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Pavement plans to benefit elderly mobility-impaired

5th March 2014

The elderly and those with mobility impairments in Dorking, Surrey, are to benefit from plans to improve West Street’s pavements. The new plans will see the area’s stair lift users and others with mobility difficulties able to get out and about in their local community more easily, as it has been recognised by the local council that these groups in particular need better access to the street.

Currently such people in the area struggle to get out and about in their local community as their degree of mobility leaves them reliant on the aid of a home stair lift. These circumstances can leave some elderly and vulnerable residents particularly isolated when wider access in the area is not improved. The plans to improve access in Dorking’s West Street were revealed by Surrey County Council at the end of last month and involve an estimated £250,000 investment.

The plans

The plans to improve West Street involve widening the pavements along the road from 1.1 metres to 1.8 metres to provide much needed extra space so that mobility restricted residents can move freely without concern, reducing the need for them to step into the road. In addition to these plans, the council also intends to install dropped kerbs across all side roads and access ways so that restricted mobility road users will also be at reduced risk of tripping and those on mobility scooters won’t be forced into the road.

The council’s plans still need to be approved by the Mole Valley Local Committee, as the proposals also involve the planting of trees to provide a so-called ‘gateway feature’ and new ‘informal’ pedestrian crossings, but should the proposals get the go-ahead they could revolutionise daily life for residents.

Should the bid be successful, a consultation to gather local retailers’ and residents’ opinions will be launched this month.

Image Credit: Petras Gagilas (flickr.com)

This news article is from Handicare UK. Articles that appear on this website are for information purposes only.