Accessibility advocates say bus lane makes parking tougher; more spaces needed

Anyone who lives in or visits Halifax on a regular basis knows parking is at a premium these days.

Now, recent changes on one busy street have some advocates concerned, and others calling for more accessible-parking in the municipality.

Paul Vienneau has been advocating to make the city more accessible for years.

“With all the construction going on, there’s a lot more competition for them with able-bodied people because they go well I’m only going to be a minute, so they swing into the spot,” said Vienneau. “But, the fact is, without a safe level place for me to park, I could fall and break a bone.”

Recently a bus lane was added to Gottingen Street. The changes eliminated some accessible parking spaces along the street and moved them to side streets.

It’s a move that concerns Skarlet Young, who works in the neighbourhood and requires an accessible spot.

“They hadn’t made any accommodations initially until I complained,” Young said. “Then, they placed some on side streets. They’re all on hills. That’s the nature of Halifax right, so now if you want to use an accessible spot outside the time restricted area, you have to park on a hill.”

For their part, the city says they could have done more to address the accessibility issue on Gottingen Street.

Young calls the removal of accessible parking spots dangerous and is considering filing a human rights complaint.

“It’s a legal right that people with disabilities have the same access as people who don’t and when they took away the accessible parking in favour of a bus lane, they took away my legal right in favour of Halifax transit,” Young said.

According to the city there are about 300 accessible parking spaces in the municipality.

Vienneau would like to see more in the future.

“We need to have more strategically placed around the city and also we need to have something like Toronto, where, if you have an accessible permit, you are able to park for free at a parking meter,” Vienneau said.

As for Gottingen Street, the city says they'll restore three accessible spaces back on the street.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Natasha Pace.

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  “We need to have more strategically placed around the city and also we need to have something like Toronto, where, if you have an accessible permit, you are able to park for free at a parking meter,” accessiblity advocate Paul Vienneau says.

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  "They’re all on hills," says Skarlet Young of the spots created to compensate for the loss of spots on Gottingen Street. "That’s the nature of Halifax right, so now if you want to use an accessible spot outside the time restricted area, you have to park on a hill.”