A Tilling Green wheelchair user has launched a campaign to make life easier for people with mobility issues in Rye. Dan Lake wants to hear from local people who have similar problems with access to the town's businesses and amenities, and needs help to get more dropped kerbs installed around the town.
Dan lives with a degenerative muscle wasting disease which was diagnosed when he was 14. His mum, sister and brother all have it too. At 24 he was an insurance broker in Letchworth in Hertfordshire when he met his wife Donna, who grew up in Rye.
Irresponsible parking a hazard
He says although Rye enjoys a growing reputation as a major tourist attraction, his experience shows more needs to be done to improve access for all. "Increased traffic and irresponsible parking in town makes people with mobility issues more vulnerable to accidents on busy roads. For people in wheelchairs and members of public with mobility issues Rye’s pavements need more dropped curbs."
The good news is that there are already a number of places in town where access is easy for everyone. Dan’s favourites are the Rope Walk Café, the Kino, the Cinque Ports pub, a few charity shops, the church, the library, Boots, Bargain Box and Simply Italian. If there are any shops or restaurants in Rye who do have ramps, Dan suggests a sign in the window to let wheelchair users know would be very helpful.
Not everywhere is so welcoming
To show the scale of the issue in Rye, Dan has taken a series of photographs, from the perspective of his wheelchair, which he says highlights some of the problems he and others with mobility challenges face.
"As you come up from Market Road going towards Boots the pavement is very narrow. If another wheelchair comes towards me there isn’t room for both. If a person walks towards me they have to walk into the road.
"A van blocks a drop down curb and as you can see in the main picture, the dustbin men have left the bin in the middle of the path.
"Scaffolding can be a challenge. This time I had to go onto the road to get by it but of course there was no drop down curb to get back up on the path.
"My wheel recently came unattached and was hanging off of my wheelchair where the drop down curb in Rye was too high for it."
Dan wants to reach out to other disabled people in Rye to hear their experience of accessing shops and businesses, with a view to applying for more dropped down curbs to be installed.
More evidence needed
East Sussex Highways Department has already been approached for a grant application to fund strategically placed kerbs, but to make it a reality Dan needs people to come forward with evidence of need in specific locations. "Additional dropped down kerbs will make life much easier also for mums with prams and push chairs. As well as offering benefits for local residents, the introduction of lowered kerbs will impact on crowds of tourists whose numbers are increasing, especially in the summer months."
What's your story?
You can leave a comment on Rye News or get in touch with Dan direct. He would like to hear from anyone with examples of specific mobility access problems, questions and / or suggestions for specific improvements. Dan's email is daniellake8@hotmail.com.
