Standard of pavements

Having been overseas for 50 years and now for the last four back in my mother country, it took me some time to work out why mothers with pushchairs, as well as pensioners, disabled people and the many people told to walk after coming out of hospital, walk in the street and not on the pavement.

Only a few pavements are done up to standard. A pavement should be of the right height to enable old people to climb them better. When I asked why some pavements are very high I was told that it is to stop cars parking on them. I would have thought that a double yellow line would do that.

A pavement should be on one level, sloping down to the street at each corner of each block and the slopes wide enough for a wheelchair.

Slopes should start from the edge of the pavement. Some pavements have such a big slope to the street from garages that no wheelchair can use them.

I am not suggesting all the pavements be dug up and put right, but it's 2007! Can we have a plan to start?

What worries me about all this is that, if a pedestrian is hit by a car, he is probably told he should have been on the pavement.