Residents in Bolton can pay £150 to have disabled parking bays outside their homes – but council bosses say they won’t be enforced. The policy, to allow people with disabilities to have road markings outside where they live, was recently adopted by the council.
People will have to pay for the markings
The parking bays are not subject any enforcement should someone other than the badge holder park there but it’s hoped that motorists will be considerate
of the markings. The council said many streets in the borough are traditional terraced houses meaning the only parking available to residents is on street.
Registered blue badge holders can apply for a residential disabled parking bay to be marked on the road outside their home. The bays are not reserved for any specific individual and will not be enforced by the council or the police.
The applicant will pay £150 for the disabled parking bay road markings.
So far, four disabled bays have been implemented. Sarah Dixon recently had a bay installed on the street outside her home.
She said:
We are a family of three disabled people, and all have blue badges.
“Living on a terrace street, we often struggled to park near our house and often ended up parking on other roads at the top or bottom of the street.“We have only had the parking bay a couple of weeks, but it has been respected and we have been able to park outside our house. “We are safer and more able to remain independent because of it.
Blue badge holders only
Anyone applying for a bay must be a blue badge holder, in receipt disability benefits and have a vehicle registered at the address. The road in front of the house must be at least seven metres wide to allow enough space for a bay.
Other specifications include that the location must not be subject to waiting restrictions or within 15 metres of a junction. Applications will be rejected if the resident has a driveway, garage, or off-street parking.
Coun Hamid Khurram, Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for highways, said:
Not having to worry about being able to park outside their home could really help relieve some of the day to day challenges of a disabled person’s life.
While there won’t be any parking enforcement, we expect motorists to be courteous and not park in these bays.
