Herald - Issue 396

Page 18 • The HERALD • 8th October 2020 v FOR GOOD ADVICE - ASK YOUR LOCAL SPECIALISTS v Chris Hopkins Painting, Decorating, Carpentry, Tiling Free Estimates Photographs & references available on request Telephone: 023 8081 5210 Mobile: 07986 806277 Professional installers of Fascias, Guttering, Cladding, PVCu Windows & Doors Composite Doors • 10 year labour and product guarantees Repairs, cleaning and advice also available Tel: 023 8086 9715 or 07888 705455 enquiries@aztecfascias.com • Airport & Seaport Specialists • Highly Competitive Fares • Friendly, Reliable Service • Comfortable 6 Seater MPVs • Any Distance - Minimum Fare £10 Before booking your journey please call us for a free quotation 07770 967198 or 023 8194 8754 www.kazcarz.co.uk Ogilvy Property Services • Painting & Decorating • Kitchens & Bathrooms Supplied and Fitted • Tiling Walls/Floors • Plumbing • General Property Maintenance • Prompt & Free Quotes • No Job Too Small Tel: 023 8087 1187 Mobile: 07786 960101 www.ogilvypropertyservices.co.uk New Forest Scaffolding All aspects of scaffolding undertaken • Extensions • Chimneys • Re-Roofing • New Builds etc For a friendly, local, reliable service and a free quotation Telephone: 07734 476855 www.newforestscaffolding.co.uk Full Liability Insurance Lychette Cottage, Roughdown, Blackfield SO45 1XG Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH Hythe Inner Wheel Club has not been able to meet as usual due to current lockdown restrictions. e Chain of O ce handover from past President Margaret Vance to new President Wendy Lewis was a socially distanced, more relaxed a air in the garden. e last fewmonths have been challenging for thembut it has not stopped the wheels turning, with members keeping in touch via social media and holding online club meetings. Sadly fundraising events planned for this year have had to be postponed, but everyone is looking forward to resurrecting them in the spring to continue raising funds for local Waterside charities. Hythe and District Inner Wheel President’s Handover Margaret Vance handing over to new President Wendy Lewis PAVING THE WAY FOR ALL Pavements could be made safer for people with disabilities and families under new proposals to ban antisocial parking. Parking on pavements disproportionately affects people with visual or mobility impairments, those assisted by guide dogs, and wheelchair and mobility scooter users. More than 95% of wheelchair users and people with visual impairments say they have faced problems as a result of vehicles parked on pavements. Three options were proposed earlier this month – improving the traffic regulation order process to make it easier for councils to prohibit pavement parking in their areas, giving councils powers to ne drivers who park on paths, and a London- style nationwide ban on pavement parking. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Parking on pavements means wheelchair users, visually impaired people and parents with push chairs can be forced into the road, which is not only dangerous, but discourages people from making journeys. There are safety risks when parked cars occupy the pavement, forcing vulnerable pedestrians to move into the road.” Disabled people say pavement parking is a significant barrier to carrying out daily journeys. Recent research from the charity Guide Dogs shows that 32% of people with vision impairments and 48% of wheelchair users were less willing to go out on their own because of pavement parking, decreasing independence and contributing towards isolation. e consultation is the government’s latest step to deliver on commitments to make transport equally accessible for all users by 2030, as set out in the Inclusive Transport Strategy. Blanche Shackleton, Head of Policy, Public A airs and Campaigns at Guide Dogs said: “For many people with sight loss, cars and vans parked on the pavement make our streets stressful and dangerous to navigate. At any time, you might be forced out into the road with traffic that you cannot see. When every journey is an ordeal, simply going out independently can become daunting.” e consultation comes as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps steps up e orts to encourage active travel – such as walking – as part of a green, Post-Covid recovery, and level up road quality across the country. e government announced £2bn in May to get more people walking and cycling, and £2.5bn in the Budget towards repairing potholes as part of the biggest nationwide programme ever announced. On top of this, the government is also investing £27bn to improve roads across the country and boost connectivity between our towns and cities. It is currently an o ence to cause an unnecessary obstruction on the highway, which is enforceable by the police.