Two wheels good - Feb 10
LIKE any campaigner I often find it difficult to see beyond the issues I campaign about.
For the last 20 years I’ve been banging on about the challenges faced by cyclists and more recently writing about it. Surprisingly, despite the fact that at least half my travelling around town is on foot, I’ve hardly ever considered just how poor Lynn’s provision is for able-bodied pedestrians, let alone those of restricted mobility.
Last month my wife was left with a broken ankle after a large dog crashed into her in the children’s playground in South Lynn.
From being an active mum and youth worker, who walked or cycled everywhere, she’s currently reliant on crutches or a wheelchair. She’s therefore dependant on me or friends if she wants to go any distance. It’s when you push a wheelchair that you really notice what an obstacle course it is just to get the half-mile into town.
Just to get out of the house is a challenge, as 19th Century houses simply weren’t designed for accessibility. The pavements in our street are less than a metre wide, which means there’s a constant risk of either tipping off the kerb, or knocking off someone’s down pipe.
There’s even one short stretch of pavement which is less than a foot wide in Church Street!
To cross a road means finding a dropped kerb if there is one – by no means guaranteed. Many footways have one at one end but not at the other, which means either retracing our steps or bumping down a four-inch drop which can be very uncomfortable. The surfaces of some pavements are in terrible condition, with ruts, potholes and sunken manholes in abundance.
And that’s without cars blocking the pavement. I know I go on about this, but it’s lazy, anti-social, dangerous and illegal to park with your wheels on the footway. The lame excuse “we need to keep the road clear for emergency vehicles” just doesn’t wash. If you can’t park your car considerately and legally, get a smaller car or park it elsewhere. We have a town full of car parks which are mostly empty at night.
It’s not just cars either. I’ve commented here before about the trend for creating cycle “facilities” by painting white lines and bicycles on the pavement. Cyclists and pedestrians don’t mix well, and unless the path is at least five metres wide it just creates conflict and I won’t use them on a bike as a rule. Cyclists should be on the road or on properly-built cycle tracks – full stop.
Often, the only way to make progress is to take to the road, ignoring the glares of motorists who are forced to actually slow down. It’s time pedestrians and wheelchair users were given their rightful place at the top of the transport hierarchy, instead of having to run the gauntlet of inconsiderate drivers, cyclists and those responsible for the appalling condition of our pavements.
And another thing...
Some of my views I express in this column may be unpopular or radical (for Lynn, anyway) but at least I’m prepared to put my name to them.
I welcome intelligent criticism, and am prepared to be challenged but I will not normally comment on anonymous letters. I would however recommend that ‘Name and address supplied’ (last Tuesday’s Lynn News) actually reads what I wrote.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.