A Guernsey woman who uses a mobility scooter is calling for greater accessibility for disabled people. The States says its Integrated Transport Strategy promotes improvements for all.

Martine-Marie White, who relies on her scooter or her service dog Pinta to help her get around, says she feels unable to travel outside of Town due to the inaccessibility of public walkways. 

The Guernsey woman lives with superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) which can cause severe problems with hearing and balance.

She tells us about the current obstacles she faces daily when trying to get from A to B: 

"The main issues I have are with pavements being too high, you get up on a drop-curb and then you can't get off them again for miles as there are no drop curbs to get off them again.

"This means when you're met with an obstacle on a mobility scooter, you can't get around it.

"In town, lorries when doing deliveries do not give you enough room to get around so I end up having to mount the pavement, which is risky and could break my scooter.

"I don't think cars realise either that mobility scooters that can go up to eight miles an hour can go on the road so I get shouted at quite a lot.

"Signs can also get placed in such a ridiculous way.

"Also bins can be a bit of an issue with people leaving these out for a long time, they can be so difficult to get around."

POV: Martine-Marie White navigating Guernsey pavements

Martine-Marie White is calling for change to the pavements so that she, and other disabled individuals, can feel safe:

"Guernsey's pavements have never really been set up for accessibility and it is a little bit of a bone of contention for people because when you talk about it, the response you get is 'oh the roads are quaint, Guernsey is quaint.

"I agree, they are quaint and they're beautiful but they are not very practical."

We contacted the States and Phil Ogier from Roads & Traffic Management says they are committed to improvements that make life easier for all:

“Improving transport accessibility for all members of the community, including those with disabilities, is one of the objectives of Guernsey’s On-Island Integrated Transport Strategy."

"Wherever we carry out road resurfacing now, we introduce dropped kerbs and tactile paving as standard at crossing points to improve accessibility for wheelchair users, mobility scooters, pushchairs and those with reduced mobility."

"As well as recent accessibility improvements in St Peter Port, we’re also continuing to make improvements outside of town, such as the resurfacing of Bas Courtils Estate in St Saviour and the more recent work near Blanchelande College where we’ve installed a new pavement and two new crossing points with dropped kerbs and tactile paving."

Mr Ogier says anyone encountering obstructions where they shouldn't be, should contact his department.