People with disabilities often find their independence limited by the barriers they face in everyday life. Nowhere is this more evident than with car park barriers, which can be difficult for disabled people to navigate. This is a problem that affects the disabled community everywhere and something that needs to be addressed. I’ll be discussing the inaccessibility of car park barriers and what can be done to make them more accessible for disabled people.
The Problem with Car Park Barriers
Car park barriers pose a number of inaccessibility issues for disabled people. Most car parks require the user to lean out of the car, press a button, and grab a ticket before entering, which is not always possible for those with mobility difficulties or other disabilities. This can make accessing disabled parking difficult. It leaves those with disabilities feeling excluded and unable to access the same facilities as everyone else.
Car park barriers also make it more difficult for those using the motability scheme to access car parks. People on the motability scheme pay a certain amount each month for independence, and it’s a lot. My car costs me £280 a month after the cost of adaptations (near £600). Some people will have to pay their adaptations and an advance. This can be anything from a couple hundred to thousands of pounds extra. This can be financially draining. These barriers counteract the purpose of the motability scheme; it removes the independence and ease that having a car gives disabled drivers.
The government should be doing more to address the accessibility issues posed by car park barriers. They should provide incentives for car parks that do offer accessible parking for those with disabilities. If they were to do this, car park companies would likely provide an accessible solution for those who need it. The days of the ticket machine should be dead.
Recent Experience with Inaccessible Car Park Barriers
Recently, I visited the QE hospital and City Hospital, both of which use car park barriers. At the QE hospital, I faced accessibility issues when trying to get the ticket from the machine. I also had difficulties trying to insert it in the barrier slot. Solutions I attempt include trying to get as close as possible without damaging my wing mirror and leaning out enough that my left hand can press the button and grab the ticket. And when leaving, I repeat the process but also try to get the ticket at the right angle so the machine grabs it. I had managed to do this after a bit of a struggle, however, the machine spat the ticket back out. Most car park barriers still rise when they spit the ticket out, not the QE. I then had to try and retrieve it, aware of the car behind me.
Similar happened at the City Hospital. I was unable to get the ticket from the barrier due to my disability. My dad had to press the button for me so I could use the disabled parking area. On leaving, I had to show security my blue badge using the barrier camera, another difficulty. To get security’s attention, you have to press the phone button with a firm hard press for it to be registered. While attempting to press the button, and then also waiting for the security to answer, I was once again conscious of the car behind me. It is shocking that this is the outcome of NHS car parks.
Car park barriers are taking away independence from disabled people, a problem that needs to be addressed.
No Change from Previous Experiences
When I was at university as an undergraduate, I was friends with someone who often had to visit the hospital. This was due to a disability of her own. I would park in the hospital car park and visit her, bringing what she needed. However, when it came time to leave, I always found it hard. Like the previous hospital car parks, this one had a ticket barrier, and they expected you to press a button. However, Derby Hospital also had a “text number” that you were able to text to let them know you had accessibility issues and a phone number for the same reason. I had tried on numerous occasions to call that number. Each time, the text and number were ignored; cars behind me beeped and shouted abuse. Nothing was done about the ignored phone, even when I complained. Each visit the same.
My previous university also had a similar issue with halls (for my American readers, halls translate to dorms). The halls all had barriers that you could only access if you scanned your fob on the sensor. I used to throw my fob—attached to a lanyard—at the sensor and hope for the best. The first week of university, I was a new driver, I didn’t put my handbrake on properly and there was a problem with the adaption. My foot slipped off the break and the car launched into the barrier.
The recent visits to the hospitals in Birmingham, as well as attempting to access my current university has reminded me of the past.
Solutions to Inaccessible Car Parks
To make car parks more accessible for people with disabilities, there are a few solutions that can be implemented. One of the most widely used solutions in Europe is to install car park systems that either: have barriers that raise once it sees your number plate if you have registered with the car park, or barrier-free car parks that use plate recognition. Although it is used widely in places like Germany, it is not used so much in the UK.
We are now in 2023. We still use a system that is not accessible for everyone while the rest of the world progresses. These systems know how long you have parked and whether you have paid, eliminating the need for ticket barriers. This technology is not new, it has been around for years. There is no reason to still use the out-dated, inaccessible system
How could it be useful?
Not only would a barrier-free make the car park accessible to everyone it would also prevent traffic build-up. People, irregardless of disability, would no longer need to fiddle with their ticket. If the car park is completely barrier-free, they’d no longer need to call assistance for issues. If someone hasn’t paid who should, the system would know and be able to send a letter.
They could easily have the disabled parking validated by sending someone to Level 2 office like they already do. The disabled driver can show the blue badge and the security can validate the car parking using machines. This is what the Arcade and the cinema do near where I live. It is a system that the Botanical Garden uses. The car park company, and the NHS in association, have no excuse as to why they do not do this.
Even the Bullring use auto barriers now. You just register on the Bullring car park system. Still, this is one of few car parks.
Although there are solutions out there that could improve accessibility in car parks, we have not progressed in the UK. Nothing has changed since I was an undergrad, visiting the hospital regularly, and trying to throw my fob on the halls sensor. In 2023, we still use ticket barrier car parks which can cause significant accessibility issues for disabled people. We need to start making the necessary changes now to ensure a fully accessible future for everyone.
The Impact of Inaccessible Car Parks
Car park barriers that are inaccessible to disabled drivers have a severe impact on the independence of those with disabilities. Accessibility issues in car parks prevent disabled users from easily parking their car and accessing their destination. It leaves them with few options other than to wait for assistance or be accompanied by someone who can use the machines. This can be inconvenient and time consuming. If a disabled person cannot get assistance, they may park elsewhere; a street or a more accessible car park. This can cause issues—particularly when the parked car is farther away from the destination than intended. It may lead to fatigue and pain for those disabled drivers.
The point of providing disabled parking spaces and motability cars is to give the disabled driver independence. Inaccessible car park barriers often stand in the way. Until accessibility is improved, disabled drivers will continue to experience these issues. This will make it difficult for them to enjoy the same independence as the able-bodied.
Responses from the Car Park Companies
Both hospitals use Q-Park, I’m not sure what Coventry Uni uses— they may manage it themselves. On the night after my City Hospital visit, I decided to email all three of them because I was fed up. I had gone to Coventry on the Monday and had to get out my car to scan the sensor, I had to struggle with the sensor at the QE on the Wednesday, and on the Thursday, Dad had to get out of the car to get the ticket for me.
QE was the first to respond and they took it seriously. They told me that although the car-park is in compliant with the DDA they are aware the car-park is not accessible to everyone. Their barriers now can use Number Plate Recognition, although they haven’t yet rolled it out to the general public. They told me that they can add my car to the system so that I can get in and out of the hospital much easier. I was surprised that it took them less than 24 hours to come up with a solution and this should absolutely be praised. Well done to the people who manage Q-Park parking at the QE!
The City Hospital have yet to respond.
Coventry did respond. The disability team met with me to have a discussion about this. I have suggested a number plate recognition system and the disability team are going to pitch this idea forward. I have been told it would take some time to get it approved, which doesn’t bother me much. If they do add a number plate system, even if it is after I graduate, then at least other people with mobility issues will have easier access to the car park.