A SURVEY of the town centre a few years ago revealed that a third of grocery outlets and shops were inaccessible to wheelchair users, along with half the medical services, over 40 per cent of restaurants and pubs. Only cafes came close to full accessibility, with 83 per cent accessible.
And while the provision of play equipment for the disabled at town play areas by Blandford Town Council is to be applauded, it is interesting to note that at Larksmead there is no dropped kerb allowing those arriving by wheelchair or pushchair from the north to leave the pavement and cross the car park to the entrance.
We were glad to hear recently of proposals by the highway department to address some of the problems with place where a dropped kerb on one side of the road is not matched by one on the other, resulting in the user having to stay on the carriageway until they reach the appropriate point.