16/02/05


Dear Minister,
I am writing to you regarding Disabled Parking Bays and their location. I understood that they should be firm, level and even. An uneven surface or an inclined bay makes transfer from vehicle to wheelchair difficult.
I am particularly worried about the location of a Disabled Parking Bay located on the top left-hand side of Bridge Street, Westport, Co. Mayo.
The street is one way and has two lanes of traffic. Therefore I as a Disabled driver would have to transfer from my car into oncoming traffic. As it is the main street in the town and can be extremely busy at all times I would be putting myself in danger if I were to use the bay. Also, as the bay in question is located on a steep decline, could you advise me on the following?
I would like to know if I were to use the bay and as I was about to transfer into my wheelchair and forgetting to put on my brakes, the wheelchair ran back down the street and ran into oncoming traffic, where would I stand as far as the law is concerned.


There is also a Disabled Bay located on Shop Street. It also is a one way street and it is located on the right hand side of a one way street and as the footpath is approximately 12 inches higher than the bay, it is impossible to transfer from chair.

I await a reply,


Yours sincerely,


………………….
Tom Chambers
"The Billy Ranch"
Knocknageeha
Newport
Co. Mayo