A no-go area for blind in Warwick

Blind people in Warwick are heading for a major rift with the county 
council over its refusal to consider re-instating a zebra crossing in the town’s High Street which they say has now become a “no-go” area for them.



A “shared platform” in adjoining Jury Street has replaced the zebra crossing, but this is considered highly dangerous by most of the blind and partially-sighted who have tried to use it.

Oonagh Pettit, aged 77, said she was too frightened to leave her house for two days after becoming trapped in the middle of the street not knowing whether to go backwards or forwards.

Guide dog user Jackie Elshaw, aged 43, who has been blind since birth, agreed and added: “Most of us feel like we have simply been denied access to this part of central Warwick and, worse than that, we’ve had no say in what’s been done here.”

Last week Terry Smith, the engagement officer for Guide Dogs for the Blind, sent an angry letter to the county’s chief executive Jim Graham, accusing him of not only compromising safety on the adjoining roads, but of totally excluding minority groups by ignoring their recommendation to keep the zebra crossing.

County council officers insist they have been consulting with disabled groups along with town traders and the Chamber of Trade for the past seven years and claim the raised platform - created as one road flows into another - came about as a result of the Guide Dog charity’s recommendations for specialist paving.

But Mr Smith says: “We advised keeping the priority zebra crossing but our views were not listened to.”

John Davies, manager and rrehabilitation officer for Warwickshire Association for the Blind argued that apart from the odd meeting his group was not consulted at allon the proposals.

Both men met on Tuesday to declare: “Nobody - not the Guide Dogs, the Royal National Insitute for the Blind, the National Federation for the Blind or the Warwickshire Association for the Blind agree with what’s been done here.

“This shared crossing platform gives nobody priority and is totally unsafe not only for the visually impaired but also deaf people, wheelchair users and even parents with pushchairs because the central reservation is too narrow. The zebra crossing needs to be restored to its original place, just past Castle Street, as soon as possible.”

Council contractors do have to return to the road early next year to carry out yet more improvements to the surface - but officers say the new traffic arrangement has to be given chance to work. The results of a first safety audit is due in a few weeks.

Pauline Parker has already reported to the Guide Dogs charity how her lind son Martyn was nearly killed on the road after the zebra crossing was removed in June.

Mrs Parker said: “The only way he can cross now is by walking right down to the end of Jury Street and crossing two more roads before coming back up the other side.”

Another guide dog user, Maggie Bowes, aged 61, who lives on the Woodloes estate, said: “We are simply taking our lives in our hands by crossing this busy road on that raised section where nobody has priority and many of the motorists driving along High Street and Jury Street are strangers to the area.”

A county council spokesman said: “Throughout the Warwick town centre works we have engaged with numerous groups and one of the aims of the project was to improve the experience for all in moving around the town.

“We always take safety seriously, and a safety audit has been completed and the results will be available in a few weeks time. Currently there are no plans to provide any additional crossings or change the status of the crossings provided.

“Following recommendations from Guide Dogs for the Blind following the first stage of the works we have fitted specialist paving as part of the latest works.”