Sir: Martyn Harris has cogently emphasised the extravagance and folly
of the wheelchair ramps now incorporated in pavements at traffic junctions. What he omitted to men-
tion, however, was the danger these ramps present to pedestrians at large.
Even in dry weather I have, when wear- ing ordinary shoes, twice come a cropper as a result of their steepness — once resulting in permanent damage to one ankle. There is one ramp in Camden which is dangerously steep in two direc- tions: in its slope towards the road, and to the side because it is on a hill. Locals now avoid it carefully.
The real danger of these absurd ramps will become apparent when we have our next severe winter. When covered with packed ice they will present a serious haz- ard: pedestrians will slither, toboggan-like, straight onto the road into the path of the traffic.
The populace is being put at risk by the introduction of these ramps, and the only beneficiaries seem to be the cycling hooli- gans who use them to gain easy access to the pavement.
Gerard Noel
68 Grove End Gardens, London NW8
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