An Edinburgh councillor who relies on a mobility scooter in order to navigate the capital has hit out at Edinburgh City Council for the placement of white cubes on Waverley Bridge.
Green councillor Kayleigh O'Neill, who represents the Forth Ward, said that her ability to attend the council this morning was hindered by several white cubes that had been placed close to the side entrance for the Christmas Market.
Kayleigh added that the metal ramps that were placed between the cubes were not fixed in place and were steep, causing issues for those that live with mobility issues and making her journey “unsafe.”
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She added that she would be raising the issue with the council to try to get the problem rectified as soon as possible.
“Due to the barriers on Waverley Bridge my journey to council this morning was much longer than it had to be and felt more unsafe”, she said.
“The ramps were not fixed and were steep. The placement of cardboard boxes caused more problems than probably intended.
“The organisation and set up of these blocks suggests that access and equality statements may have been overlooked.
“I’ll be speaking to officers to understand what went wrong here.”
In an earlier Tweet, the Green politician shared her concerns about the set up of the street furniture and had again questioned whether proper checks and balances had been carried out.
She Tweeted: “Wheelchair users, cyclists and others forced to struggle along Waverley Bridge due to #EdinburghChristmas set-up.
“@edinhelp can you confirm who sets this up/for how long and what EIAs have been done? Thank you!”
Edinburgh Council said that the white blocks had been placed in the spot by accident and that they would be removed as a matter of urgency.
Responding to councillor O’Neill, a spokesperson for the council said: “The product in place has been positioned incorrectly and will be removed to allow access as soon as possible.”
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