Fifth Capital, a London property developer, have suggested that disabled drivers ‘should shout for help’ if they get blocked in by delivery vans parked in front of their dedicated parking spaces.

Fifth Capital are applying to build 118 residential units and 5 shops on a city centre site in Bristol. The scheme is car-free, so there’s no resident parking apart from 6 spaces for drivers with disabilities. But the only parking space for delivery drivers is right in front of those spaces. So if there’s a van parked there’s no way in or out for disabled drivers.

In the transport assessment submitted as part of their planning permssion, Fifth Capital’s transport planners, WSP, write, “service vehicles and disabled car parking spaces will share access … into the site.” “The predicted servicing demand during the (morning) … peak (0800-0900) is forecast to be one service vehicle which will have little impact on disabled driver movements. If one of the residents wishes to leave their space whilst a service vehicle is loading/unloading, the delivery driver will not be far away to move the vehicle away from the vehicle access route.”

Given that disabled drivers often find it difficult to move about, the message is “just shout – the driver won’t be far away”.  What a considerate way of designing something!