DisabilitySensory         bbermingham@corkcity.ie    www.bbermingham.com

ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY LORD MAYOR OF CORK,

COUNCILLOR BRIAN BERMINGHAM,

AT PUBLIC MEETING OF SENSORY DISABILITY ACCESS GROUP,

JURY’S HOTEL, SATURDAY MARCH 24, 2001.

MINISTER MARTIN,

MEMBERS OF THE OIREACHTAS,

FELLOW COUNCILLORS,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

The Lord Mayor has asked me to

Convey his regrets and to wish the meeting every success.

Introduction

I am extremely happy, to be here this afternoon, representing the City of Cork as Deputy Lord Mayor.

 I wish to congratulate the Sensory Disability Access Group and Bernadette Murphy for their initiative.  

 It is an initiative, of course, born at a time when there is concern about the needs of people with disabilities in many areas - vision hearing - mental or physical - affecting so many people at different points during their lives.

 For Public Representatives & Public officials it is an awareness exercise, we will learn from the discussions, observations and recommendations, which may emerge to enable us to best represent you and the needs you express.

Best Practice

We all strive towards “the objective” of improving conditions of access on our roads, streets, parks, homes, and public buildings indeed, everywhere.

 An atmosphere and ethos, of BEST PRACTICE and nothing less, has arrived in Society to day, creating opportunities enabling all sections of our population to be fully functioning.

 This entails the absence, of careless man made obstructions through lack of thought, consideration and best practice.

 At some time in our lives, many people directly experience the

Needs, desires, frustrations and sheer annoyance - indeed anger that our built environment obstructs the going progress of our daily lives, fulfilling our role in life, striving to be as productive and independent as our own abilities and skills will facilitate.

Right

That people feel the need that this right should be declared, emphasized, requested campaigned and fought for reflects on the quality of our society.

 It is the essence, in the concept of Society & Community - that all will enjoy the best possible conditions for leading a lifestyle that is as full and free as best practice in the built environment will allow, -from danger on the public thoroughfare, and in accessing public buildings, business premises and public transport.

Economy

The upswing in the economy continues to benefit a great many people and inherent in that upsurge is the pace and scale of private and public building, roadway and footpath upgrading.  They are an essential part of national and local economic progress.

 But, as the Sensory Disability Access Group are rightly pointing out, not everybody benefits, indeed the pace of economic development has increased the hazards as illustrated with so many examples of building materials, scaffolding and vehicles left and parked on footpaths etc.

 Our Modern Society has within it so many hazards and dangers for all, whether young or older that ACCESS & SAFETY must be uppermost in the minds of those who, are in positions to make to make a difference

The challenge to all of us is to find ways of ensuring that economic progress does not diminish the quality of life, as individuals participate fully in the use of the public realm, but instead to seize the opportunity that this economic progress brings in addressing decades of neglect.

Cork Corporation

Cork Corporation, its public Representatives and its officials, in their responsible for planning and managing the public thoroughfares and buildings, are fully committed to monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis.

 Where necessary and possible, they take precautionary and remedial measures to protect individuals from man made hazards of all kind. 

 Cork Corporation is very conscious of the needs of people with Sensory Disability, it is the policy

1.    To provide ramps at junctions to facilitate wheelchairs on all new footpaths 

2.    To install ramps on the older footpaths throughout the city over time.

3.    To include new facilities for people in relation to the provision of Pedestrian Crossings including both a sound and tactile facility in locations where it is safe to do so. Tactile paving is also included on the adjacent footpaths. A number of these new Pedestrian Crossings have been installed throughout the city, and this programme is ongoing.

4.    To maintain ongoing close liaison with the Sensory Disability Access Group and the Cork Access Group         and in particular when major schemes such as the Patrick Street Project, and other Urban Renewal Schemes such as the North Main Street, Castle Street are underway.

5.    To include facilities both on footpaths and adjacent to Pedestrian Crossings and Traffic Lights, which comply with the needs of the Sensory Impaired. 

6.    To continue the programme of extensive resurfacing of both Major Traffic Routes and Housing Estate Roads within the city commenced during the last 3 years, radically improving the road surface. It is our plan to continue with this work and extend it to footpaths as funding becomes available.

7.    To ensure that all new public buildings have full access for the Sensory Impaired,

8.    To continue with the upgrading of older public buildings to provide full access.

In relation to Buildings,

1.    The requirements of Part M of the Building Regulations aim to ensure that buildings are accessible and usable by people with disabilities.

2.    The underlying philosophy on which these requirements are based is that buildings should be accessible and usable by everyone.

3.    Those involved in the design and construction of buildings should have regard to this philosophy of universal access and make provision.

Cork Corporation readily admits that a lot needs to be done and particularly in the older built environment.

 It is conscious of the needs of all sections of the community, and will be active in pursuing the objective of full universal access to all.

 I wish to thank the organisers again for inviting me here to day. 

 I hope it proves to be a positive and worthwhile meeting in addressing the interests and needs of people with sensory disability, participating fully in society.

 THANK YOU.

Brian Bermingham

Deputy Lord Mayor

bbermingham@eircom.net

http://homepage.eircom.net/~bbermingham/