Disability access group finds flaw in car ban consultation (From Essex County Standard)

Do you mean "less disabled"' or "fewer"? It make a big difference to the meaning of this article...

I thought he meant "less disabled" i.e. people with lesser forms of disability, but then realised from the context that he meant "fewer".
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Back to school, James Cox.
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Whether the claim is true is another matter. But this car ban was mooted long ago (two years ago?) so they should have objected at that time.

This is exactly why the rot in town councils needs kicking out they would not know how to have a consultation to include disability access people are sick to death of these half baked ideas and the councilors voting this ban in need to resign or be voted out its time more peaople living in the real world where on councils .I think disabled people affected by this should take their case of discrimination to the disability board and make it personly against councilors indvidually .this ban stinks

Stop whining!
Pedestrianise the High Street, let us all see how it goes and then if it's a failure you can all whine to your hearts content.
It is proven people don't like change full stop.
The BIGGER picture here is that most of us want Colchester to be a nicer place and personally I think this will be a good start.

My question is, 'are disabled drivers as safe as able bodied drivers?'. As far as I see it, any vehicle in a pedestrianised street is a danger to pedestrians, especially if that vehicle is driven by somebody who does not have full control of the vehicle's pedals, levers, steering wheel, etc.

The high street is in trouble as people change their social and spending habits. The high street has to change too. People who "shop" demand more which is possible via the versatility afforded by face-to-face transactions; getting the market back in the street would be great as would turning more physical space over for socialising. Pedestrianising the street is a must, but only the first step. There is no reason why this cannot be done sympathetically to those with physical impairments.

Smouldering Ewok wrote:
Stop whining!
Pedestrianise the High Street, let us all see how it goes and then if it's a failure you can all whine to your hearts content.
It is proven people don't like change full stop.
The BIGGER picture here is that most of us want Colchester to be a nicer place and personally I think this will be a good start.

Totally agree lets see how pedestrianising the High Street goes. If it was going to be pedestrianised it would be a great experience for residents.

But of course that's not what they are doing here is it? Unfortunately not enough people see the bigger picture.

Whatever the reason for Colchester town centre trial of car bans in its main shopping precinct,
the Idea is not new is it.
most of the bigger towns in east Anglia have limited access into town centre,
as so do most towns that I know of in Essex and elsewhere.
The main difference I can see is a lot/most/ of these town centre upgrades accompany new ring roads to keep the flow of traffic moving.
Ok, Colchester one day will have a credible bus assisted park & ride right into the shopping precinct, but having it completed some day, is not really good enough is it.
History tells of once market towns being converted into shopping malls, and either ban "cars" or let cars park efficiently very close by.
Multi story parking in town centres is not new, nor is new shopping malls, but combining them both seems the current style elsewhere, and seems to be working very well.
To accompany this modern style of shopping favoured by many, a very good ring road system is usually in place to cope with high traffic flows, but built at a cost of the losing of many properties and once owned businesses, but once completed, it was completed for the future, not just for a stop gap.
So, out of all the for's and against in Colchester future, sorry, but ill thought out and planned town centre improvements are either the lifeline,
or the death blow for its town.

Right or wrong, It will be either good news we talk of in the near future,
or see more and empty shops.

like minded as i use a wheelchair, i wont be using my town to shop in, when the ban comes into force, i will shop in another town.

It is shameful that Colchester Council refuses to consult affected groups but only talks to selected representatives. It imposes its unilateral decison so suddenly and calls it a trial when it is lasting 18 months.
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If only public debate was allowed to bring out all the problems and issues. Instead we have so many offended groups who feel they have been ignored.
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If changes are needed then it would be better to do it in small steps each over a limited "trial" period. Perhaps banning all traffic entering the High Street for a few hours each day to see the impact on nearby roads. What we have now are a lot of changes in one go. Guarenteed to cause maximum outrage and confusion.

Consultation? What's really needed is leadership. Make a good decision based on sound advice, perhaps in light of consultation, and get on with it. Consultation for the sake of it and trying to keep everyone happy equals delay and inefficiency. You can't keep all the people happy all of the time.

