Bash the Barriers
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bashthebarriers.bsky.social
Bash the Barriers
@bashthebarriers.bsky.social
200 followers 210 following 45 posts
Active travel, barriers thereto, trying to learn / spread nouse about dealing with them. Walking / wheeling / cycling share common needs, but there are also conflicts to work on.
Building an Army of Davids.
Personal account: @mattwardman.bsky.social
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bashthebarriers.bsky.social
The full Douglas Adam's quote from "Life, The Universe and Eveything".
A quote from Douglas Adams. They flew out of the cloud. They saw the staggering jewels of the night in their infinite dust and their minds sang with fear. For a while they flew on, motionless against the starry sweep of the Galaxy, itself motionless against the infinite sweep of the Universe. And then they turned round. ‘It’ll have to go,’ the men of Krikkit said as they headed back for home. On the way back they sang a number of tuneful and reflective songs on the subjects of peace, justice, morality, culture, sport, family life and the obliteration of all other life forms. Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe, and Everything
April 3, 2025 at 2:47 PM
bashthebarriers.bsky.social
And here's the twin obstructing the pavement on the other side of Sheaf Road.
I think this one is just a pavement, not a "shared pavement".
maps.app.goo.gl/butR3YTqXVRM...
Am advertising board placed across the pavement, blocking half the width, on Sheaf Road, Sheffield.
April 3, 2025 at 2:37 PM
bashthebarriers.bsky.social
Photo of the cross-pavement advertising board. This is a shared cycling / walking pavement, and it obviously obstructs plus obscures sightlines.

The binding ruling in Herrick vs Kidner seems relevant.
www.oss.org.uk/landmark-jud...

@openspacessociety.bsky.social @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk
An advertising board half blocking a shared pavement on Sheaf Road near Sheffield Station.
April 3, 2025 at 2:30 PM
bashthebarriers.bsky.social
I promised an EPIC barrier location at 8am. (I'm on mid-Atlantic time today).

Here you go. An anti-wheelchair chicane in Lansdowne Road, Urmston at What3words .. verifying.fencing.skills.

I couldn't design it better myself. 😁

buff.ly/3B20MIm

Does anybody else have any more?
A What3words screenshot showing an anti-wheelchair chicane partially blocking an underpass through a railway embankment at Lansdowne Road, Urmston. It is at what3words location ... verifying.fencing.skills . https://what3words.com/verifying.fencing.skills Screenshot by @MattWardman / @BashtheBarriers. May be reused with attribution to mattwardman.bluesky.social
November 28, 2024 at 10:27 AM
bashthebarriers.bsky.social
The inventors of the A_Barrier.
November 23, 2024 at 12:45 PM
bashthebarriers.bsky.social
Following this up, Martyn.
One clear way to present it is the anti-wheelchair barrier means an able-bodied person has to walk 50m down the path, but a wheelchair user has to wheel 0.7 miles round the roads (afaics) - 12x as far.
That is a straight violation of EA 2010 20(3)(4), & 21.
HTH
1/2
A screenshot of google directions route between two ends of a path in Burnley with an anti-wheelchair barrier, indicating that able-bodied people need to walk 50m, whilst wheelchair users are made to go 1200m round the roads. Potential use is to demonstrate clear substantial diasadvantage to disabled, which is a violation of EA 2010 S20 para [3] and [4].
November 23, 2024 at 11:33 AM
bashthebarriers.bsky.social
Early on this feed, let me acknowledge the importance of the work done by Richard Bennett, aka the Heavy Metal Handcyclist.

I liked his technique of intimidating a Council with so much FOI paperwork, that it would be easier just to remove the barrier 👍.

I believe he coined "Bash the Barriers".
Richard Bennett, the Heavy Metal Handcyclist, Photo from the Wheels for Wellbeing website. I will remove if requested. https://wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/mourning-the-passing-of-richard-bennett-aka-heavy-metal-handcyclist-by-isabelle-clement/
November 21, 2024 at 5:50 PM