Info-AccessDenied
Architechtural Barriers that contravene the Disibility Discrimination Act 1995

Obstacle Locations

steel barrier

undropped kerb

undropped kerb at bus stop

gravel steps

badly overgrown

steel bollards too close together

steel bollard in middle of path

kissing gate

kissing gate (vandalised)

Earthworks & Boulders

Sand trap to the south, very uneven surface all over.

Sand trap towards the south.

KEY
Red routes are currently blocked by architectural barriers
Orange routes may be usable but their start point is unreachable
Yellow routes can usually be managed with some difficulty or discomfort
Green routes have special provisions made for invalid carriages
Blue routes are ones on which our campaign has helped to achieve accessibility
Clicking on any route will reveal any notable comments concerning that route
Specific Barriers
Kissing Gates | Gravel Steps | Steel Barriers | Undropped Kerb | Regularly Overgrown | Steel Bollards | Other Obstacles |

Accessible Barriers

Farm Gate
The side access adjacent to the farm gate near the Concle in may not be passabe for large Class 3 invalid carriages.

Steps

steps

Rough Terrain

Architectural Barriers
Architectural barriers prevent disabled access to this extensive network of footpaths on Walney.
Love Barrow - Hate Barriers
Image © walneyisle.co.uk

Architectural Barriers
The lack of a dropped kerb at the start and architectural barriers later on prevent disabled access to this extensive network of footpaths on Walney.

Architectural Barriers
A series of kissing gates prevent disabled access to this footpaths. The gates aren't at the ends of the path where you'd have advance notice that it's inaccessible but serveral hundred yards into it out of sight and turning round may be very difficult due to the narrowness of the paths and the amount of undergrowth which regularly encroaches on them.

Overgrown
There's no chance of turning round on the southern end of this path and it's very narrow and badly overgrown so you may find yourself having to force your way through.

Architectural Barrier
A cast iron pillar in the middle of this steep snicket forces invalid carriages onto the grass where traction and control are at the mercy of the weather.

Architectural Barrier
An architectural barrier prevents disabled access to this well used short cut into North Vickerstown.

Kissing Gate
Access Denied to BAE's Earnse Bay - North Scale Footpath by an old fashioned Kissing Gate . If this gate were replaced by a more modern one with a RADAR lock (which, when unlocked by a disabled keyholder, would allow the gate to swing wide open) it would satisfy the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Such gates are already available from Agrid Fencing but what a feather it would be in BAE's cap if they put some real effort into providing disabled access and maufactured the gates themselves - not only for use here - but throughout the entire borough.
Love Barrow - Hate Barriers
Image © walneyisle.co.uk

Gravel Steps
In good weather this gravel footpath which has steps in it can be navigated in a northerly direction (i.e. downhill) but it's totally impassable in the other direction.
Love Barrow - Hate Barriers
Image © walneyisle.co.uk

Overgrown
In late summer a lack of maintenance (brush clearance) usually renders this footpath unusable to the disabled.

Overgrown Track
This short section of footpath has become so overgrown with shrubs and brambles in the last two years that able bodied people are now climbing the banking which runs alongside it in order to get through... unfortunately people on invalid carrages don't have that option.

Red Man's Way
This section of Red Man's Way is defended by architectural barries so badly designed that perfectly legal Class 2 and 3 invalid carriages are unable to use it yet motorcyclists can!

Channelside Walk
The Channelside Walk is accessible but only as from the southern end due to the two flights of steps at the northern end which could just as easily have been a tarmac incline.

Gravel Steps
This steep gravel track is unpassable in either direction due to the steps which are built into it to prevent the gravel slipping downhill.

Steps
I can't identify exactly where this path goes.

BEA track
Disabled access to the start of this footpath believed to be owned by BEA was blocked by a large mound of earth and a number of large boulders even AFTER the Disability Disrimination Act 2005 became law.

