Montague Place in Worthing has been closed off to aid social distancing within the town. However, a great deal of disabled bays have been cordoned off as part of this. There are not nearly enough disabled bays for the disabled to access in Worthing town centre as it is without these closures. By closing these off, the council have caused indirect discrimination to disabled people who need the use of these bays. Their alternatives were to use pay and display bays, limited bays or double yellow lines.
However, if you have a ramp or you need to get equipment out of your car, how is this a suitable alternative? These alternatives aren’t in close proximity whereas the disabled bays are. How is this a suitable alternative? A lot of pay and display bays and the like are not disability-specific, so won’t have dropped kerbs or nearly enough space to manoeuvre without endangering the driver/passenger. 

Simply pushing back the fencing to the roundabout portion of Montague Place would solve this issue. A parking suspension on the pay and display bays opposite will stop unwanted parking and still allow for more than enough social distancing.

If Montague Place has been closed for social distancing, then please explain why Chapel Road, South St or Rowlands Road have also not been blocked off for social distancing? Considering these roads are much closer together where it’s almost impossible to social distance - a big contradiction to the social distancing ethos of Montague Place.

Please help us to stop this indirect discrimination from the local council and get them to reopen our disabled bays (where both parties are happy). We also need more disabled only bays (not Mon-Sat!) around the town. Worthing needs to be more disability friendly!