Sidewalk upgrades could sideline mobility device business, owner says

The owner of a London store that sells mobility devices said she may have to relocate the business if the city goes ahead with planned street upgrades that will reduce access to free parking.

"There will be no real parking for our customers going forward, they'll be fighting for any spot that's out there," said Robin Stevens, president of Mobility 1st, a home medical equipment store located at the corner of Florence and Eleanor Streets in east London.

"We will definitely be losing clientele if they can't get into the building safely," she said. 

The company has operated out of a 15,000-square-foot showroom and repair shop at the corner for the past 10 years. 

As it stands now, customers are able to park for free in 22 spots along Eleanor Street at the east side of the building. The parking slots are located on city property and shared by staff and customers at two other businesses.  

The city is planning street infrastructure upgrades to the area which will add sidewalks on both sides of Eleanor. 

However, the street enhancement plans will also change the parking configuration on Eleanor, with a shift to parallel parking. The spaces won't be assigned to the businesses.  Also, the new configuration will reduce the number of parking spaces along the building from 22 down to nine. That final total will include three parking spaces reserved for drivers with accessibility placards. 

Stevens said the change will significantly limit the number of parking spaces near the store entrance, a concern because many of her customers have mobility challenges. The parallel parking means drivers will have to step out onto a narrower Eleanor Street, which has steady truck traffic from the concrete plant located at the south end of Eleanor. 

Stevens said she welcomes any upgrades to Eleanor Street, which were announced a year ago. However, Stevens said it was only this year when she became aware that the upgrades would also mean changes to the parking configuration.

Another concern is that if the parking on Eleanor south of Florence isn't available, drivers may park on the section of Eleanor north or Florence and then walk back to Mobility 1st. 

Florence is a busy four-lane street. There is no controlled pedestrian crossing at the corner, and there are no plans to add one with the upgrades. 

"This corner is so busy, there is no way I would ever ask anybody to park on the other side of Florence," said Stevens.

Councillor questions street upgrade plans

Coun. Susan Stevenson, whose ward includes the Florence/Eleanor intersection, also had concerns about the changes to the parking and raised them at the May 26 meeting of the council's Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee. 

In response to Stevenson's questions, Kelly Scherr, the city's manager of environmental and engineering services, told the committee that the current parking arrangement on Eleanor is "informal" and doesn't comply with current accessibility legislation. 

Also, Scherr said the work is set to start in four weeks and that making changes at this late stage could raise problems for the city. 

"In order to change what is requested with this particular business, it would be a substantial concern from both a technical and design perspective and its effects on the contract," Scherr told the committee. 

Stevenson put forward a motion asking staff to consult with the community about the street changes and come up with a new rendering that addresses parking needs and accessibility concerns. 

Councillors went into a closed session to discuss issues with the contract. When they returned to the full committee, Stevenson's motion failed with a 1-3 vote. Stevenson is not a member of that committee and wasn't able to vote.

A letter from Stevens asking council to reconsider changing the parking on Eleanor Street will appear under the "petitions" section of Tuesday's meeting of full council.

She said her customers have come to rely on easy access to her business.

"There is no other option for thousands of residents in East London," she writes in her letter to council. "If we are forced to close or relocate, many of our clients will simply have nowhere else to go."