Disappointment After Disabled Bays Removed From Key Wexford Town Passageway

Wexford County Council is being urged to provide more on street disability parking in Wexford Town.

There was disappointment recently with the removal of two parking bays for Blue Badge holders in Charlotte Street due to a safety issue.

Four other spaces have been put forward as an alternative but campaigners say they are too far from town or their surfaces are uneven.

Independent Councillor Raymond Shannon says businesses in the area are losing out:

"These bays were situated in Charlotte Street in the centre of town, they were so handy for the people that needed them and they were used on a regular basis.

"Blue Badge holders used them to go to Fortune's Pharmacy, Murphy's Optitions, even the likes of Shaws and other shops and gave them access to the main street."

Alternative spots for the disabled parking bays are being criticised for not being suitable for those with mobility issues.

Council officials say it's too dangerous to allow much traffic on the narrow passageway which has been used for outdoor dining recently.

Councillor Shannon says other potential bays have been suggested but they won't solve the problem for disabled people:

"Especially wheelchairs users won't be able to use the alternatives. One is on George's Street, two are in Wellington Place and one is on Abbey Street.

"They're situated on hills and uneven surfaces so it makes it difficult not just for people in wheelchairs but people with COPD and breathing difficulties to access these spots."

We need to find a balance between allowing outdoor dining and places for disabled people to park according to Councillor Shannon.

Tables and chairs have recently been spotted on Charlotte Street where the bays were recently removed.

Councillor Shannon says it's frustrating for people with mobility issues to see their options for parking reduced like this:

"They have every right to come into the centre of town and we shouldn't putting obstacles in their way.

"It's nice to see the tables and chairs, but we have Monck Street closed, there's no access up Skeffington Street so it's very hard for people with disabilities to manoeuvre the town.

"The nearest Blue Badge parking bay now will be at Common Quay Street which is a fair old walk when you can't walk."

A nearby pharmacy owner says he wasn't aware the disabled parking bay close to his business was being removed until customers told him.

Ciaran Lynch is the owner of Fortune's Pharmacy and says he would like to see the Blue Badge bay restored to Charlotte Street.

The bays were removed as part of Wexford County Council’s plans to pedestrianise the street except for a three-hour period in the morning when deliveries are permitted.

Mr Lynch says it's frustrating to only find out something like this was going ahead when it was already too late:

"Our attention was drawn by customers who would use the spaces that they had been removed.

"We received no notification that they would be removed and disabled users have similarly not been aware that they were going to be taken away."

Mr Lynch says many of his clients need the disabled bay as they have trouble moving without assistance.

He says they have been left high and dry by the decision to partially pedestrianise the street:

"Many of our customers would have mobility issues due to age or illness and we would be heavily dependent on in-store services like vaccination and health screening.

"We're not the only health care facility impacted as there's a local optitions and other pharmacies affected too."

The narrow passageway is closed off to traffic for most of the day but deliveries are allowed between 8am and 11am.

Mr Lynch says the rules around the street should be eased so that business can continue unharmed:

"We would suggest that vehicular access would be introduced from 5pm onwards. That would allow people who'd been at a GP appointment or something during the day to collect their stuff later.

"We'd also ask that those arrangements would include the weekends so that Charlotte Street can continue to be for vehicles."

That report was funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.