Coventry City Council have admitted that they cannot take action against able-bodied drivers parking in disabled bays on the city’s roads. The news will disappoint more than 100 residents who signed a petition calling on the council to fine those who did not display a blue badge, says the Coventry Telegraph.
The petition with 125 signatures was considered by the council. It said that many disabled people were suffering through the misuse of the bays and urged the council to penalise those at fault.
But in their response, officers explain that there is little the local authority can do. The cabinet member for city services, Cllr Patricia Hetherton, will be told at a meeting on Wednesday that the bays were just ‘advisory’.
That means no legal action can be taken against those parking in the spaces, even if they have no disability.
The wording of the letter to be sent to the organiser of the petition will explain:
“We recognise the strength of feeling expressed in this petition and understand the frustration experienced by disabled residents when advisory disabled bays are used by drivers who do not hold a blue badge. We agree that these bays play an important role in supporting residents with mobility needs and we do not condone their misuse.
“Typically, when installing an on street residential disabled bay they are installed as an advisory marking. We do this as it allows the bay to be installed without the need for a formal traffic regulation order (TRO). This allows the council to introduce them much more quickly and at significantly lower cost than mandatory disabled bays introduced by order.
“As a result, we can respond faster to residents’ needs, install a greater number of bays each year and assist many more disabled residents within existing budgets. If every disabled bay were introduced through a TRO, the cost of legal processes, consultation, advertising, and implementation would substantially reduce the number of bays the council could provide, and many residents would face long delays or be unable to receive a bay at all.
“While advisory bays rely on public cooperation rather than enforcement, they are widely respected and effective in most locations. Introducing them quickly often provides immediate relief to residents who would otherwise wait many months or years for a formal bay.”
(Picture: Yay Images)
