Town tour to ramp up accessibility

GROUND-LEVEL INSPECTION: Masterton disability spokesman Peter Knighton will take a walking tour of the CBD with Mayor Lyn Patterson and council officers to see how the roads and footpaths can be improved for people with mobility issues - such as this space on Queen St, often blocked by parked cars. PHOTO/ERIN KAVANAGH-HALL

A Masterton advocate is on a mission to make his home town more accessible.

Peter Knighton, community spokesman for the Disabled Persons Assembly, will go on a walking tour of the Masterton CBD to see which areas could be improved for people with disabilities and mobility issues.

He will be accompanied by Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson and Masterton District Council officers, who will inspect council infrastructure to see if changes could be made.

Mr Knighton, appointed Kaituitui by the Disabled Persons Assembly last year, said he has seen people having difficulty navigating the area, due mainly to a shortage of pedestrian ramps.

"I do think it's about time we make Masterton more accessible," said Mr Knighton, who has cerebral palsy. "Masterton does generally cater well to disabled people, but there are definitely a few improvements that can be made."

With few ramps along the main streets, Mr Knighton has noticed people who use wheelchairs and walkers struggle to access the footpaths when crossing the street.

He said a particularly tricky spot is by Master Fried Chicken on the northern end of Queen St.

There is a small ramp beside a disabled parking spot outside the cafe - but the ramp is blocked whenever a car is parked in the space, inhibiting pedestrian access.

"People have to go around the car to get to the crossing, which takes longer," said Mr Knighton.

"It's hard for people who have difficulty walking anyway - and they get stuck walking on the road sometimes, because they have difficulty getting on the footpath. More ramps would be good."

Mrs Patterson said the CBD tour follows on from an inspection of Queen Elizabeth Park she did with councillor Gary Caffell and two Masterton wheelchair users.

"Some people have raised concerns about accessibility around council infrastructure, so we want to see firsthand what the issues are," she said.

"If people with disabilities raise these kind of issues, we will look at how we can improve - we've done so in the past, and will continue to do so."

Mr Knighton said members of Masterton's police force may also join in the walk, which will take place towards the end of January.

He also hopes to do an inspection of public buildings in Masterton, many of which he says are not wheelchair accessible.

"The only problem is a lot of the buildings are quite old."