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Cobblestones are no good if you are in a wheelchair
• I AM stunned at the outrage caused when Camden Council covered some cobbles in Hampstead (Historic cobbles are lost in Tarmac bungle, July 3).
As a Camden resident and full-time wheelchair user I can inform readers that it is about time that all the cobblestones throughout Camden were covered with Tarmac, or something similar.
I have been thrown from my wheelchair on numerous occasions after one of my front wheels had become lodged in the gaps between the cobbles, mainly due to poor pointwork.
But even on well-maintained cobbled surfaces, the horrendously bumpy ride caused by this antiquated form of road surface makes the life of any wheelchair user uncomfortable at the least and can cause agonising pain at worst.
The greatest insult is that now various areas of Camden are having cobbles laid to keep the historic feel of Camden. Take a look at the new Stables Market to see some of the worse offenders. This “new” shopping area has been decorated to look old, but is so heavily cobbled that it is almost impassable for wheelchair users.
No consideration to the Disability Discrimination Act or health and safety laws have been given by either the owners, architects or the council in order to maintain the market’s Old Time Charm.
It makes no difference if the cobbles are historic or laid to create a historic atmosphere. They are a hidden form of discrimination and must be replaced to make Camden a fully inclusive borough. Surely Camden residents would prefer to know their borough was going to stop making a part of their community unable to enjoy what makes Camden such a fantastic place to live than to ensure that the streets looked the way they did when Great Britain supported slavery and fought against votes for all.
Anyway, any cobbles that are under Tarmac are actually being preserved against the damage caused by today’s modern traffic.
So come on Camden, let’s make our streets a place we can all travel, safely.
MIK SCARLET
via email
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