"TAKE A BUGGY RIDE DOWN WEST MALLING HIGH STREET WITH ME"

5.23.32pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 15th Sep 2005

This was the challenge issued to KCC Chairman by Lyn Armstrong, West Malling resident today. Lyn today presented KCC Chair John London with a 300 signature petition asking for more dropped kerb facilities in West Malling for people using wheelchairs, powered chairs and buggies.

A resident of Churchfields, West Malling, Lyn is dependent on her motorised chair "SID" to do her daily shopping, banking and GP surgery. But a lack of dropped kerbs, broken kerbs and cross-kerb drains and drives are making life difficult for SID. More often than not Lyn has to ride in the road, rather than on the pavement. Outdoor seating areas and shop advertising signs are also adding to her difficulties.

Lyn issued a challenge to John London to visit West Malling and ride the High Street in her spare buggy. "People who need to use wheelchairs or powered buggies suffer real pain from poor pavements" she said. "I want somebody to understand that."

County Councillor Trudy Dean walked West Malling High Street with Lyn and is currently putting together a map of defects for submission to KCC. "Even dropped kerbs put in during the last few years still have too high a kerb to be used by powered buggies," she said.

"I want somebody to understand how painful it is for people who use powered chairs to ride over the many obstacles in our way," she said.