Those of us who live “on the other side of the tracks” – Valley Park in my case – are familiar with the appalling state of the pavements along Ferry Road. Many of the paving slabs are cracked in the middle and dip downward, a real hazard for all pedestrians.
My disabled daughter, who has balance and depth-perception issues, has fallen twice on the stretch between the level crossing and the Ferry Road Bridge in the last year. Just scrapes and bruises in her case, but not everyone is so fortunate.
Yesterday my husband and I got involved in helping an elderly friend who had tripped and fallen on one of those slabs. Judging from her injuries the lower part of her face hit the concrete first and, although she’s a trouper, she was clearly very shaken.
She’s one of many elderly or disabled people (many from Badger Gate) who use that route daily. And the able-bodied among us are just as likely to come a cropper – I’ve just been lucky so far.
The damage is no doubt caused by drivers pulling in with two wheels on the pavement, another hazard to the elderly and disabled that never seems to be addressed in Rye.
On the other side of the level crossing, the large paved area on the corner is frequently used as a parking spot by Network Rail vans and other commercial vehicles and the pavements are cracking badly there.
It’s about time the paving stones were replaced and drivers fined for hazardous parking along a stretch of road that’s always busy with road and pedestrian traffic in the daytime. Pedestrians need safe pavements.
Photos: Gillian Roder