Anger as new park barriers are too narrow for mobility scooters
Residents are annoyed after barriers were installed at a park which are too narrow for mobility scooters and buggies.
Birmingham City Council has installed barriers at the entrances of Senneleys Park in Bartley Green to stop scrambler motorbikes entering and says it has so far had positive feedback.
But Joanne Hector, 43, who cannot work due to a disability, lives opposite the park but has been unable to enter as her mobility scooter cannot fit through the bars.
She said the barriers were installed at the entrance nearest her home in November and as a result she has not been able to use the park since.
Ms Hector has said she and other residents were not consulted on the change prior to it being put in place.
The council has now said it will remove the barrier at the Mill Lane entrance to the park.
Ms Hector said: “I can’t get my mobility scooter through and others have trouble getting buggies through.
“I woke up one morning and saw them putting it up and thought ‘I can’t use the park any more’. It’s upsetting me.
“I have problems with my spine and need a knee replacement. I have trouble walking more than a few metres.
“It’s unfair that only able-bodied people can use it. They never went round asking it it would work, they just did it.
“Some sort of gate with a lock for disabled people and people with buggies would be better than this.”
Kerry Brewer, 45, has had trouble going to the park with both her six-month-old son in a pushchair and seven-year-old daughter on a bike.
She said: “If I take my son and daughter there, I have to leave one of them unsupervised.
“It is very good news they are going to be taking the barrier down.”
Councillor John Lines has raised the problem with the council.
He said: “What the council officers have done is to fit these barriers with total disregard for our disabled and mothers with children.
“The problem with intruders could easily be overcome by locking the gates.
“They never consulted with either the elected members – Bruce and myself – or the park visitors.”
A spokesperson for the city council said it had spoken to the Friends of Senneleys Park about measures to stop scramblers entering – and added the barrier at Mill Lane would be removed.
The spokesperson said: “This site has been severely impacted by scramblers, which has escalated over recent years, causing damage to the site and intimidating local users and creating noise nuisance to residents – leading to many complaints and calls to resolve the situation.
“As such, over the last few years, our parks team have been gradually adapting some of the entrances with our usual, tried and tested, anti-scrambler measures including chicanes and barriers.
“This has been done on a gradual basis, as trials, to see what works at each location, because each is different.
“The Friends of Senneleys Park were briefed on this and to date our parks team have received just one complaint (last November), relating to a barrier installed at the Mill Lane main entrance.
“We’ve had positive feedback from the Friends who have reported a positive response in terms of reduced scrambler activity.
“The issue relating to the complaint has been followed up with a contractor to see if the barrier can be adjusted – unfortunately it can’t and we have asked for it to be removed as soon as possible.”