Jess Jephcott wrote:
My question is, 'are disabled drivers as safe as able bodied drivers?'. As far as I see it, any vehicle in a pedestrianised street is a danger to pedestrians, especially if that vehicle is driven by somebody who does not have full control of the vehicle's pedals, levers, steering wheel, etc.

Surprised nobody has picked up on this, unless it has been recognised as a blatant attempt to stir people up. I´m not sure of the stats, but have never been aware that disabled drivers are any more prone to accidents than anybody else.

There are plenty of drivers out there who are barely able to drive properly - I regularly have to swiftly evade them when cycling - but in most cases, the disability seems to be between their ears, not in their limbs.

One more reason to use the properly functioning Park & Ride in Ipswich and Chelmsford.

You can get to either of these at least as quickly as trying to get parked in Colchester!

ICareCol wrote:
One more reason to use the properly functioning Park & Ride in Ipswich and Chelmsford.

You can get to either of these at least as quickly as trying to get parked in Colchester!

There are so many car parks in Colchester. It's not that difficult.

TheCaptain wrote:

ICareCol wrote: One more reason to use the properly functioning Park & Ride in Ipswich and Chelmsford. You can get to either of these at least as quickly as trying to get parked in Colchester!

There are so many car parks in Colchester. It's not that difficult.

It is when the roads are constantly jammed. Traffic in Colchester is a nighmare!

wardyt wrote:

TheCaptain wrote:

ICareCol wrote: One more reason to use the properly functioning Park & Ride in Ipswich and Chelmsford. You can get to either of these at least as quickly as trying to get parked in Colchester!

There are so many car parks in Colchester. It's not that difficult.

It is when the roads are constantly jammed. Traffic in Colchester is a nighmare!

I hate to state the obvious, but if you´re stuck in a traffic jam, you are part of the problem. Not everybody can get out of their cars, but plenty of people could do. I normally cycle to work, but could see the huge difference that half term makes to the traffic. Too many parents driving their kids to school when they could easily walk for 10 or 15 minutes.

The car has been king for too long, and I love driving too, but we cannot just build more and bigger roads.

Regarding access for disabled drivers, I understood that Head Street would be reserved for blue badge holders.

I say give the trial a proper time and see how it goes, although I would prefer full pedestrianisation.

romantic wrote:

wardyt wrote:

TheCaptain wrote:

ICareCol wrote: One more reason to use the properly functioning Park & Ride in Ipswich and Chelmsford. You can get to either of these at least as quickly as trying to get parked in Colchester!

There are so many car parks in Colchester. It's not that difficult.

It is when the roads are constantly jammed. Traffic in Colchester is a nighmare!

I hate to state the obvious, but if you´re stuck in a traffic jam, you are part of the problem. Not everybody can get out of their cars, but plenty of people could do. I normally cycle to work, but could see the huge difference that half term makes to the traffic. Too many parents driving their kids to school when they could easily walk for 10 or 15 minutes. The car has been king for too long, and I love driving too, but we cannot just build more and bigger roads. Regarding access for disabled drivers, I understood that Head Street would be reserved for blue badge holders. I say give the trial a proper time and see how it goes, although I would prefer full pedestrianisation.

I am walking distance from town, so don't actually drive there but if I want to get out of Colchester then the traffic is a major problem!

Smouldering Ewok wrote:
Stop whining!
Pedestrianise the High Street, let us all see how it goes and then if it's a failure you can all whine to your hearts content.
It is proven people don't like change full stop.
The BIGGER picture here is that most of us want Colchester to be a nicer place and personally I think this will be a good start.

The High St is not going to be pedestrianised - it is still going to be open to traffic such as buses, taxis, motorbikes and push-bikes, so I don't see why blue-badge holders shouldn't be allowed access too.

About 80% of Colchester town centre is already pedestrianised. The High St is in fact part or a traffic management thoroughfare. Let's see what happens after six months and if it makes any real difference, i.e. improvement to the town.

Douglas Park wrote:

Smouldering Ewok wrote:
Stop whining!
Pedestrianise the High Street, let us all see how it goes and then if it's a failure you can all whine to your hearts content.
It is proven people don't like change full stop.
The BIGGER picture here is that most of us want Colchester to be a nicer place and personally I think this will be a good start.

