Following the Council’s consultation on making York city centre more accessible, five new experimental bays open today (21 May) for Blue Badge holder parking and business loading.

Disabled people, residents and business have been consulting with the Council since November 2023 in a number of different ways, including drop-in sessions, online and in-person workshops. They told the Council that more accessible parking bays where Blue Badge holders can park for longer are needed in the city centre. As a result, five new bays have been created and will be under trial for up to 18 months.

The bays have been created where previously there were double yellow lines. On them, businesses could load and Blue Badge holders could park for up to three hours.

The new bays now allow loading from 6am-10:30am, and Blue Badge holder parking for any length of time between 10:30am and 6am the following morning.

Business cannot load in the bays outside their allotted times and Blue Badge holders cannot park in them during loading hours.

The bays are at:

• Blake Street, two bays on the right-hand side of the road between McDonalds and St Helen’s Square, and Blue Badge holders can use them from 10:30am until 6am the next morning.
• Lendal, one bay on the left-hand side of the road outside the former Post Office, and Blue Badge holders can use them from 10:30am until 6am the next morning.
• Davygate, two bays on the right-hand side of the road outside Betty’s café. They can be used by Blue Badge holders from 5pm (when the footstreet hours end) until 6am the next morning.

The Blake Street and Lendal bays are on the 24-hour access route into the city centre for Blue Badge holders which opened a month early in March 2024. The other route is via Goodramgate which opened on 4 January 2024.

Access to the Blake Street and Lendal bays is via the sliding barriers at Blake Street, where drivers must show a valid Blue Badge to staff from 10:30am – 5pm.

As part of the trial of the bays, Blue Badge holders, local businesses and residents are invited to comment on them until 20 November 2024. Please say how easy they are to drive in and out of, their location and hours of use, or whether parking duration should be limited, for example. Depending on the experiences of users, adjustments may be made to the bays and a further consultation will take place up to a maximum duration of 18 months.

Groups representing disabled people in York and local businesses are being notified of these new bays, and updates on changes to them will be shared.

Councillor Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council, said: 

“In our Council Plan, ‘One City, for all’, 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.”

Councillor Katie Lomas, Executive Member for Finance, Performance, Major Projects, Human Rights, Equality and Inclusion at City of York Council, said: 

“Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and views in our consultation. We’ve listened to you and, as promised, taken action to further improve access to York city centre. These new parking bays are the latest move towards achieving that.

“We want to get these bays right, so please tell us about your experiences of using them and we may be able to make adjustments. Whether you have a Blue Badge, are a local business or resident, we’d be glad to hear from you.”

Please share views on the new bays by emailing: highway.regulation@york.gov.uk or writing to: Highway Regulation, City of York Council, West Offices, York YO1 6GA before 20 November 2024.

Map showing access points to the city centre for Blue Badge holders and the new parking / loading bays