SDLP Derry Councillor Brian Tierney has welcomed a commitment from Transport NI to review the process for allocating new disabled parking bays.
Currently the process can take longer than nine months from request to installation, a timeframe that Cllr Tierney says is far too long.
Speaking after a meeting of the Council’s Environment and Regeneration Committee, Cllr Tierney said:
“The SDLP has been pressing Transport NI for action to make the provision of residential disabled parking bays much more accessible.
“I have spoken to people who have had to wait for 9 months or more from the point of request to white lines going down outside their homes. That is unacceptable.
“These bays are not a luxury, they’re a necessity for people with profound mobility issues. The application process has been made unnecessarily difficult and I’m glad Transport NI have agreed to change.
“The current processes mean that TNI were waiting for a number of requests before tasking a Belfast contractor with their installation. A local contractor would be much better placed to deliver this service in a time sensitive way.
“We will continue to monitor this situation to ensure those in need of these disability parking bays are supported.”
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