The situation is a reasonably high kerb (everyone was surprised we considered them high, but we pointed out neither a manual chair with anti-tips, nor a powerchair with a kerb-climber could get up them), with a cobbled gutter, and then a pretty severe camber on the road.
For a wheelchair on its own, you're sitting at about a 20 degree down angle facing the kerb - which is why we can't get up, we're having to tilt an extra 20 degrees.
A 1m ramp could bridge kerb to camber, and actually give pretty much level access.
The problem is, customers at the stall will be standing in the gutter to be served. They'll turn to the side to walk away, the ramp will be below their eye-line, instant insurance claim.
Cllr: "We could do them without lips at the side, that would reduce the trip hazard" Me: "Pretty sure the standard requires lips" (precisely to stop the falling off the edge scenario). Cllr: "Oh, I'm not so sure*, but I'll have Highways check it out".
And that's without considering the VI community. Utter Pain: "Oh, their dog will see it" Me and Sue in horrified synchrony : "Only a tiny minority of people with visual impairments have guide dogs" Utter Pain "{huff}I work with Guide Dogs for the Blind**" (and clearly have learnt nothing).
*There are different standards in different places, there may actually be scenarios where a lipless ramp is legal, so technically he may not be wrong, but it's by no means ideal.
** The charity that provides guide dogs in the UK. My guess would be he's liaised with them on dementia issues
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Date: 2017-11-17 12:03 pm (UTC)For a wheelchair on its own, you're sitting at about a 20 degree down angle facing the kerb - which is why we can't get up, we're having to tilt an extra 20 degrees.
A 1m ramp could bridge kerb to camber, and actually give pretty much level access.
The problem is, customers at the stall will be standing in the gutter to be served. They'll turn to the side to walk away, the ramp will be below their eye-line, instant insurance claim.
Cllr: "We could do them without lips at the side, that would reduce the trip hazard"
Me: "Pretty sure the standard requires lips" (precisely to stop the falling off the edge scenario).
Cllr: "Oh, I'm not so sure*, but I'll have Highways check it out".
And that's without considering the VI community.
Utter Pain: "Oh, their dog will see it"
Me and Sue in horrified synchrony : "Only a tiny minority of people with visual impairments have guide dogs"
Utter Pain "{huff}I work with Guide Dogs for the Blind**" (and clearly have learnt nothing).
*There are different standards in different places, there may actually be scenarios where a lipless ramp is legal, so technically he may not be wrong, but it's by no means ideal.
** The charity that provides guide dogs in the UK. My guess would be he's liaised with them on dementia issues