• Council responds to disabled residents’ concerns and changes parking bay restrictions
• Residents with disabilities to have designated bays if requested
• New rules to help blue badge holders lead more independent lives

A new type of parking bay has been launched in Enfield to ensure disabled people have a dedicated place to park outside their own homes.

In the past, on-street disabled parking places in residential streets could be used by anyone with a blue badge, which left people with significant mobility problems with the tricky task of finding suitable parking places near to their homes.

However, in response to feedback from disabled residents about how their lives could be made easier, Enfield Council has started to offer a dedicated disabled bay for qualifying residents with severely restricted mobility.

Though existing bays will remain the same, blue badge holders can make a one-off payment to convert one close to their premises to a dedicated bay, thereby giving disabled residents peace of mind that they will have somewhere to park near to where they live.

Since the scheme was launched in January, around half a dozen residents have already applied for a dedicated bay.

Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Daniel Anderson, said: “Having listened to the concerns of drivers with mobility issues, we have addressed this problem and have responded actively to make parking fairer and accessible to those who need it most.

“The change should enable many disabled people to continue to lead independent lives without having to worry about not being able to park close to their homes.

To apply for a disabled person’s parking permit and for any information about mobility in Enfield, please consult the Enfield Council website www.enfield.gov.uk.

Enfield residents concerned about misuse of a blue badge can log a report anonymously via the website and anyone found to be misusing a blue badge faces prosecution, a fine of up to £1,000 and could even face losing their badge altogether.