AVOIDING being run over by a car or other vehicle is an extremely difficult task for me due to my visual impairment. Any obstacles or clutter on the pavements put me at risk of being hit by a vehicle. Most building work or street maintenance works provide sufficient pedestrian provision.

But this photograph, below, shows an example of where this is not the case. The new restaurant lounge at the top of Witney High Street next to Barclays Bank was the culprit. Scaffolding stretched right across the pavement and the pedestrians were forced to walk around the works into the busy road. If there was no way around this then a warden should have been provided to help the pedestrians.

I frequently help Guide Dogs for the Blind with their campaign to keep the streets clear for pedestrians. I recently wrote about my trip to 10 Downing Street to present my petition on behalf of Guide Dogs for the Blind to Prime Minister David Cameron.

We were – and still are – challenging him to take a blindfolded walk down a cluttered street with obstacles just to appreciate how difficult it is for the visually impaired. I was honoured to receive his reply. But still nothing much has really changed. I will keep pressing.

This is Mr Cameron’s reply to me:

Dear Mr Hageman, Thank you for contacting my office about the Walk the Walk Blindfold Campaign. I am so sorry I was not at 10 Downing Street when you and your colleagues delivered your petition of behalf of Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. As I wrote to Ashleigh Milson after reading the petition, I fully understand the concerns that the Association has about street clutter and poor street design and I can appreciate that these can cause serious problems not only for pedestrians and wheelchair users but also for those with visual impairments. Advertising “A” boards and general street clutter are hazards to all pedestrians but are particularly dangerous when they force people with sight loss, wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs out on to the road.

The Government has reminded local authorities of the need to get rid of unnecessary street furniture and with regard to poor street design, we have published guidance for planning practitioners in the “Manual for Streets” which puts well-designed residential streets at the heart of sustainable communities.

I am well aware that parking on pavements can also cause serious problems and in order to enable local authorities to prohibit this we have issued them with area-wide authorisations which provide appropriate traffic signs showing the pavement parking ban. In addition, we wrote to all English Traffic Authorities to remind them of their existing wide-ranging powers to prevent people from parking on the pavement where it is a problem. Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue.

David Cameron

Our top stories



Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name