A woman claims she feels “trapped” and “half a citizen” due to changes to parts of Liverpool City Centre since lockdown.
Muriel O’Driscoll, 79, is disabled and uses two crutches to walk but has restricted mobility and often cannot walk further than 25 yards on her own. When not being assisted in a wheelchair, the nan would previously park close to areas like Bold Street but claims she now struggles to access her favourite shops and cultural attractions due to the increased pedestrianisation of the Ropewalks area.
The former midwife and sexual health worker used to live in Canning Street in the Georgian Quarter but later moved to Waterloo after the “stairs became a bother.” She suffers from a heart condition and arthritis in her knees and shoulder and wants to raise awareness for other people who now find themselves in a similar position.
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Since the summer of 2020 car access to Bold Street has been restricted with the popular high street becoming pedestrianised outside of loading times. With an inability to park near to the likes of favourite stores like News From Nowhere Bookshop, she claims her “life is getting smaller and smaller”, adding: “Theatre visits, events and celebrations are things of the past.”
Public transport also requires too much walking, she said, with the step up onto a bus equally challenging when attempting to visit the city centre. It has led to a feeling of isolation and “missing out” as the centre of the city opens up to able bodied people.
Muriel told the ECHO: “[I feel like] lockdown has ended but I am still trapped. I’m now reading about things rather than being able to experience it. I feel like half a citizen rather than a full citizen.”
Muriel said she is not opposed to pedestrianisation and agrees with the need to reduce car journeys, adding: “40 years earlier I would be saying the same thing about the environment."
However the changes brought in, she claims, have meant the agency she once had has now almost been removed altogether. Pam Thomas, a wheelchair user who chaired the used to Chair Liverpool City Council's Corporate Access Form (CAF), which comprises disabled people who have mobility limitations and / or visual impairment, said work needs to be done to “stop the ever increasing exclusion of disabled people.”
Ms Thomas, who was a councillor for 13 years until May, told the ECHO: “I agree with reducing car use, but disabled people do not have the range of options that non-disabled people take for granted - they can still get to where they want to go.”
She added: “Where there is pedestrianisation and increased parking restrictions, plus tables and chairs taking up the pavement, it usually means we cannot get to places we could previously. I raised the issue with Council Officers and went on site visits pointing out the problems.
“Some changes were made to allow access to some part of the pavements, but problems still remain. There are huge design problems when trying to reduce car use in an existing busy area.”
The former council said that the authority’s officers have pointed out that holders of disabled person's blue parking badges are able to park for free on pay and display, without time limitation, however, as a wheelchair user she said bigger bays are often needed to unload and reload from the boot. She added: “This is still work in progress and I intend to keep pushing for a better physical environment to allow equal access for older and disabled people.”
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: "Access is a fundamental part of City Centre Mobility Strategy work that is now underway (initial report to be handed in around September) and the City Centre CPZ review is looking at increasing parking capacity for disabled people. Statutory consultation on the CPZ launches next month.”
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