Main St. Castlebar

Mr. Seamus Granaghan
Director of Services
Árás an Chontae
Castlebar
Co. Mayo
17th November 2009

Re: Street Improvements to the Streets in Castlebar, Co. Mayo
I would like to stress how important it is that the disabled be kept informed and consulted in relation to all works affecting us. Our motto is “Nothing about us, without us!”
I welcome this public submission process and I would like to make the following points in relation to the project. Ensure all developments take into account all potential users including youths, schoolchildren, working people, families, elderly people and disabled people
Designated Parking Bays
A Designated Parking Bay should be located as near as possible to the Chemists on Main Street to facilitate people with disabilities especially wheelchair users if they wish to get their prescriptions. The bays can be installed when the path is widened (as we discussed). They can be arranged parallel to the dished kerb flush with the road so that wheelchair driver can transfer onto footpath from his/her car. Provide minimum 900mm clear space beside the designated bay so as to facilitate wheelchair transfer from car to footpath. Cars can be driven forward or reversed into the bay, so that the transfer space is at the right side. Provide a 900mm yellow box at back of Designated Bay painted with BLUE paint with a sign 2200mm high from ground level.

Designated Parking Bays should be firm, level and even. A 1.50 maximum gradient is acceptable where essential to remove surface water. An uneven surface or an inclined bay makes transfer from vehicle to wheelchair very difficult. Service covers to manholes should not be positioned on such bays and at dished crossings.
Bollards and Grills
Bollards are often used to stop vehicles mounting the footpaths. Unless positioned carefully they can form a barrier to wheelchair users and people with visual impairments. They should be identified by using contrasting colours, and be minimum 800mm high and 250mm wide and should be located no closer together than 900mm. Bollards should never be linked by ropes or chains. This is dangerous for people with impaired vision.
Grills should have a maximum gap of 12mm and are perpendicular to direction of pedestrian traffic. Kerb edges should be clearly defined, if necessary guardrails should be provided.
Lighting
Street lighting should be designed so as to avoid glare from surface. A good level of lighting should be provided at locations where changes of level and direction occur. Lampposts should be located in a consistent manner and should not impede circulation paths. They must be in a contrasting colour to their background.
Crossings:
Avoid covers or manholes at crossings. Dished kerbs to be 1200mm wide with maximum gradient of 1:20. Provide appropriate crossings with dished kerbs marked with tactile paving. The upstand between the dropped kerb and the road is an important issue for wheelchairs users. Even relatively small upstands can cause the front wheels of wheelchairs to turn and present users with difficulties. Ideally the road surface should be level with the kerb at the dished crossing but the maximum upstand should be 6mm.
Trees
Avoid planting which exacerbates asthma and other breathing difficulties. Scent even in trees is rarely evident except on warm days in the growing season. Trees can be used to provide shelter for visually impaired people to locate themselves in a space. Planting in public places should be carried out by people with proper training and knowledge. Insure that trees are located properly and that the lowest branches do not pose a problem to tall people. A tree that is encroaching onto the footpath may not always be detected by a person’s guide dog, and cannot be detected by a white cane.

Containers should be totally accessible so that people with mobility problems do not have to leave their rubbish outside the container.

In addition to the above, it should also be remembered that there are elements in the public streets and sidewalks which are privately owned – such as café terraces, shop awnings and doors to buildings – and therefore

Could you provide a Luminance or tactile strip preferably located in the centre of paths for visually impaired people?


Regards,

……………….
Tom Chambers