Royal Mail has apologised for postal staff parking in disabled parking bays in Omagh.
It has been reported that postal workers frequently park their vehicles in two disabled parking slots outside a popular cafe in the town’s John Street area.
When challenged, the drivers claimed they have a ‘special dispensation’ to park in the bays, situated around the corner from the Omagh sorting office, before 9am.
However, this does not appear to be the case, according to Department for Infrastucture (DfI), which is responsible for on-street disabled parking bays.
A spokesperson said, “A number of formal exemptions apply to parking restrictions, which means that certain types of vehicles, or vehicles being used for specific purposes, are permitted to wait on parking restrictions.
“Vehicles being used for postal deliveries are exempt from certain restrictions, however, these exemptions do not apply to vehicles parked in a designated accessible parking place.”
When contacted by the ‘Herald, Royal Mail expressed remorse for the situation.
A spokesperson said, “This issue has been brought to the attention of the local office and staff will be advised that no vehicles should be parked in a disabled spot at any time. We are sorry for the inconvenience that this will have caused.”
Tyrone disability rights activist, Dermot Devlin, issued a plea for ‘mindfulness’ in this matter.
He said, “I have no doubt it’s frustrating for disabled drivers to experience this and I would implore drivers to be mindful and not take up a disabled space if you do not need it; even if it means you have to take a few extra steps to get to your own destination.
“Postal vans, and other vehicles which are not permitted to park in the bays, force disabled people into compromising positions when it comes to entering or leaving their vehicle in a safe manner.
“Or in the case of wheelchair users, not being able to leave their vehicle at all because normal spaces lack the necessary dimensions to do so. In addition, disabled drivers could be forced into parking in a space which is a great distance away from their destination, which in itself causes its own problems.”