Disabled fans are swamping parking bays on match days

Published: 30 April, 2010

• NEARLY four years after the opening of Emirates Stadium, the parking situation on match days continues to be a fiasco, with residents’ parking bays swamped by blue badge holders.
During this time myself and others have repeatedly attempted to get Islington Council and Arsenal Football Club to address this, but the council claims it is unable to, and Arsenal gives every indication that it couldn’t care less about it, saying that the 100 disabled spaces within the stadium fulfils its obligation.
Last Saturday, the residents’ parking bays were full, with nowhere for the unfortunate late-returning permit holder to park anywhere near their home, with consequent disruption to family life. I canvassed several blue badge drivers, waiting for kick-off before leaving their cars, who expressed sympathy but declared that parking in the disabled spaces provided inside the stadium is, as we have long known, almost impossible and inconvenient in the extreme.
With an extra twist of logic that Lewis Carroll would have been be proud of, parking restrictions were lifted one hour before the 5.30pm kick-off, so effectively there was no parking enforcement during the game anyway, for the second time within a few weeks.
Not only is Arsenal exploiting Highbury residents who pay for parking permits, but doing a disservice to genuinely disabled people, who in order to qualify for a blue badge should be unable to walk unaided for more than 100 metres – and all of those I see are parked well outside that limit.
This attitude, given that huge footprint of land that the club owns, seems to me nothing short of contemptuous. I have suggested to my local councillor, Theresa Debono, that since nobody is prepared to do anything, residents should at least be compensated with free permits, with Arsenal picking up the cost, but she informs me that she thinks this highly unlikely. Any local candidate who convinces me they will seriously address this issue until it is resolved will have my vote next week.
JOHN KEANE
Highbury Hill, N5