WITH reference to the page 3 article (March 14) on the dropped kerb initiative: The motivation and work for this initiative came not from Tavistock Forward's valuable 'Towns alive' project but as a result of about eight years of ongoing collaboration between Tavistock Access Group and Devon County Highways, resulting in the gradual improvement to the accessibility of the town for disabled users.
Members of the access group, on foot, in a self-propelled manual wheelchair and a 'buggy' user, went round the whole town with members of Devon Highways and together identified outstanding problem sites.
After review of the resulting list a few additional sites were identified. Some of this work has been completed and more work should be done shortly.
The access group is a working, not social, group of dedicated people and includes physically disabled members, together with representatives of town and borough councils, ring and ride, an occupational therapist and others.
We have just completed the research for, and are about to publish, the third edition of the access guide rating all local shops and businesses for accessibility. The guide is available from the council offices, social services and the tourist office.
As we went around, where possible we highlighted, particularly to new businesses, the new accessibility regulations coming into force in October 2004, while understanding the difficulties facing Tavistock, like other towns with large numbers of listed buildings.
Cllrs Mrs Judith Williams (founder member of the group) and
Mrs Marjorie Corner