A LOCAL woman that relies on mobility aids to move around the town, is calling for “safer” pavements and crossing points for pedestrians.
Jean Gill, who uses a mobility scooter and a rollator walking aid, has explained she has “great difficulty’ moving around the town.
A lack of dropped kerbs and safe crossing points across the town, and poor pavement surfacing, sometimes forces Jean into the road to make some of her journey.
Jean has asked that Somerset County Council, the local authority that is responsible for highways in the county, pay more attention to Frome and “spend more money” to make improvements.
“I hadn’t been out very much during the winter and lockdown,” said Jean, “but decided to go to Victoria Park today in the sunshine. There are numerous road safety and access issues in Frome which need addressing by Somerset County Council, but we are too far away from County Hall for anyone from the highways department to come to survey and improve.
“It’s not just dropped kerbs, but it’s also the state of the surface of some pavements, and the lack of pedestrian crossings – all of Frome suffers really, as we haven’t been given enough safe pedestrian crossings.
“And this is not just a problem for people like me, it’s particularly true for young families getting to and from school too. Families are being encouraged to walk to school – but it is not safe to do so!”
Speaking to Frome Times, Jean highlighted a number of areas that she finds difficult to navigate on her mobility scooter, including, crossing Rook Lane where it meets Bath Street as it has no dropped kerbs; crossing at the top and bottom of Bath Street due to a lack of a safe crossing point; King Street, which has too narrow a path for her scooter; and even where she lives, Spring Road, where she often uses the road to travel instead.
“I want Somerset County Council to take notice of what is happening in Frome and spend more money in this end of the county to make it safer for people,” said Jean.
In response, a spokesperson for Somerset County Council said, “We do work closely with Frome Town Council on implementing improvements but we recognise there continue to be problem areas in the town for mobility impaired pedestrians.
“It’s really helpful to hear the concerns of the community about these issues and we would suggest the resident gets in touch with our team at TrafficManagement@somerset.gov.uk so that an assessment of her concerns can be made.”
