‘I’d hate to topple’: Wheelchair users furious at ‘bumpy’ pavements and missing curbs

Wheelchair users have said navigating London’s pavements is more difficult than ever, with missing curbs, uneven surfaces and obstructions caused by undocked bikes, bin bags and parked cars.

Music publicist Isobel Williams, 35, from Stroud Green, said: “I would describe navigating the streets of London like a computer game. It’s like turning another corner, “oh, there’s another obstacle!”, then if you can’t beat the obstacle, you have to go all the way back to the beginning of the level and start over.

“The condition of the sidewalks is, I would say, very bumpy, with a lot of loose pavement. I have to be very focused to avoid bumps and potholes. If I’m on a street I’m not familiar with, it’s difficult, especially if it’s not well lit late at night. It’s pretty scary to be honest. I would like to get out of my wheelchair. It wouldn’t be fun for everyone involved.

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“Then there are smaller things that could easily be fixed if people were a little more aware. Quite often, bags of rubbish could block the pavement, especially in central London where the pavements could be narrower and there are lots of restaurants like Brick Lane and Soho. I’ve had many cases where my friends have had to throw garbage bags out of the way.”

Ms Williams added that even in situations where wheelchair users were taken into account, these provisions could quickly become unnecessary. She said: “If there’s roadworks, maybe that means the dropped curb is out of service, so maybe they’ve put a temporary ramp in to help disabled people get down the curb, but maybe someone has taken it out because it was on the curb. way.

“It’s definitely a challenge and it’s really hard to know how much time to give myself when I’m trying to get somewhere because you can’t factor in these ridiculous challenges.”

“I never venture out here alone because I always end up needing help”

Disability campaigner Katie Pennick, 28, said: “Typically, quieter residential streets can have extremely uneven pavements, missing curbs and tree roots obstructing the road.” She reiterated that narrow and uneven pavements, missing curbs and bikes left undocked were all ongoing problems, particularly in Shoreditch, saying: “I never venture out here alone as I always end up needing help.”

Iain Marshall, 32, an analyst for Dementia UK, who also runs the Twitter page Accessible streets London , has been campaigning for better wheelchair accessibility for over five years. He identifies street accessibility issues in London wards, before sending a report to the relevant councilors and following up to see what progress they are making, if any. To date, he has covered 30 wards in eight different London boroughs and identified a total of 416 accessibility issues.

He said: “Once you start looking at it, it’s unbelievable how bad our streets really are and even the basics such as curbs are missing. I started the page because I wanted to highlight these issues and hold local authorities to account. Campaigning on accessibility issues should not be left to those it affects most.”

He added that the growing popularity of electric cars is likely to make it even more difficult for wheelchair users, as “unfortunately many local authorities are placing infrastructure for charging stations on the pavement, further narrowing the space that we offer pedestrians”.

Mr Marshall has now identified several problem areas, particularly in Tower Hamlets. These include missing curbs on Barnet Grove/Columbia Road, Wade’s Place/Shirbutt Road and at the entrance to Bethnal Green Gardens in Malcolm Place and an electric pavement charging station on East Arbor Street.

He acknowledged tight finances were making life difficult for local councils but urged them to prioritize accessibility for people with disabilities, saying: “When I contacted some councils about issues such as the lack of curbs left, I was told they didn’t have the budget to fix the problems , which to me means they don’t see the accessibility of our streets as an important issue.”

“Where businesses fail to meet their duty of care or cause obstruction on the street, enforcement action will be taken”

In response to complaints about the pavements in Soho, a spokesman for Westminster City Council said: “The safety of residents and visitors to the city is the council’s top priority. streets are kept clean, safe and accessible.

“All businesses are required by law to exercise their duty of care towards their waste, to ensure that it is stored safely and disposed of responsibly. Where businesses fail to exercise their duty of care or cause obstruction on the street, the council will take enforcement action.

“In addition to our 24/7 service, we also have a dedicated Soho officer who educates businesses and enforces littering offenses in the area. We get regular complaints about dockless e-bikes blocking pavements, especially in areas with narrow streets like Soho.

“The council is working to tackle this issue with dedicated parking spaces and monitoring of hotspot locations, but dockless bike companies must also play their part in enforcing measures against improper parking.”

Tower Hamlets Council did not respond to an approach for comment.

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