Meeting documents

PEDESTRIAN ACCESS ISSUES IN KEYNSHAM

Introduction

The attached report (Annex 1) was submitted to the Keynsham Town Centre Management Steering Group on 17^th October. It is written by a member of the Group who is also a Town Councillor and the Group felt that his findings should be referred to the Council, as Highway Authority.

Research

The report details the findings of one member of the Group, who `surveyed' the town centre in the company of a local resident, who is a wheelchair user. It is hoped that other volunteers will survey further walking routes in the town in due course, and that people with other mobility difficulties, for example, those with impaired vision, will be able to have an input in future.

Findings

There is a clear need for improvements to the main walking routes in and out of the Hospital site. It is felt that these needs should be taken into account when the plans for the new Health Park are drawn up, and potentially included in any future Section 106 agreement relating to the site.

Difficulties identified closer to the town centre should be considered by the Council, as Highway Authority. Keynsham, in having a mainly flat town centre, offers a relatively safe environment for shoppers with impaired mobility. Relatively small changes could improve the accessibility of the town centre markedly and make a big difference to the quality of life and choices available to disabled people in the town.

Recommendation

The Council is recommended to consider allocating funding to address the issues raised in the attached report.

Annex 1

Keynsham Town Centre Management Steering Group

17^th October 2006

Disabled Access Survey Around Keynsham

Introduction

This survey is a broad survey to assess the accessibility of the town centre both for the partially sighted and those who are in traditional pushed wheelchairs.

The route from the hospital to the church

Although the Hospital is closed, it will reopen as a health park.

The pavement from the hospital in St Clements Road to the junction at Albert Road is narrow, uneven and adversely cambered making it necessary to either use the road or the other side for safety.

There are no dropped kerbs at the corner on Albert Road.

The pavement on Albert Rd on the town side is similar to St Clements Rd and has no dropped kerb where it meets Temple Street and Dapps Hill.

The safest route is through the Hawthorns footpath out on to Temple Street opposite the Riverside.

Temple Street

Pushing a chair along the front of Riverside you reach the car park entrance, the dropped kerb outside the jewelers is set too high which means that you have to stop and tilt the chair backwards to overcome the obstacle.

The Parks generally have good access for wheelchair users; however the steep steps off Temple Street into the park have no visible edging nor a hand rail. The walls at the sides of the steps are in a poor state of repair where the masonry is collapsing.

Bath Hill and the Centre

The next obstacle is the central refuge at the top of Bath Hill where the approach from the Clock tower is set too high causing the chair pusher to tilt the chair to get on to the refuge, there is another problem with the refuge that is very dangerous and is caused by a gap between the tarmac and the refuge edge that is big enough to trap the front wheels of the chair at right angles to the direction of travel, this could result in either the wheel snapping or the chair user being tipped out of the chair.

The scaffolding erected around the town centre shops makes it difficult to access from the rear car-park also there is no dropped kerb from this area.

Shops

There are many shops that do not have suitable wheelchair access and the only supermarket has narrow aisles, The Freezer centre (Iceland) is satisfactory.

High Street & Links to It

The pavement outside the Baptist church looks good but is uneven and difficult to push over.

There are a number of back-lanes and footpaths between the High Street and Longmeadow Road that are in a poor state of repair and some are lined with overgrown hedges, which the owners should address. This makes them particularly unsafe for visually impaired walkers.

The pavements from Lays drive to the High Street down Charlton Road on the west side are lacking in dropped kerbs particularly at the corners of junctions and the dropped kerbs that are in-situ are not in the best position for safe crossing.

Other

The steps from Gooseberry Lane onto the Wellsway have a hand rail that is shorter than the steps and do not have edge marking.

All the tactile paving is put down in accordance with official guidelines and the officers responsible will consider more of the same should anyone request them and funds allow for their installation.

I could not engage with local agencies in this survey due to reasons of health and safety and the data protection act.

Brian Simmons

October 2006