A DISABILITY rights campaigner is calling for yellow lines to be painted on a dropped curb to stop cars parking there and blocking wheelchair access.
Joshua Reeves, 23, lives with cerebral palsy and says the issue in Leckwith is stopping him from getting outside independently.
“It makes me so annoyed when people park there”, said Joshua.
“It stops me from doing stuff and it makes me more disabled.”
“I have to go back into my house and hope that my support is there to help me. If not, I’ll be waiting there for hours until I can get out.”
A support worker or a member of the public has to carry Joshua off the pavement, which is painful both physically and emotionally.
He is calling on Cardiff City Council to put yellow lines on the dropped curb to prevent any cars from parking there.
Joshua says he has contacted the council, the police and even confronted drivers himself in the past, but nothing seems to be changing.
“One day, I hope I wake up to a yellow line there so I can actually know I’m safe and be more independent. That’s my dream.”
According to Disability Wales, a charity promoting the rights of disabled people, Joshua’s experience is far too common.
Miranda Evans, the charity’s Policy and Programmes Manager, says they have raised this issue with councils all over Wales for many years.
“There needs to be more penalties imposed by the council through policing,” she said.
“It’s extremely problematic for those that require the use of dropped curbs. It’s life limiting.”
For Joshua, this is not the only issues he’s vocal about. Throughout December, he has created an ‘Accessible Advent’ to raise awareness of daily issues that disabled people face. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter on his page ‘Don’t call me special’.
Cardiff City Council has been approached for a comment.