WORKMEN should do a better job at making pavements more comfortable for wheelchair users, it was claimed this week.

Mark Formosa, aspiring Conservative MP for Taunton Deane, spent an afternoon touring Taunton on a mobility scooter to see how difficult it can be for some disabled people to go about their daily lives.

He was invited by Taunton resident Barry Derrick to use his spare scooter in order to see the problems disabled people have to overcome if they want to move around the town independently.

A spinal injury means walking is painful for Mr Derrick, but he says the state of Taunton's pavements also frequently cause him pain even when he is in his mobility scooter.

Among the problems experienced by Mark and Mr Derrick as they rode their mobility scooters around the town were:

  • Poorly positioned dropped kerbs which did not allow an adequate view of oncoming traffic
  • A dropped kerb on one side of a road but not on the other
  • Bollards sited too close together to allow a mobility scooter to pass
  • Uneven and bumpy pavement surfaces where utility companies had dug them up to access services and not resurfaced them properly.

Mr Formosa said: "This was a real eye opener for me.

"In a lot of cases the repairs to pavements after they have been dug up to access utility services are the cause of discomfort, due to poor finishing of the surface. This could be avoided without increased cost. It is just a question of a bit more pride in the job.

"I would like to see the highways authority enforce stricter standards which would make the utility companies do a better job and in turn make life more comfortable for people with mobility disabilities."