‘No changes’ to town centre parking regime

At last Monday night’s meeting of the council, members received the response from Regional development minister Danny Kennedy.

The council had contacted the Minister regarding concerns for disabled drivers and the difficulties they might have in going to the pay and display machines and back to their vehicle, the minister responded: “I am assured by officials that every effort is made to ensure disabled parking bays are located as conveniently as possible to pay and display machines and that most machines are wheel chair accessible.

“I am advised that Roads Service has responsibility for some 2,000 off-street parking spaces of which 64 are designated as disabled parking bays and some 350 on-street parking spaces, of which 38 are so designated.”

SDLP Councillor Declan O’Loan said: “I have written further and at length to the minister about these issues. I would ask council officers to engage with the particular management company to get a local resolution.”

Councillor James Currie: “I don’t believe that they have given this a lot of consideration. If they made more spaces for disabled people in the car parks this would help the town centre. We need to take more advice from motobility and these types of organisations.

“People who park in disabled spaces (illegally) should be heavily fined and have their vehicle taken away from them, it needs to be looked at.

“It would be interesting to see the figures of old age pensioners and the number of blue badges issued in the Ballymena area.”