Clonakilty town centre a ‘no-go’ for disabled

An advocacy group has warned Cork County Council officials a new streetscape in a West Cork town will make access more difficult for disabled people.

Clonakilty Access Group (CAG) met officials following concerns raised after a public meeting in the town last week.

Disabled and able-bodied people have been inconvenienced by the upheaval of streets during year-long works to improve the town’s sewerage and flood prevention schemes.

The access group’s chairperson, Elizabeth Walsh, said several problems had been highlighted about the street works, some of which are now nearing completion.

She said one wheelchair-user had pointed out some of the new footpaths had a gradient which could lead to a wheelchair sliding into the road.

Ms Walsh said CAG would be asking the Irish Wheelchair Association to also examine their concerns.

She pointed out there was no signalised pedestrian crossing in the main thoroughfare which presented a serious problem for wheelchair-users and visually impaired people.

“We want, and demand, the best, safest and most welcoming town centre for people with disabilities, mobility challenges, people with prams, buggies when these works are completed, and also while works are continuing,” Ms Walsh said.

During the prolonged works, she said large rocks were placed on sections of roadways and paths to prevent people gaining access.

“People were falling over them and they weren’t just people with disabilities.”

She said CAG also didn’t have any firm commitment from the local authority as to how many disabled parking spaces will be created when the works are finished, or where they would be located.

In addition, she said, while the planting of trees might enhance streetscapes, they could cause considerable problems for wheelchair-users. Ms Walsh pointed out there is quite a large percentage of physically-impared people using Clonakilty, and their wellbeing had to be taken into account.

“We are fortunate to have in Clonakilty organisations like COPE and CoAction who do great work with people who have intellectual and in some cases also physical disabilities. We have people in our community who are blind, have had strokes, use crutches and wheelchairs and other mobility aid,” she said.

“We want the ‘new’ Clonakilty town centre streets to be a place where they feel welcomed, independent and safe and we believe that this is the ultimate objective of the council too.”

However, she pointed out, in September 2014, before the roadworks started, CAG made a four-page submission at the public consultation stage to the County Council, in which the group outlined several issuesl.

“We also sought, and were assured at the time that we could have a meeting with the senior council officials who would be designing and overseeing these works,” she said. “Unfortunately, (until last week) we were never afforded the opportunity of this meeting and it seems that most of the matters we presented in our submission have been ignored.”

She said that after a public meeting last Monday, the council agreed to meet a CAG delegation.