Mid and East Antrim councillors have backed an Alliance motion for a review of the borough council’s car parking strategy to provide more parent and child spaces at its car parks.
Proposing the motion, Carrick Castle representative Councillor Lauren Gray said:
“Modern life does not always lend itself to the existing infrastructure of our towns and it can be a stressful experience trying to not only finding parking, but locating a space big enough to get young children out of the car in a busy car park, while also trying to set up prams or anything else needed.
“And of course, let’s not forget the feeling of dread thinking you have parked well, only to return to find another car has parked too close and is now causing problems.
“When I look back on my own experiences, there are many memories as a first time parent living in Carrickfergus.
“It is in our gift to change this and make life easier for parents and carers of children. Creating accessible parking can also play a big role in increasing footfall into our town centres, something, I think, we can all agree, is needed.
“Most of the larger out of town shopping centres offer these specialised spaces as standard. We can directly help our town centre businesses by offering the same within ours by offering parents a reliable choice when it comes to parking.
“More parent and toddler spaces locally will create a long-term safety benefit for children in the borough and I hope this motion will be positively received.”
Seconding the motion, party colleague Knockagh Councillor Aaron Skinner said:
“As a parent of young children, I know how tricky it can be to park in standard spaces especially when you’re trying to get a car seat in and out of the car.
“It’s a simple thing but it can make a big difference for parents and guardians and ensuring our car parks are as safe and accessible as they can be.
“This proposal directly supports the commitments we’ve made in our corporate plan – to create welcoming, inclusive spaces and ensure our services genuinely meet the needs of everyone in our community especially families with young children.
“By revising our car parking strategy and adding these spaces where they’re needed, we can show that we’re serious about supporting families and putting accessibility first.
“I’d encourage everyone to support this motion -it’s a small change that could have a big impact for many local families.”
Braid Ulster Unionist Councillor Alan Barr said:
“As a parent, I have had considerable experience in manoeuvring myself into all sorts of positions to get my children out of the car and this is not due to having a ‘dad bod’, this is due to having a lack of car parking space for parents in our car parks.
“I would hope that the results of such a review would look favourably on the provision of such car parking spaces. The added benefit of encouraging families to use our car parks, thus encouraging footfall in our town centres and revenue for the borough.
“However, in addition to the cost considerations of re-painting car parks, I would like to know how enforceable the implementation of this policy would be and would car parking by-laws need to be changed to support any such new policy.”
Bannside Councillor Jackson Minford added:
“With the wider bay, it allows parents to put the pram or buggy in between cars. We actually have in Ballymena a number of those spaces in our car parks, so the precedent is there.”
He went on to say that disabled spaces also need to be reviewed to ensure they are accessible.
Deputy mayor Councillor Breanainn Lyness said that the motion would be given the relevant assessments and brought back to councillors for a final decision on implementation.