GETTING AROUND

How accessible is Eastbourne?

Dan Middleton Design: George Walker Photography: Amber Pisani-Cleland

“We all rely on being able to get to where we are going”

Accessibility is an important part of everyday life. We all rely on being able to get to where we are going. But for those of us with a disability (visible or hidden), or those of us with other limiting conditions, the mere prospect of getting around can be torture. Why is this, and what are local authorities doing to address the problem?

When carrying out observations in Eastbourne town centre, some issues became apparent. For example, a large portion of the pavements around the area had cracks in them. As well as being uneven, this makes getting around more challenging and difficult for a large number of people, including those of us that use wheelchairs.

It was also observed that some shops in Eastbourne had small cattle pen-like layouts. This design makes it hard for those of us that use a wheelchair or that have limited mobility to have access. This layout can also make shopping, another task that should be straightforward, challenging and stressful for those of us that are claustrophobic or have autism. Tag spoke with the chair of the Eastbourne Access Group, Brian Day, about this issue, “the smaller shops do have access problems because their aisles are not wide enough.” He went on to mention that “it would be difficult to make it a legal responsibility but it certainly should be a moral one”.

Eastbourne Borough Council provides Blue Badges for those that need access to closer car parking spots. This was a topic that was brought up by Brian, “Blue Badge parking is insufficient in numbers now. The is only about one parking space for every 60 Blue Badge holders. This proportion will decrease once Phase 2 of the town centre movement and access scheme starts, with approximately 16 spaces being lost and replaced by six”.

Travel is another area in which access is important. Stagecoach offers Journey assistance cards and the aim behind these is to make travel easier for those with hidden disabilities like autism. These cards are designed to be shown to the driver.

USEFUL LINKS

If you are interested in discovering more on this topic there are many great charities that are willing to help. Here are some useful links: eastbourneaccessgroup. org.uk www.scope.org.uk