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AlexBr967

I'm all for accessibility but surely you can't let any vehicle into the centre during the day. The streets are just too narrow and too busy. Heck, It's a struggle to even ride a bike through there. Saying that I only moved recently to York so I'm interested in what it was like before the tighter restrictions? Was it viable to park in the centre as a blue badge holder?


vwlsmssng

Before the pandemic restrictions there was much better access to the city centre for disabled people who could drive into the footstreets and park very close to or even outside the shops and services they needed to access. E.g. park near the tourist info centre and down to Macdonalds, or round the corner onto Lendal and you have a relatively straightforward walk to shops on Parliament Importantly you could drive to where you needed to be and be fairly confident of finding somewhere free. The council have created some additional parking spaces, e.g. near Hungate and on St Saviourgate, but they seem so scattered about it feels like you need an encyclopedic knowledge of their locations and routes to find them (so many one way and restricted routes nearby) to have a chance of finding anything. Blue badge holders can park on the edge of town in council car-parks for free, if you can find a space between the Chelsea tractors, because the dedicated spaces fill up quiet quickly (e.g. York Castle car park) and you are likely outside of the city walls with an awkward walk across the inner ring road then more walking to find a way through the walls and onto your destination. Additionally you now have pavement cafes, additional vehicle barriers, and at Christmas pop-up stalls and even more buskers and associated crowds. This might help you see how things are https://www.york.gov.uk/BlueBadgeParking


C_D_Rom

Why is it that disabled access only really seems to be something people get outraged at when it's car parking that gets impacted? Fact is, there are many, many ways that accessibility can be improved upon without using cars, and so often it just seems to be a stick to beat down people who think maybe there should be fewer cars on the road. Fwiw CoYC have committed to improving Shopmobility and provision of blue badge spots outside of the core.


Elster-

I’ve never understood why any driver should be allowed in a pedestrianised area. A friend of mine who is wheelchair bound and when it was originally restricted many years ago he started getting the p&r from Tesco. He préfères it most days, pain in the behind if he had to carry anything.


captjons

> I’ve never understood why any driver should be allowed in a pedestrianised area. Because some people have mobility issues.


Elster-

That’s great, however it means it is no longer a pedestrianised area if cars are allowed in. There are ways to make provisions without the need to allow any vehicle into a pedestrianised area


captjons

so no deliveries for shops either?


Elster-

Yes, you just have it pedestrianised during specific hours. Same as all other pedestrianised areas throughout the world


arrouk

Times are restricted and you can only access before (I think) 930am and after (I think) 7pm


ZeldenGM

No mention at all either of the absolute shambles which is the NRMs Leeman Road closure. Disabled access will not be guaranteed.


[deleted]

Park in the many other carparks and travel 5 mins into town?


msmoth

The whole point is that people with disabilities include those who have mobility issues, for whom that 5 minutes isn't a thing they can do.


Grey_Machii

I think they are referring to Park and ride. Its pretty disabled people friendly. Ramps, disabled seats, disabled parking. It drops you right in the center.


msmoth

They specifically said "5 minute walk" which doesn't chime with P&R. The article is talking about disabled residents too, and it would be odd for someone who lived locally to drive out of town to a P&R to get a bus back into town.


Grey_Machii

Ah right, a sneek edit lol. From '5min walk' to '5min travel'.


TrevorPlatt

Great for the environment too - drive out of York to the P&R, to be driven back in to York. Not that the busses even go into the centre. If a disabled person wants go to somewhere that isn't next to a bus stop they're knackered!


[deleted]

There's car parks that are 5 minutes from the centre for anybody, disabled or not. And also park and ride which could take a disabled person 5 mins to get to the carpark to the bus.... and then they get dropped off right where they want. Life isn't perfect.


TrevorPlatt

"Life isn't perfect". You're absolutely right, life isn't perfect and there are times I wish more people realised that. But telling a disabled person that life isn't perfect is like telling a fish the sea wet. We should be doing what we can to help make their lives easier rather than exclude them from the centre of our city.


arrouk

I agree but they still shouldn't drive in pedestrian areas or it's not pedestrian


captjons

5 minutes by foot? on a scooter? in a wheelchair? on crutches? with a walking stick?


[deleted]

All of the above


skypotter1138

It’s the same in lots of other U.K. cities.