COUNCILLOR Heather Scott pointed out that older and vulnerable people may not benefit from free parking after 3pm in Darlington in the run-up to Christmas, nor take advantage of the other concession that only applies to long stay car parks too far from the town centre (Echo, Oct 10).
As an independent wheelchair user with a severe dexterity impairment, parking in the town centre is now almost impossible since the introduction of car park charges with ticket machines and/or barriers. These are a barrier to access as is entering data into a mobile phone via the app.
On-street parking with a blue badge near enough to the shops is almost impossible due to loading and unloading restrictions everywhere and too few disabled bays.
How can many older and disabled people support the local economy with the “Purple Pound” when we can’t park, get near a bus or get a wheelchair-accessible taxi when we need one?
Many of us have limited physical strength and cannot manage more than a short distance on a level surface, never mind the steep slopes and cobbles.
I challenge Councillor Nick Wallis to negotiate all the car park machinery and a mobile phone with the equivalent of mitts. I challenge him to use the town centre streets in a self-propelled manual wheelchair, possibly in the dark, and carrying bulky heavy goods from Binns.
Why should I get a parking ticket and/or take legal action simply to get to a bank or town centre shop independently? How much did the ticket machines and alterations necessary next to the car park disabled spaces cost?
Susan Bennett, Darlington
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