESOLVED: That the Portfolio Holder be recommended to approve:

 

(a) A fee of £80 is charged to each resident who has a Disabled Person Parking Bay installed outside their home from October 2016; and

 

(b) An annual fee of £80 is charged for any blue badge holder that wishes for a Disabled Person Permit Parking Bay Permit that would allow exclusive use of the parking bay allocated for the individual blue badge holder only.

 

(c) That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services in consultation with the Portfolio Holder to investigate additional payment options for disabled person parking bay permits.

 

(c) That the white bar marking scheme continue in its existing format but allowing the installation of white bars in locations with single yellow lines and the installation fee remain unchanged.

 

Supporting documents: