York gets five new parking bays for blue badge holders

Blue badge holders can park in the new spaces for any length of time between the allotted hours

Five new parking bays for blue badge holders have been unveiled in York.

Following a council consultation, the bays were introduced as part of a trial lasting up to 18 months to make parking in the city centre more accessible.

They opened for use on Tuesday and users are encouraged to give feedback.

Three bays - two in Blake Street and one in Lendal - permit blue badge holders to park for any length of time between 10:30 and 06:00 the next morning.

Two outside Betty's Café Tea Rooms, in Davygate, can be used between the hours of 17:00 and 06:00.

'Equal and accessible'

Before the changes, there were yellow double lines where the bays now are.

Disabled motorists could park there for up to three hours but consultation feedback found that longer parking times were needed.

The new bays are located in Blake Street, Lendal and Davygate

City of York Council's leader Claire Douglas, said: "In our council plan we've promised to make York a more equal and accessible city, where we remove barriers so that everyone can benefit from all that the city offers.

"These new parking bays are an important part of improving city centre access and support to both our disabled residents and our business community."

Businesses, blue badge holders and residents have been asked to comment on how the bays are working.

Councillor Katie Lomas said the council "wanted to get the bays right" and could make adjustments depending on people's experiences.