Calderdale Council is introducing changes to its car parks at Todmorden Sports Centre and Brighouse Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre, to ensure that disabled parking spaces are used correctly.
As an inclusive organisation, the Council is committed to enabling everyone from Calderdale’s diverse communities to access its services and facilities.
Disabled parking bays at Todmorden and Brighouse sports centres are frequently being used by cars that are not displaying blue badges. This can make it difficult for disabled people to park and visit the centres.
Disabled parking spaces and blue badges help those who have an identified disability, and are often unable to walk for long distances, to park in a convenient location near their destination. Misusing these bays takes up vital parking spaces for people who really need them.
Sports centre staff have been continually reminding customers of the appropriate use of disabled parking bays and double yellow lines, but unfortunately the issue has continued.
The Council is now taking action to enforce the correct use of disabled parking bays and double yellow lines in both Todmorden and Brighouse sports centre car parks. No parking charges are being introduced, but new, enforceable terms and conditions, which are standard across all Council car parks, will soon apply and fines will be issued for non-compliance:
- Parking in disabled bays is for blue badge holders only and a blue badge must be displayed in the parked vehicle
- All parking must be in a marked bay – no parking will be permitted on the double yellow lines
- There is a weight limit for parked vehicles of three tonnes
The Council is also in the process of refreshing the bay markings and lines in the car parks to ensure all restrictions and bays are clear, including the disabled parking spaces. New signage will also be installed to ensure that the parking restrictions are clear. Staff will continue to advise customers of the requirements.
Sarah Richardson, Calderdale Council’s Assistant Director of Customer Services, said:
“Our sports and leisure centres are welcoming places for all our diverse residents, and we are committed to ensuring inclusive facilities for everyone.
“We are improving the use of our car parks at Todmorden and Brighouse sports centres to ensure our continued support for disabled customers who have raised concerns about people misusing the disabled parking bays.
“We’re introducing changes that can be enforced, but no parking fees, to ensure we send a clear message that we take accessibility very seriously. Of course, we would prefer not to take enforcement action and hope this will be kept to a minimum, so as always we’re appealing to the kindness of our communities to do the right thing.”