Two-year wait for pavement repairs ‘not good enough’
A pedestrian who uses a wheelchair has said they have waited “long enough” for repairs to a Campbeltown pavement where a mother and her young child were injured more than two years ago.
Maintenance firm BEAR Scotland told the Courier the section of footway at Millknowe Road, where several temporary fixes have been carried out, will be permanently repaired this year – but it could be October or November before the work is completed.
In May, cones were placed on the parts of the pavement in the worst condition, with barriers diverting pedestrians onto the road beside, something that is causing the wheelchair user, who wishes to remain anonymous, some frustration.
“The pavement has been in a bad state for a long time, which is hard enough to deal with, but now the barriers are difficult to navigate in my chair and I have to bump down onto the road,” the person said.
“And sometimes the barriers move and the gap is then too narrow for me to fit through. They have been there for months now and it’s not good enough – we have put up with this situation for long enough.”
It was on this stretch of pavement where Campbeltown mum Megan Elliot and her son Finley, now aged three, were injured after a fall in April 2022.
Finley, then aged 16 months, had to be taken to hospital to be checked over after suffering cuts, bruising and swelling on his lips and head, as well as a chipped tooth, when his buggy’s front wheels got stuck in a gap between the kerb and the pavement.
This caused Megan to fall over the pushchair, resulting in her own cuts and bruises, and ending up with the pair in the road.
After Megan’s accident, BEAR Scotland, the company responsible for maintaining Scotland’s trunk roads network on behalf of Transport Scotland, told us temporary repairs would be carried out until the pavement could be permanently fixed – which those concerned now feel is long overdue.
Speaking to the Courier this week, Megan told us that although the small patch on the pavement that she complained about was repaired, some of the other holes were filled with concrete which “made it worse”, as it soon broke up and “created a serious health hazard”, causing some people to have to visit an optician to have dust removed from their eyes.
She added: “Given that BEAR Scotland has known about the state of the pavement, and the injuries it caused to my son and myself, for more than two years, it is shocking how long it is taking to make the necessary repairs.
“It’s unbelievable that no one else has been injured in that time. The pavements around the town are so unsafe for prams and wheelchairs, and I worry about older people with mobility issues.”
Not only is the pavement causing concern for pedestrians but the barriers have resulted in disruption during events at Argyll Bowling Club, as they have removed a large section of available parking space.
A spokesperson for the club said: “This has been a great hindrance to our members for several weeks. Not only is it becoming a nuisance, but it is also an eyesore for any visiting members.
“We have our most important event of the year in the first week of September; we have several teams visiting from all over the country and we hope the works will have been completed by then.”
However, a spokesperson for BEAR Scotland has now revealed that the permanent repairs have been delayed because of utility services below the pavement.
“We have included this section of the Millknowe Road footway in this year’s maintenance programme,” said the spokesperson. “We plan to reconstruct a 300m section of the footway between the Co-op entrance and just north of Albyn Avenue, which includes the defective section by the bowling green.
“This involves replacing the concrete with bituminous layers, replacing kerbs as needed, and installing crossing points.
“However, an initial investigation has found that underground utility services run along the footway. We are arranging a detailed survey to locate these accurately and determine how close the services are to the underside of the concrete layer to inform the detailed design.
“The works are scheduled for October/November, but this may change based on the survey results as the services might have to be lowered. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the footway and keep it safe for pedestrians.”
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