Access to wheelchair-accessible seesaw in Westside Park hindered by kissing gates
The wheelchair-accessible seesaw in Westside Park. Photo: Michelle Geraghty
By Michelle Geraghty
A wheelchair-accessible seesaw in Westside Park playground is inaccessible for many wheelchair users, because of the presence of so-called ‘kissing gates’ at all ten entry points to the park.
While the kissing gates allow non-disabled pedestrians to pass through the kissing gates with relative ease, they obstruct access to bicycles, buggies, wheelchair users and individuals who use mobility devices.
Sharon Houston is one of the Service Support Officers with the Galway branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA).
“This topic of kissing gates and other barriers to access comes up a lot with service users attending the adult day services I manage across the City,” said Ms Houston. “Only today we were discussing how frustrating it is when wheelchair users can’t access public amenities like parks.”
Frustration
“The frustration is huge,” she said. “The consensus from all of our conversations is that these gates are discriminatory to wheelchair users and that they deprive disabled people from accessing and using amenities.”
“One user I spoke to told me kissing gates on public property are a ‘holy disgrace’ and I don’t disagree,” added Ms Houston. “Even where some wheelchair users can get through the gates, it’s still just another obstacle they have to overcome. We should be making public spaces more accessible, not creating barriers.”
Anne Mahon, an IWA service user in Galway believes accessibility is supposed to be inclusive and asked: ‘Why do they want to lock us out?”
While Ms Houston understands that kissing gates may have a purpose, she believes there has to be another solution. “It’s just not okay to limit the rights of our service users. Accessibility should come first.”
According to Ms Houston, the branch supports between 50-55 adult service users, most with a physical disability, over five service days, and an additional 20 or so school leavers.
Access Control Points
In its ‘Access Control Points’ report dated 27 October 2022, Galway City Council carried out a review of all access control points across the city, which includes over 70 kissing gates.
In reference to the ten gates at Westside Park, the report concluded that the Council has the authority to remove the gates and that there is “merit in amending” them.
However, the report went on to state that “the pathway may need upgrading due to poor surface prior to confirmation of appropriateness”.
The report also stated that “passive surveillance needs to be considered to deter anti‐social behaviour”.
In April 2023, Mayor of Galway Eddie Hoare, announced the receipt of €12,195 in funding for the installation. The seesaw was installed in the playground last summer.
The news was shared as an example of the Council’s commitment to making Galway’s parks & playgrounds more accessible for all.
No reports or data
David Corley, an active travel and accessibility advocate said “the gates are supposed to prevent anti-social behaviour … but there are no reports or data on this”.
Mr Corley runs the #barriers2Galway project responsible for compiling the data map of all access barriers across the city. Mr Corley’s data map was used by the City Council in their report.
A month after the publication of the October 2022 report, a new kissing gate was installed in Ard Alainn, Ballybane.
Pilot Scheme
Galway City Council announced plans last October to remove or replace three of Galway’s kissing gates as part of a pilot scheme. None of the ten kissing gates at Westside Park were part of the pilot.
Despite numerous requests to Galway City Council for a status update on the pilot scheme, Galway Pulse has not received a statement on the issue.
Update: 8 March 2024
As reported by Galway Pulse on 5 March, work to remove the kissing gate at Terryland Forest Park had commenced. This work has now been completed.
In a statement dated 8 March, Galway City Council advised that they anticipate that works on the removal of the gates at South Park “will be progressed in the near future”.
The Council added that they are “progressing plans for a series of access control works (i.e. the removal of kissing gates), at locations throughout the city” and that “works to remove further kissing gates will then be carried out on an ongoing, phased basis.”
“This project will remain subject to funding and all appropriate design and works processes,” they stated. “Galway City Council is committed to improving accessibility throughout the city, and we look forward to progressing this work in due course.”
Update: 21 March 2024
Following publication of this article, Galway Pulse has learned that Galway City Council removed the middle section of the kissing gate opposite Ballard House, Bóthar le Cheile to allow access to this Amenity Park.
