Pot-holed car parks a real pain for disabled

POT holes...the gaping chasms cause pain for wheelchair users. Ann Vipond is pictured (centre) with her husband Michael Vipond and friend Sue Mellor.

A TOWN-centre car park has become a treacherous assault course for disabled people.

The New Radcliffe Street car park, which is run by the council, is full of pot holes making it almost impossible for wheelchair users to cross it safely.

Ann Vipond, who suffers from inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis in all of her joints, regularly uses the car park.

She said: “The car park is dreadful. I feel every bump and it is very painful for me when I drive over a pot hole as it jars my joints. If you don’t see a pot hole until it is too late there is nothing you can do so you have to drive over it which is agony.

“The car park is also causing real damage to my mobility car and I have suffered several flat tyres which I have to replace myself.

“It’s really hard for me to get my wheelchair across the car park as it’s so uneven, it needs completely re-tarmacing.

“Sometimes, my husband Michael struggles to push my wheelchair across so much that I have to walk which is agony for me and defeats the point of going in a disabled car park in the first place. Something needs to be done.”

Councillor Mark Alcock, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, said: “We take disabled access and parking issues very seriously and I agree that this facility has not recently been providing the standard of service that we aspire to.

“We’re currently carrying out a wide-ranging review of the condition of all our car parking sites across the borough and — as part of that — the New Radcliffe Street site was actually highlighted to us on Monday following an inspection. Subsequent to that, I raised the matter with our Pothole Mole service which is now on-site and filling in the holes as a matter of priority.

“Next we are working on a scheme to completely resurface the site and repaint the bay markings in order to ensure this is restored as a fully accessible and convenient car park of the standard that the public rightly expects.”