Disabled bays

MY county town of Haverfordwest has great plans for the future. It won’t see a future unless the lack of available parking is addressed quickly, especially parking bays for the less able.

It was necessary to visit Bridge Street today with my sister who is less able and finds walking, especially gradients, tough going.

We were in town for 10.30am, time enough you would think to find a disabled parking bay near enough to Bridge Street. No bays free and due to delivery vehicles blocking both sides of the road, no place to put my sister down near her destination to avoid her having to walk too far.

I did find one disabled bay in the Castle Lake car park which was a considerable walk for her to Bridge Street but more importantly an onerous return journey to the car up lower High Street.

Much is made of the lack of footfall to the centre of town but is it any wonder when parking generally is at a premium especially for a stay exceeding two hours? We have an ageing population yet very little provision is made for the less able. One or two spaces allocated here and there, even in supermarket car parks.

If the Castle Square/ High Street/ Bridge Street area is to be regenerated then more provision needs to be made for the less able of all ages. Access to the only post office in the centre is denied to all those less able to walk such distances and the shops around Bridge Street are completely out of reach now that the existing bays behind Bridge Street have disappeared due to development of the library/ tourist information centre, these were a lifeline for less able people.

I for one will think twice about visiting Haverfordwest unless it’s unavoidable. Bearing in mind the ordeal my sister faces every time she visits the opticians, dentists or post office then she too will need to consider alternatives elsewhere.

RUTH ASHWORTH Milton