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Duncan hard to navigate for the disabled

There were places I just could not go because there were high curbs.
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Duncan hard to navigate for the disabled

I read with interest the article about how Joyce Munn is working with the City of Duncan and Cowichan Tribes to get wheelchair access improved.

When I broke both ankles a few years back I found out first hand some of the difficulties. Every time you had to cross a driveway there was a bump on either side which aggravated any pain. There were places I just could not go because there were high curbs.

I suspect If you interviewed everyone with a motorized wheelchair you would find that they have their own impossible places. One I can remember is the stretch between Beverly Street and the police station; on the railroad side you are stuck on the sidewalk until you get down to the pedestrian crossing. The other side of the street is a nightmare of bumps and driveways.

I think there is an event every year where the press and councillors get taken out on wheeelchairs to experience first hand some of the problems. I assume the knowledge gained is passed on to people who make decisions. Unfortunately the elderly and the disabled are not usually among the privileged members of society who are included when decisions are made.

I do not know who made the decision to take two parking spaces which would be really suitable for disabled people close to the front of Superstore. Superstore has a huge apron in front that often holds taxis waiting for passengers. The apron could quite easily hold any number of RCMP vehicles, including a SWAT team. I do not see why the Mounties commandeer full time two spaces that could used for disabled people’s vehicles. Similarly there is a parking spot beside the Bank of Montreal marked for the RCMP that is almost never used. They have the one behind the Commmunity Policing Office next door. I have heard of a bait car for car robbers, but a bait parking space for bank robbers?

Gerald McVeigh

Duncan