|
Following complaints from disabled residents on Arran, CalMac is to repaint the disabled parking spaces at Brodick pier – but not until next year.
The yellow paint marking the spaces in the short-term car park has worn away and there is no way to tell that they are allocated places.
Drivers now use the spaces even although they are not registered disabled.
Rob Blythe from Shiskine, who has a blue badge on his car windscreen enabling him to park in the disabled spaces, said he had had difficulty parking there.
‘For about a year now I haven’t been able to park in the disabled spaces because non-disabled drivers are using them,’ he told The Banner.
Rob said he had missed the ferry in the past because of having to park elsewhere.
He added: ‘There are always cars parked in the spaces and the drivers aren’t disabled. I was often forced to park up at the old sand quarry.
‘I can’t walk very fast and if I have to walk long distances I get breathless. In the past I have missed the boat because I can’t move quick enough.’
He said that he has complained to CalMac on numerous occasions but nothing has been done about it.
‘The problem is that I can’t find out who takes responsibility for that particular car park,’ added Mr Blythe.
Sergeant Bob MacKay of Brodick police said that as it was private land it was CalMac’s responsibility.
He said: ‘We can move people on who park in the taxi rank because it is public authority ground maintained by the roads department. Unfortunately the short-term car park is non-enforceable by us. It would be up to CalMac to patrol the disabled spaces.’
CalMac’s pier manager Colin McCort confirmed that the company was responsible for the car park.
He said: ‘When people make complaints we will act on them. I had a meeting with the roads department last week and it was one of the problems discussed. We are acting on it with their help.’
North Ayrshire Council operations manager Richard Wright said: ‘We will be pleased to repaint the disabled parking spaces when CalMac approach us.
‘The problem is that we can’t lay the paint at this time of year. It is really a spring, summer or autumn job.
‘We will work closely with CalMac and do what we can when we can but it will be a few months before anything can be done.’
