In the English countryside stiles and so-called kissing gates “have been a familiar feature of the landscape for centuries, but local authorities now believe that installing them along footpaths and rights of way is a breach of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.” (“Farms kiss goodbye to stiles and gates to allow wheelchair access”, Times Online, Nov. 30). According to Wikipedia, some kissing gates are designed on a large enough scale that wheelchairs can pass through.
U.K.: Farm stiles and gates yield to wheelchair access
In the English countryside stiles and so-called kissing gates “have been a familiar feature of the landscape for centuries, but local authorities now believe that installing them along footpaths and rights of way is a breach of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.” (“Farms kiss goodbye to stiles and gates to allow wheelchair access”, Times Online, […]
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The move is also part of the Government’s attempt to encourage more people to visit the countryside and to learn more about farms and the provenance of food.
Just what business is it of the government if people don’t want to visit the countryside? Have they hired this man as an advisor?
Next step: after a few wheelchairs get mired, people whose land is crossed by recognized footpaths will be forced to pave – wide enough for chairs to pass in opposite directions.