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The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 requires public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities.
Although much of the regional park authority appears to be perfectly wheelchair accessible (the sandy path, the sustrans route), wheelchairs are rarely seen on the marsh (though there was one intrepid wheelchair user in the Horseshoe Thicket in the heavy snow in January 2010). It does not have to be this way.
In 2009 when the gate denying wheelchair access to the triangular path (running between the cattle creep and the railway bridge) was removed to allow heavy lorries to work on the underground water system, an electric mobility vehicle was seen using the path.
Is the fact that there are so many fences and gates on the marshes preventing wheelchair users from accessing the marshes? Fence systems like the one on the sustrans route at the Lea Bridge underpass or the restraints on the King's Head Bridge, are probably designed to keep out motorised vehicles. But is it really possible to design a gate that will deny motorbike access but encourage wheelchairs to pass through? |
