Concrete blocks prevent access to parking in the city center reserved for people with limited mobility Achi-News

There is disabled parking in the city centre, which is not particularly accessible to people with reduced mobility as large concrete blocks on the pavement prevent people from getting out of their cars.

Susan Charlap says the place for people with reduced mobility must be accessible, but the blocks on the sidewalk near the corner of Mansfield Street and St. Catherine Street West make it difficult to use.

“I can’t even open the driver’s door,” Charlap said as he demonstrated the difficulty with the parking spot on Wednesday.

“Make this place fully accessible to people who have disability issues… I guess that’s really what I’m asking for, just to show a little more sensitivity to disabled people.”

The car doors cannot be opened, and exiting the other side of the car is dangerous.

“Make this place fully accessible to people who have disability issues,” says Susan Charlap near the corner of Mansfield Street and St. Catherine Street West. (Christine Long/CTV News)

“Dealing with someone with a disability. It’s very likely they’ll have a wheelchair, a walker, some device that needs to be removed. And as you can see, that’s not possible,” said Charlap.

The blocks seem to support the light post in the corner.

“I can testify that they have been here for at least two years, and it has been two years that I have been struggling with them,” she said.

A spokesperson for the City of Montreal said the blocks are there for security reasons as road work continues on St. Catherine Street and promises the blocks will be moved once it is safe to give access.

Even if the blocks are moved, Charlap says the place is difficult to access for anyone, but especially for people with limited mobility.