Enfield Council To Ban Mobility Scooters On Pavements?
Disabled people may find it harder to get around certain parts of London if one local council is successful in its campaign to see mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs that can go no faster than 8mph banned from going on the pavement.
Enfield Council is looking into using a public space protection order to bring in a number of new offences, launching a consultation to ask locals what they think of the proposals – which also include fines for those sleeping rough, Politics.co.uk reports.
Liberty, a human rights group, has now written to the local authority urging them to abandon these plans, noting that such moves would discriminate against disabled people.
“It is common sense – using your wheelchair on the pavement to stay safe isn’t antisocial behaviour and vulnerable people should be helped off the streets as the cold weather sets in, not slapped with impossible fines and criminal records. Enfield deserves better – the council must abandon these plans now,” Rosie Brighouse, legal officer for Liberty, was quoted as saying.
Currently, you do not need a licence to drive your powered wheelchair or mobility scooter but you may need to register it. Class 3 invalid carriages can be used on the road and have a maximum speed of 8mph on the road and 4mph off it. Class 2 invalid carriages can’t be used on the road unless there isn’t a pavement and these only have a top speed of 4mph. You will need to be 14 or over in order to drive a class 3 invalid carriage.
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