Colin says: Access Denied by overgrown vegitation ...
This footpath in at least 18" wider than it looks, but a lack of maintenance forces able bodied people into the undergrowth every time they encounter a mobility scooter.
Overgrown paths such as this are awkward enough to negotiate when two people attempt to pass one another other on foot. How much worse then when one of those people is on foot and the other is excercising their perfectly legitimate right to use the same footpath on a mobility scooter?
The scooter in this picture is a relatively modest Class 3 version less than 25 inches wide. Bearing in mind that Class 3 vehicles can be up to 14 inches wider than this... what are the chances that you'd be able to pass one on this footpath without having to take to the brambles? I use the above footpath regularly and know that in winter (when all the vegitation has died off) the tarmac path itself is more than wide enough for a pedestrian to pass even the largest invalid carriage without undue inconvenience... but you would not know that in the height of summer when the brambles are scraping your arms and you end up at your destination with blackberries in your shoes.
The solution (in some areas at least) could be surprisingly simple. Why not call for disabled scooter-owners themselves to motitor the accessible footpaths in their area and perhaps even offer them the use of a small strimmer-style tools with which they can clear the vegitation on their own patch? Many people (disabled and otherwise) people would be only too happy to be of service to their communities in this and similar ways.
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