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Holyoke disability commission urges plan to protect accessible parking during winter bans
Summary
The Commission on Disability urged the Public Safety Committee to explore ways to preserve access for residents with handicap placards during extended winter parking bans, proposed a citywide survey to map vulnerable residents, and suggested exempting designated handicap spaces as a policy option; DPW warned exemptions could complicate plowing.
Members of the Holyoke Commission on Disability told the Public Safety Committee on May 11 that extended winter parking bans and piled snow have left some residents with disabilities unable to access their vehicles or reach curb cuts.
Lynn Horan, chair of the commission, said the group is launching a first-time survey of Holyoke's disabled residents to identify where they live, what obstacles they face and how to prioritize accessible transportation and curb access. "We are having a first time survey of Holyoke's disabled residents," Horan said.
Commission members described neighborhood examples where designated handicap parking and long parking bans left residents blocked in; one member said residents had to use delivery services because they could not safely get to their cars. The commission noted its modest operating budget (about $39,000) and said the fund is sourced from fines tied to handicap-parking violations. "We have a $39,000 budget to work from," Horan said.
Sarah Wiedemann, a commission member who drafted the commission letter to the committee, suggested the city consider whether "designated approved handicapped spots" could be exempted from winter parking bans to preserve access consistent with ADA considerations. "That that was a suggestion," Wiedemann said, summarizing the commission's recommendation to explore exemptions as a pilot or targeted solution.
DPW responded that current ordinance language treats a parking ban as citywide and that the director has authority to set and extend bans; DPW warned that exempting specific on-street spaces could create practical problems for plowing narrow streets and could leave those spaces uncleared if not managed carefully. "The parking ban is structured ... it's really a total, for the entire city," the DPW director said, and he invited council and commission collaboration on possible changes.
Councilors and commission members discussed options including targeted mapping of vulnerable residents, using existing lists of handicap parking applications, improving communications (Everbridge alerts), and exploring narrow exemptions or operational fixes. The committee accepted the commission's communication as complied with and encouraged continued conversation among DPW, the commission and council as the budget and ordinance reviews continue.
