Disabled mother calls for parking measures in "abandoned" Sheffield community
“I refuse to be treated as a second class citizen”
A mother has raised concerns over the lack of parking measures on a city street, claiming she has been complaining to the city council for 16 years.
The 46-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, has lived on Eastern Crescent, Arbourthorne, for a number of years and says the parking in the area causes obstructions for pedestrians and people with disabilities.
She said: “It’s a really lovely road, everyone gets on really well, but it’s not wide enough for parking.”
She shared how there have been cases in the past where ambulances couldn’t get directly to her home because “cars are parked on both sides”.
She claims the oldest letter the council has from her over this issue, dates back to 2010, and after 16 years of calling for inprovements she now feels “fed up”.
The way some motorists park makes it difficult for anyone with a disability to use the pavement safely, she explained.
She is disabled, as are her son and partner.
Her son has regular physio appointments and her partner has to use a motorised wheelchair.
She said: “If I want to go to the bus stop, it forces us to go into the road. Nobody follows the 20mph speed limit and they just come speeding down the road. It doesn’t get policed and it’s not treated seriously.
“There’s no way on earth someone can suddenly swerve out the way of an oncoming vehicle. It’s either we are trapped in our houses or we risk our own lives.”
The woman claims that despite regular complaints to the council, the parking issue has not been addressed.
She said her suggestion of yellow lines has been ignored.
She said: “I feel our community has been abandoned.”
Something that “scares” her “the most”, is that if there was to ever be a fire in the area, she believes there would be a risk of emergency services being unable to get to the avenue, because of the way cars are parked.
The woman emphasised that she isn’t putting blame on the owners of these vehicles, because there aren’t any parking measures in place.
She said: “There’s a nursery at the top of the road, mums and dads with their toddlers, they are all forced into the road.
“Why are there other improvements in other areas, the disparity is disgraceful.
“I refuse to be treated as a second class citizen in my own home, the council need to look at what they can do, not what they can’t do.”
Sheffield City Council has been contacted.