Number plate technology may reverse York's 'Blue badge ban'

In an exclusive interview with The Press, the city council’s new Labour leader Claire Douglas confirmed that reversing the ban was a top priority.

She said she had been speaking to the leader of Cheshire West and Chester council to find out how Chester – a similar city to York – had been able to maintain city centre access for blue badge holders while protecting the city against terrorist attacks.

She said she was told that it was ‘totally achievable’.

“They were flabbergasted that we have been struggling with it in York,” she said.

Reversing the ‘blue badge ban’ – the restriction on blue badge parking in the city centre brought in in 2021 by the previous Lib Dem/ Green administration on security grounds – was a key Labour election pledge.

Cllr Douglas said her administration remained committed to reversing the ban, and that she hoped to be able to bring a paper to the council’s Executive in the autumn, outlining options.

She stressed that no final decision had yet been made on what those options might be.

But they could include the use of automatic number plate recognition, she said.

New hi-tech anti-terror bollards in Lendal (left) and High Petergate, York (Image: Newsquest)

Such technology should allow the hi-tech anti-terror barriers currently being installed at key locations around the city centre to ‘recognise’ vehicles registered to people with blue badges.

The bollards would then move aside to give them access – before closing again to keep everyone else out.

READ MORE:

- 'Blue badge holders could easily have access to the city centre'

- Green Party regrets 'impact and timing' of York's blue badge ban

But disability campaigners today warned that such technology came fraught with problems for disabled users – and urged the council to consult with them before drawing up their list of options.

Flick Williams, a visually-impaired wheelchair user and retired access consultant who is a part of the 'Reverse the Ban' movement in York, said blue badges were given to individuals – and were not registered to particular cars.

As a visually impaired person, she was often brought into town in different cars – including taxis, she said.

Flick Williams (Image: Supplied)

So would she have to register every car she might potentially use just so the technology would recognise it as potentially carrying a blue badge holder?

“I use multiple vehicles, including taxis, which makes this so difficult,” she said. “I don’t see how they could automatically register all taxis.”

She added that even if blue badge holders could get access to the city centre, there were now far fewer places where they would be able to park, because so many cafés now spilled out onto the street in areas that had been pedestrianised.

She urged the council to consult ‘immediately’ with members of Reverse the Ban and other groups representing people with disabilities.

“I can understand why they are asking other authorities – but please speak to us, and as soon as possible!” she said.

“We can identify straight away all these problems that they are going to come up with.”

York's Green transport spokesman Andy D'Agorne said he shared Flick Williams' concerns about number plate recognition technology.

He added: "I would hope that one option will be the trial of (a) 'shuttle bus' service open to all users, maybe supplemented with a contracted taxi operator."

Cllr Nigel Ayre, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group in York, said: "The issues being investigated are no different to the approach we took while in administration.

"ANPR was discussed at length and not progressed at that time for the reasons outlined by Flick Williams.

"It’s becoming clear to anyone who has watched this new administration they have and perhaps never had any intention of delivering their promises."