Residents who rely on disabled parking bays outside their homes on Newport Road, Ventnor were shocked to discover they weren’t exempt from the parking restrictions introduced after Leeson Road closed on Sunday night.
Park in your disabled parking bay and face a penalty notice was the message they received. It took several days and an intervention from OnTheWight before they were assured they could park without penalty … almost.
Oakes-Monger: “It cannot be right for disabled people to be treated this way”
Newport Road resident, Stephen Oakes-Monger, told OnTheWight,
“This part of Newport Road has two zebra crossings and two schools, but all the parking suspension has achieved is to allow traffic to travel much faster along this stretch of road and has made it much more difficult to cross.
“The suspension of the disabled bays one of which we use, which were put in place for blue badge holders, has directly affected my partner as she has three reasons for having a disabled badge. It cannot be right for disabled people to be treated or inconvenienced in this way.”
Oakes-Monger: “No one will accept responsibility and are passing the buck”
On Monday morning Stephen called to Island Roads who told him they were instructed by the Isle of Wight council to put the restrictions in place, which they say are enforceable (ie. park there and you will get a penalty notice). He also spoke to Parking Services who said it was Island Roads who put the restrictions in place.
Stephen put in a complaint to the council and got in touch with OnTheWight, who also put a question into Island Roads about exemption for blue-badge holders of disabled bays outside their properties.
He said,
“We feel that no one will accept responsibility and are passing the buck and we are simply going round in circles.
“It also appears that these restrictions were put in place without any consultation with residents or any leafleting or information notices being put up and the first people knew about it was on Sunday when the cones appeared. In addition none of this happened last time Leeson Road shut and most local residents got used to the situation very quickly.
“Furthermore the restrictions have displaced around twenty cars that normally use those spaces, which are now vying for spaces in surrounding roads such as Cornwall Road, York Road, Gloucester Road and Downlands Crescent where it is virtually impossible to find spaces at the best of times.”
Confirmation from Parking Services
OnTheWight is still waiting for the answer from Island Roads, but in the meantime Stephen has received confirmation from Parking Services that residents with blue badges that live by the two disabled bays can park their cars there without penalty.
They were told,
“In relation to your recent enquiry regarding Newport Road, Upper Ventnor, the Parking Operations Supervisor has confirmed that in this circumstance we will continue to allow parking with a valid disabled badge in the designated disabled bay at this location.”
Oakes-Monger: “Someone needs to be responsible for removing the cones“
However, with the buck being passed between two organisations, Stephen does not feel comfortable moving the cones himself and said he would like Island Roads to take responsibility for removing the cones from the disabled bays – providing secondary reassurance that they will not be breaking any restrictions.
They have yet to be moved.
OnTheWight asked Island Roads whether all disabled bays on the routes of restricted parking were exempt from penalty notices and whether Island Roads will take responsibility for removing the cones. We will update once we hear back.
