Whanganui wheelchair user says ‘dangerous’ Gonville pavements need to be fixed

Michael Barry says the tree roots along the Harper St sidewalk have caused his wheelchair to flip over. Photo/ Bevan Conley

A wheelchair user says his frustrations over unsafe pavements in Gonville are not being listened to.

Whanganui District Council says it doesn’t have enough money to fix the more than 12,000 faults in the urban footpath network but will seek to increase its budget as part of next year’s long-term plan.

Michael Barry, a double amputee, said large tree roots along Harper St caused him to flip out of his wheelchair.

“It was very scary,” he said.

“I was trying to push my chair back over, and a person walking along the road had to stop and help me.”

Barry said the Harper St footpath was a route he took to get groceries from SuperValue and to visit his friend’s house.

“I’m over it, I’m tired of it, these streets are a disaster, there are tree roots everywhere.”

Whanganui District Council transportation manager Damien Wood said Barry’s accident was logged with the council in May this year.

“We were very sorry to hear about the accident caused by tree roots creating an uneven surface on the Harper St footpath.

“At the time, we told the customer there was currently no budget for this repair, and our next work programme for footpath repairs would be prepared in July this year.”

A short section of the footpath on Akatea St in Gonville was out of use due to construction at a neighbouring house, which forced Barry to move his electric wheelchair onto the road.

He said this made him feel uneasy.

“The cars come flying around the corner, they race around these streets, it’s dangerous.

“I could be bowled down by one of those cars.”

Barry said he had rung the council multiple times and lodged complaints, but he did not feel he had been taken seriously.

“I’m not only doing this for myself, I’m doing it for others that are in wheelchairs as well.”

This year more than 12,000 footpath faults of mid to high priority were identified within the urban network and logged in the council database.

Wood said faults were repaired according to the available budget for the work.

“The current footpath budget is not sufficient to address all of these faults.

“As part of the 2024-27 Long-Term Plan process, the council will seek additional funding for footpaths to enable more faults to be repaired.

“A section of Harper St is scheduled for repair this financial year.”

Councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay said there were a lot of footpaths around Whanganui that were in need of maintenance.

“I can’t speak to whether there are some suburbs that are worse than others, but what I think is really important is to make sure there’s access between all suburbs.

“For instance, some mobility scooters on Durie Hill can’t easily get in to town because the footpaths are dangerous coming down that hill; there are also people with mobility scooters that struggle getting across the state highway up in St John’s, a more affluent suburb.

“So I don’t think it’s limited to any particular area in Whanganui.”

Chandulal-Mackay said it was important for the council to consider the mobility-impaired or people with disabilities in decision-making.

“There are certainly parts of our footpaths that are really difficult to navigate, they can be bumpy or obstructed by tree roots.

“It’s the sort of experience that, as a pedestrian that’s fully capable of walking, you don’t often think about.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about your safety when you’re moving along a footpath because it’s in a state of disrepair, or because you feel like you’re going to slip off your scooter.”

Chandulal-Mackay said the council’s age-friendly plan aimed to take into account aged and disability communities when planning for the city.

He urged residents to take photos of damaged infrastructure or footpaths and report it through the council’s website, or via the Snap, Send Solve app.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.