JustBeingCP

On Friday January the 20th 2023 I wrote to the cabinet member for Transport and Infrastructure at Herefordshire council urging him to include gritting the pavement network in there winter operations plan.

When I called for this in January 2019 I was told that it wasn’t possible to grit our cycle and foot ways as part of our winter operations plan.

I’m so angry about this because last week I nearly skidded into the path of an oncoming vehicle because I hit a patch of untreated pavement in my wheelchair.

If the vehicle in question hadn’t seen me then I believe that the outcome could have been completely different.

I believe that the disabled community in Herefordshire are being discriminated against by Herefordshire Council if they continually refuse to grit our pavement network at times when the temperatures are in minus figures.

I have offered to meet with councillor John Harrington, cabinet member for Transport and Infrastructure and his team to discuss the way forward with regards to this issue.

I fear that the local authority here in Herefordshire will only act when someone gets hurt or even worse killed as a result of the pavements not being treated with grit.

I am concerned that my email and letter to the cabinet member and his team will just get deleted and forgotten about which isn’t fair on our community.

I have a good relationship with the teams covering transport and infrastructure at Herefordshire council following my successful pavement campaign which lasted 4 years.

I won’t be going out the next time we have a cold weather incident because I fear for the safety of myself and that of others due to the lack of grit on our pavements.

If I had to give a message to councillor John Harrington then it would be this, please listen to me and my concerns as I only have the best interests of Herefordshire’s most vulnerable residents at heart.

I also believe that many of Herefordshire’s most vulnerable residents would struggle to speak about issues like this one hence the reason I’m acting as there voice so that they are heard,

I know that this is another short blog but I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight an issue that I fear will become something we will be discussing time and time again for years to come.

Please can I ask everyone who reads this blog to share it within there local communities so that the nations most vulnerable residents are protected during severe weather events.

As always I would like to end by thanking my readers and followers for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read my latest blog on a very important issue.

Cam