The daily struggle of living with reduced mobility in Gorey
LOCAL man Stephen Boland who uses a mobility scooter has highlighted the daily struggle he faces getting around especially with cars that park illegally on double yellow lines and take up vital space on the pavement.
He explained that it is a safety issue not just for him, but parents pushing buggies or others with reduced mobility, and that he wishes to raise awareness about this.
He explained that the issue has hit home to him more since he got the scooter, and that drivers should be more aware of where and how they park.
During his daily routine of leaving his home for Gorey town, he passes the Clonattin road between the cemetery and the Bridge bar, and he said this issue is particularly prevalent here as the pavement is narrow.
In October, Stephen was involved in a collision with a parked car in this circumstance and the repair bill for his scooter exceeded €800.
‘I face severe difficulty every day and I’ve been highlighting cases of this on social media for the last few months. I am really fed up and shocked by people who think it’s okay to park on double yellow lines and on the pavement, so that mobility scooters, buggies and others with reduced mobility for whatever reason can not use the said pavement without their access blocked.
‘I just want to raise the issue, I know I’m never going to be able to stop it completely from happening, but it is frustrating when there are car parks near by and people won’t use them,’ he said.
Stephen was a long term member of the civil defence in the Gorey unit and has been chairperson of the Gorey branch of cardiac first responders.
He explained that he has close contact with Gorey Municipal District, parking and community wardens as well as Gardaí.
‘I know the Council are monitoring the situation as I have been in contact there and I’m not trying to accuse anybody of anything but there are people out there who are just not thinking about those with reduced mobility. There have been times that I and others have been forced to go out onto the road to overtake a car parked illegally, and there are certain times of the day that I have to avoid coming up or down as it’s not safe’.
Stephen said that often the conditions of the pavement make the situation more hazardous.
‘With the depth of the curve in the pavement as well as poor conditions such as cracks, it’s easy to do damage. I know there are older people who complain about this as well who visit the cemetery, they have highlighted their issues to me.
Unevenness and irregularities with regard to pavements in Gorey town were also highlighted by Gorey Active Retirement earlier this year, and Stephen said that he can understand those complaints.
‘We just need more awareness so that people can realise that people with disabilities use the pavements too, I want to refresh peoples’ memories on this. The Council will need to continue to monitor this problem,’ he said.
Stephen suggested increased signage in the area to highlight the issue further or for Council engineers to walk with disabled people or older people so that they can point out problem areas.
Suggesting this being an engineering issue, Stephen said that raising the height of pavements or erecting bollards could be a last resort to force people not to park on pavements.
When asked about this issue, District Manager of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Michael Drea said that the Council are aware of the situation.
‘Additional signage is not necessarily the way to go. At the end of September, we hosted members of the Irish Wheelchair Association after they participated in the Make Way Day initiative which is aimed at highlighting how people with disabilities share public spaces. By and large the feedback was positive after the tour of the town but there will always be a requirement for enforcement.
‘Wexford County Council has a dedicated accessibility department and they are very proactive in engaging with groups and initiatives which will improve accessibility for all such as the back in five campaign and the beach wheelchairs initiative,’ he said.
Michael Drea said that enforcement is a key aspect to those being illegally parked and blocking access, and this is outside the realm of any engineering solutions.
‘Accessibility is an important issue for Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District and we are always willing to engage with stakeholders and individuals where issues are identified,’ he concluded.
WE JUST NEED MORE AWARENESS SO THAT PEOPLE CAN REALISE THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES USE THESE PAVEMENTS TOO