73% of disabled people say that stopping vehicles parking on pavements would help them walk or wheel more. As someone who is registered blind, Mark explains how a ban on pavement parking would vastly improve his journeys when walking with his guide dog. As a participant in our Disabled Citizens’ Inquiry, Mark voices the challenges that prevent him from walking freely on a daily basis, and what he’d say if he had an audience with the council when it comes to active travel.
Watch Mark's story.
鈥淚 got my guide dog, Bobby, in 2019, after being on the waiting list for two years, and he鈥檚 totally changed my life.
鈥淗e鈥檚 given me more confidence to go out.
鈥淏efore this, I was in the dark with a cane and I just didn鈥檛 want to go out.
鈥淧eople notice my guide dog much more than they did my cane. They used to trip over it and take it out on me as if it was my fault.听
鈥淏obby鈥檚 very reassuring. Hopefully, I鈥檒l never have to go back to a cane.
鈥淚 just get on with life as much as I can. My sight impairment doesn鈥檛 hold me back.鈥
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Council officials need to consider the needs of听blind, visually impaired and deaf people听
鈥淚f I had an audience with the council, you'd have to hold me back.
鈥淭he first thing I鈥檇 bring up is pavement parking. Where I live there are so many cars that park on the pavement. I鈥檝e got to walk around them and go on the road.
鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely horrendous.听
鈥淥n a 200-yard walk, this could happen maybe four or five times.
鈥淪ometimes, when I'm on the road, I can鈥檛 see oncoming traffic.
鈥淏obby isn鈥檛 trained to tell me that there鈥檚 a car coming so I鈥檝e got to rely on sound.听
鈥淪econdly, I鈥檇 bring up the issue of some pelican crossings not working properly.
鈥淣ot all pelican crossings bleep when the light turns green, but the button unit should have a small cone underneath which you can feel spinning when it鈥檚 time to cross.听
鈥淨uite a few cones in my area don鈥檛 work, so I can鈥檛 cross unless somebody else is there at the same time.
鈥淭his can mean I need to get on a bus, just to get off on the other side of the road once it鈥檚 on its return journey.
鈥淭his could take half an hour extra.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very important for the council to think about blind, visually impaired and deaf people and for pelican crossings to be working properly.
鈥淎nother thing is that the low flower beds in Morriston are quite a trip hazard.
鈥淎s are all the tables, chairs and advertising boards outside shops in Swansea city centre.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to see these changed too.鈥
Photo: Tom Hughes/色情Porn
Crossing with caution听
鈥淚鈥檝e got a great bus service in my area and great drivers. They know about my condition and they can see my dog.
鈥淪ometimes if I take the bus into Swansea I take a less direct route as it gets really busy, especially on the weekends.
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 out and about I use pelican or zebra crossings all the time now after I had quite a frightening experience crossing at an island.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see a car coming and instead of stopping, it swerved around me.
鈥淚 won鈥檛 cross roads without using a functioning crossing or unless I鈥檓 with someone.鈥
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