A disabled driver has called for councils to widen parking bays after a trip to London left her unable to access her vehicle. Sara Stacey, a 40-year-old full-time powered wheelchair user with Rigid Spine Syndrome, said motorists often “don't take any notice” of disabled parking signs and frequently stop directly behind accessible vehicles.
Incident outside the London Palladium
Sara, who is based in Essex, described how a motorist parked directly behind her van after she visited the London Palladium. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, she said: “Me and my husband went to the London Palladium. Normally, you can park behind the Palladium, but there wasn't a space there, so we parked behind Carnaby Street. There was a disabled space, and behind it, there was a red route, saying no stopping at any time. When we came back out from the theatre, someone had parked right behind me, so I couldn't actually get in my vehicle.
“In the back of my van, it does say leave three metres behind, but they had parked right up to my bumper. We had to try and get someone to drive my vehicle forward a bit so I could get in the vehicle. But that was really late, like 10.30pm / 11pm, in the middle of London.”
Impact on daily life
The incident has left Sara admitting she “hardly ever” stops her vehicle on the side of the road for fear of a similar situation. Instead, she pays £50-£60 per day via third-party parking apps to book an entire space for peace of mind. She is now receiving help to offset some of the additional costs associated with her disability through the money-saving platform Purpl.
Call for longer bays
Sara has called on councils to check spaces to see who is parking there and has suggested that one rule tweak could improve the situation. Disabled parking spaces are usually larger than normal spaces, measuring around 3.6 metres compared to 2.4 metres. However, Sara has explained that widening this even further would help reduce the burden on those travelling to the capital.
She said: “If they made disabled parking bays a bit longer, it would mean we could drive towards the front and have space at the back. Something definitely needs to be done because if you’re out on your own and that happens and no one is around, you’ll get stuck.”
Council response
A Westminster Council spokesperson, who oversees the roads at Carnaby Street, has “welcomed” Sara’s feedback. They told Express.co.uk: “Making sure Westminster’s streets are safe and accessible for everyone is the council’s top priority. Westminster welcomes millions of visitors every week, and kerbside space is therefore in very high demand. The council works hard to ensure our parking infrastructure is accessible for all drivers, and we keep this under constant review.
“We welcome feedback and will happily look into this complaint, just as we always investigate if motorists inform us about parking issues in a particular area of the city.”
