'I take a tumble at least once a month due to bad kerbs' says Milton Keynes wheelchair user

Tony Richardson enjoys nothing more than exploring the streets of MK with a local walking group.

But at least once a month, he and his wheelchair topple into the road as he tries to negotiate kerbs.

And this is despite his chair being fitted with a special anti-tip bar, he says.

"The latest fall happened along Marsh Drive in Great Linford. There was just no alternative, so I had to go down an ordinary kerb. The chair fell over and I hurt my elbow on the road.

"I got a fellow walker to take a photo before they helped me up. I want MK Council to see it and be shamed into providing more dropped kerbs."

Tony, 55, says there is a pitiful shortage of dropped kerbs in many parts of MK. He believes every street and stretch of road should have one.

He was delighted in January last year when MK Council agreed to install dropped kerbs at all road crossing and also remove problematic footpath chicanes. But he says not much seems to have been done since.

Lib Dem councillor Paul Alexander, from Newport Pagnell South ward, had put forward the motion because he is himself disabled and used a mobility scooter to get around.

“We have some places where there are dropped kerbs at one end of the footpath and not the other,” he told the council at the time,

He said there were 12,000 scooter users in MK and another 7,000 with pushchairs.

Cllr Alexander's motion was unanimously approved.

"The work was due to start early last year," said Tony. "But I haven't noticed any improvement at all. Maybe Covid is to blame, but I just want to know when it's happening."

"I've repeatedly contacted the council asking when these dropped kerbs will be provided, but nobody seems to want to know. I just get passed around. The highways department weren't very helpful at all.

Tony added: "I want the council to see my photo and see just what sort of problem a lack of dropped kerbs can cause. I really hope it will make them do something."

On the other hand, Tony has praised The Parks Trust in MK for listening to his accessibility complaints.

"There were a few places in parks and Parks Trust land where I was struggling. I contact them and the boss came out with me on a walk so I could point out all the problems. They then put them right. They were amazing," he said.

The Citizen has contacted MK Council for a comment. A spokesperson said: “There is an annual fund of £25k called the Accessibility Fund to cover the cost of works to improve accessibility across MK such as removing unnecessary obstacles like bollards or barriers or to install dropped kerbs”.

She added: “People can apply to this fund via our website and we’ve scheduled works based on these requests. These schedules can also be viewed on our website under the ‘Accessibility Fund’ page. The £25k budget would cover around 10 to 12 such schemes.”

“In addition to this fund, a further £100k was announced in the 2020-21 budget to improve accessibility and remove obstacles for pedestrians throughout Milton Keynes. Two schemes at Bessemer Court, Newport Pagnell and Bekonscot Court, Giffard Park are already completed and were funded through this budget.

"Due to the current lockdown restrictions we have not been able to complete more schemes but are currently looking at possible sites.”