A disabled Greenock woman says town centre dangerous no-go zone

Distressed mobility scooter user Georgia Laurie told how she has fallen out of her lifeline vehicle multiple times during recent visits and now tries to avoid the town 'like the plague'.

Now Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan - who toured the town centre with Georgia earlier this week - is leading calls for major improvements amid the ongoing £3.2m transformation of West Blackhall Street.

Brave Georgia, 54, has chosen to speak out about her ordeal in the hope of shaming authorities into action - and has succeeded in 'truly opening' Mr McMillan's eyes to the problems.

She told the Tele: "To be honest I only come in once or twice every couple of months to go to the doctors or when I absolutely have to.

"It is a complete no go zone. It takes me a long time to recover from going into the town centre and I don't sleep the night before.

"I fell out of my mobility scooter in Inverkip Street, and then again in West Shaw Street. It really knocks your confidence."

We joined Georgia on a tour of Inverkip Street and West Blackhall Street with MSP Mr McMillan where she pointed out the pitfalls disabled people face every single day of their lives.

She demonstrated that the narrow pavements, islands, uneven and broken pavements with drains sticking out and the lack of dropped kerbs in the right places are just every day hazards.

Georgia Laurie (Image: Duncan Bryceland)

Falling was the final straw for Georgia, who uses a scooter from Shopmobility.

She said: "I had had enough, Stuart McMillan has helped me before and he agreed to come out for a walkabout."

Inverkip Street  (Image: Duncan Bryceland)

A visibly shocked Mr McMillan is now calling for an action plan to be drawn up and he hopes to bring parties together to support everyone with mobility issues.

town centre (Image: Duncan Bryceland)

He said: "It is a real eye opener and shocking when you think about what people in wheelchairs and mobility scooters have to go through.

"We need action, we are going to raise the individual issues with whoever is responsible. But I feel we all need to work together to bring about changes. I would like everyone to get together to come up with ways of making improvements."

Georgia said: "West Blackhall Street is going to be a real problem when the refurbishment is finished, the camber means that you can easily topple over in a scooter.

"There is going to be no room for scooters to get by the street furniture, like the benches that are everywhere.

"I would ask, when they were planning West Blackhall Street did they go round with a disabled person to see the impact of the changes?

"You can't go near it right now because of dropped kerbs. But dropped kerbs are a problem all over the place, it makes life very difficult for people in scooters and wheelchairs.

"The pavements on Inverkip Street leading to the West Shaw Street are a particular issue. Within a small stretch, there is a drain that can't be passed, an island on the road that is too small and then nowhere to get back on the pavement."

Stuart McMillan, who chairs the Scottish Parliament's cross-party group on visual impairment, pointed out that there would be an economic impact if disabled people can't access the town centre.

Inverkip Street (Image: Duncan Bryceland)

He said: “I am very grateful to Georgia for bringing this issue to my attention. The manhole cover, the dropped kerbs and the overgrown foliage all make this a difficult place for anyone with a physical disability to navigate. I watched Georgia get stuck on the crossing at the roundabout because the kerbs aren’t low enough.

"Further, the disabled access into The Range is not ideal and needs to be improved. We need all parties who have a responsibility here to act and I have written to Inverclyde Council, Amey/ Transport Scotland, B and M and the Range asking for their assistance. We all want our local town centres to be accessible for all.

"Having made my way around much of Greenock town centre on Monday with Georgia, my eyes were truly opened to the challenges she faces daily getting about in her mobility scooter.

"I hope to bring all stakeholders involved in transportation and our local infrastructure together during the summer to see how we can improve the experience of local people with a disabled.”

An Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: “There has been significant investment in recent years to improve accessibility, particularly in Greenock Town Centre.

“The redevelopment of West Blackhall Street is being carried out in phases and work is ongoing. One of the aims of the project is to make the street more accessible for people and encourage active travel.

“However, we welcome feedback from members of the public and partner organisations as to where improvements could be made and we will take a look at the issues raised and see what can be done to make further improvements.”