By 
OBSTRUCTIONS on footpaths across towns and villages are creating serious hazards for pedestrians, disability campaigners have warned.
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has announced plans to introduce new legislation to tackle pavement parking, but locals say the problem goes much wider – with street signs, bins and advertising boards all blocking safe passage.
Greencastle man Dermot Devlin, a representative on the Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC), said the situation has become increasingly dangerous for people with disabilities.
“Omagh is difficult enough to get through with street signs and uneven cobbled paths,” he said. “There have been times when I’ve had to go right down the street, cross the road, and come back up again just to get around a sign.
“Disabled people are an afterthought for businesses that place signage on footpaths. Some will move it when asked, but it shouldn’t take that conversation in the first place. It’s not just Omagh – towns and cities everywhere are seeing these issues.” A spokesperson for the DfI said signs and other obstacles can pose serious risks for pedestrians.
“Signs on footways can particularly impact people using prams, wheelchair users, and those who are blind or partially sighted,” they said. “They can create tripping hazards or force people onto the road.
“Advertising signs can also obstruct visibility at junctions and entrances, increasing the risk of collisions.”
“The Department has the authority to remove obstructions from footways where they prejudice the safety or convenience of pedestrians or other road users, including A-boards or other advertising signs.”
Paula Beattie, policy and campaigns manager at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Northern Ireland, said such obstacles have a profound effect on people with sight loss.
“We work continuously with the Department for Infrastructure and other statutory agencies to push for the removal of barriers faced by people living with sight loss,” she said.
“These barriers can be both metaphorical and physical. Irresponsible parking and the blocking of pavements by vehicles, bins or A-boards have a significant negative effect on the free movement and independence of blind and partially sighted people.
“It can be distressing to find your path suddenly blocked, forcing you to step into the road and encounter moving traffic.”
