This article is from page 20 of the 2012-02-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
SHOPPING in the county town of Ennis is not an experience that is open to everyone.
Wheelchair users in the county are limited in the main to one end of the town, and if they require to visit a premises on the other side they have to either drive for up to 20 minutes through a one-way system to get there, or just take their business elsewhere.
That is according to wheelchair users across the county.
Geraldine Gilligan, who works in the town, has ruled out having lunch out or shopping on her break as impossible.
“Dunnes and Boots is basically a one-stop-shop for me. The thought of going up to Carraig Donn is impossible,” she said.
The hills and cobblestones of Ennis town made it difficult for a wheel- chair user to navigate the streets alone, but the greatest difficulty is the width of the footpaths.
Making O’Connell Street a pedestrian street is the dream, according to Geraldine.
For now going past Boots towards the Daniel O’Connell statue is impossible alone.
Even bracing this main thoroughfare brings its problems.
A wheelchair user has to travel the whole length of one street to cross the road and then travel back down the other side to visit a shop directly across the road from where the shopper originally was.
She was also critical of disabled parking spaces branding some of them a disgrace.
The Corofin/Kilnaboy woman was particularly critical of a space on the corner of Abbey Street and Bank Place.
The space is so tight she explained that she “nearly got chopped off by traffic” while parking there herself.
Shannon native Padraic Hayes said he would visit the town more if it was accessible.
“You have oncoming traffic when you come out of Dunnes on to the street. I go as far as Boots, or I would go up the market or I would go as far as Hillbillies and that is it,” he said.
“Moving past Dunnes is too high up and trying to manage with traffic while you are in a chair is impossible and you have people coming against you too. Some people are okay they will move. Others will just stand there,” he said.
Ms Gilligan said that while there is little that can be done about the topography of the town, pedestrianisation of more streets, ramps and improved footpaths would open more of the town to wheelchair users.