Shingle Track
Although usable by cars and on foot - this shingle track is impossible to drive on ANY sort of of invalid carriage and access to the well used footpath that runs alongside most of it has been blocked by boulder barriers.

Boulder Barriers
Disabled access to this track is denied by the old fashined kissing gate on the BAE's Earnse Bay - North Scale footpath at one end - and a barrier of boulders at the other end.

Boulder Barriers
In an attempt to prevent access by 4WD vehicles English Nature has recently constructed a huge earthwork and placed dozen of boulders all the way from the top of the shingle to the beach. No provision has been made for disabled access whatsoever and 4WD vehicles are still perfectly capable of dropping down onto the beach to avoid the barriers and driving straight back up the shingle on the other side.

Barrow Slag Bank
It's physically impossible even for able bodied peope to get up and down Barrow Slag Bank safely in a Class 1 invalid carriage (i.e. a manual wheelchair) therefore it stands to reason that "reasonable access" in cases which involve steep inclines like this MUST involve making provision for the use of the Class 2 and 3 invalid carriages more commonly referered to as mobility scooters.

Red Man's Way
This section of Red Man's Way is defended by architectural barries so badly designed that perfectly legal Class 2 and 3 invalid carriages are unable to use it while motorcyclists can!

NO ACCESS
Technically - various portions of this track COULD be usable by some of the more robust class 3 invalid carriages if only there was some way of getting to the start of this track in the first plase.

NO ACCESS
Technically - various portions of this track may well be usable by some of the more robust class 3 invalid carriages if only there was some way of getting to the start of the track in the first plase.

South Walney Reserve
Cumbria Wildlife Trust have aquired a Beamer Tramper all-terrain mobility scooter which is available for use by disabled visitors on this track subject to a short compulsory training/registration session and a small fee which goes towards it's upkeep.

Sandy Gap - Biggar Bank
It's not called Sandy Gap for nothing... this track is passable on an invalid carriage with care. The only real obstacle is the occasional wind-blown sand trap towards the southern end which I had to walk my scooter through. If you can't walk at all this track is still one of the better ones and has lots of entry/exit points.

Lack of Maintenance
Following the collapse of council land at the northern end of this footpath and a lack of thought in providing a disabled-friendly detour, this route is now totally unusable in the south bound direction. A potion of this route CAN still be used by invalid carriages in a northerly direction... but a lack of maintenance has resulted in sand traps building up which block the way ahead and force you to turn round and head back the way you came.

Lack of Manetenance
The footpath from Mille Lane to North Vickerstown requires great care due to the uneven surface and the amount of undergrowth which is encroaching on the path.

Lack of Manetenance
A lack of brush clearance prevents invalid carriage users negotiating this footpath.

Lack of Maintenance
This bone shaking track has a couple of hundred yards or tarmaced surface at the start but the reminder is so badly in need of maintenance that it's uncomfortable enough in a car never mind a mobility scooter or wheelchair. There is a smooth enough walking surface to one side for a couple of hundred yards but it's cambered at such a steep angle that there's a very real danger of tipping over sideways if you insist on trying to use it.

Holed Concrete
This bone shaking section of track runs along the top a holed-concrete sea defence structure and has the added drawback of being littered with sand and loose shingle so anything less than a Class 3 invalid carriage is really going to struggle. It's a dead end anyway (only to the disabled) but it does pass a lovely little sandy cove in the shelter of the whale tale where able bodied people who can clamber over the rocks hold regular picnic parties in the summer.

Line 17

Line 27

Line 28

uninvestigated

Fenced Off
The airfield perimiter road was easily accessibe until the whole airfied was fenced off around 2003/4

Barrow Slag Bank
It's physically impossible even for able bodied peope to get up and down Barrow Slag Bank safely in a Class 1 invalid carriage (i.e. a manual wheelchair) - therefore it stands to reason that "reasonable access" in cases which involve steep inclines like this MUST involve making provision for the use of the Class 2 and 3 invalid carriages more commonly referered to as mobility scooters.

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