The High St is not going to be pedestrianised - it is still going to be open to traffic such as buses, taxis, motorbikes and push-bikes, so I don't see why blue-badge holders shouldn't be allowed access too.

About 80% of Colchester town centre is already pedestrianised. The High St is in fact part or a traffic management thoroughfare. Let's see what happens after six months and if it makes any real difference, i.e. improvement to the town.

And how would any one be able to tell the difference between a car with a blue badge and one without.

Exactly. You can monitor cars to see whether they are taxis or phcs, but blue badges are issued to the person rather than the vehicle so they cannot be monitored by the vehicle identification equipment. Apart from not understanding why there is an overpowering reason why all these people seem to want to park in the High Street which is not the centre of town anyway, there are loads of spaces for blue badge holders not to mention in addition just about every double yellow line in the town centre to the extent of parking dangerously near junctions and traffic lights.

a) There is a slight undercurrent of disdain for and antipathy to the disabled in some of this post.
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b) There is either time left to protest under the rules, or there isn't.
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c) I wish everyone could be made to spend at least one day in a simulated "disabled" condition, to understand more fully what is involved. That would still not include the pain, and the distress underlying the knowledge that one is never going to fit "the norm" again. Life is hard enough, and I am full of admiration for those who cope and continue to function in more or less what is considered a "normal" fashion. The exhausting nature of ordinary tasks for the less able - that the able-bodied can carry out without thinking - has to be experienced to be understood fully. Also, spare a thought for the carers, most of whom end up worn out and, sometimes, ill themselves from the strain.
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d) The disabled tend to be very careful drivers. Why on earth would any one of them want to bump into any obstacle, when that would only cause the driver more pain, inconvenience in not being able to get about until the car's repaired, and so on? Contrary to what you posters seem to believe, the long-term permanently disabled are not going to be encouraged in any way to get behind the wheel unless they can control their vehicle fully.
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e) Spend a large amount of time pushing a wheelchair, not just doing it "for a lark" for an hour one day when you're feeling energetic. Any slope is quite an obstacle for an ordinary chair containing a fully grown adult. In real life nobody comes forward with miraculous devices to transform the lives of the disabled, it's just a long, exhausting slog, and the daily tasks undertaken by the cared for and the carers are mostly done out of love.
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f)The majority of the less able don't go about whining, but they do realise they have to fight for a comfortable life. All they want is to be as near "normal" as they can manage. The loss of mobility doesn't carry with it a lessening of reason or intelligence.

romantic wrote:

Jess Jephcott wrote:
My question is, 'are disabled drivers as safe as able bodied drivers?'. As far as I see it, any vehicle in a pedestrianised street is a danger to pedestrians, especially if that vehicle is driven by somebody who does not have full control of the vehicle's pedals, levers, steering wheel, etc.

Surprised nobody has picked up on this, unless it has been recognised as a blatant attempt to stir people up. I´m not sure of the stats, but have never been aware that disabled drivers are any more prone to accidents than anybody else.

There are plenty of drivers out there who are barely able to drive properly - I regularly have to swiftly evade them when cycling - but in most cases, the disability seems to be between their ears, not in their limbs.

Our dear friend Sdapeze does not seem to have observed that when a car is driven with a blue badge, the disabled person is usually not the driver, but a passenger. Therefore he does not need to worry unduly about disabled drivers.
And he should remember that the old man who lost control of his car in Head Street and killed a teenage girl, Cassie, was not disabled.
So in pointing his finger at disabled drivers he is, not for the first time, barking up the wrong tree.

I would beg to differ with Boris, albeit politely.
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In my experience, many of the drivers of blue badge cars are in fact the disabled themselves. It is often their greatest pleasure, being able to indulge in some "activity" on their own account.
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My personal view was of a very experienced driver, who was no longer able to walk more than a few steps, but still drove beautifully and derived joy and freedom once safely in his driving seat. In a very long life of driving from the age of 17 (and before that, on country tracks off-road) he never had an accident nor did he cause any problems to other road users. He was calm and cool in any situation, and thus probably avoided the kind of accident that is caused when panicking people slam on their brakes or swerve wildly. As previously mentioned, once disabled, drivers become ever more careful since they do not wish to add to their pain with accidental injuries even by the slightest jolt.