By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
DISABLED shoppers at Thompson Parkway in Cranbourne will no longer be able to park directly out the front of the Priceline Pharmacy and access it via a ramp.
Works on the centre, which started on 8 June, are expected to be completed in October this year.
One disabled shopper was forced to stay put in the car.
“This week I have sat in the car because the stairs and ramp have been removed and it’s all fenced off for construction, so my wife has gone in and done the shopping,” Cranbourne resident of 27 years, Paul Sandham said.
After his left knee was replaced last year, Mr Sandham is on the waiting list for his right knee and has to use crutches to walk distances that would take him more than two minutes.
“It’s painful having to walk with crutches, and I could manage to walk up the stairs or ramp to get to the pharmacy without crutches if I got a disabled park out the front,” he said.
The two disabled parking bays that were adjacent to the Priceline Pharmacy will be removed and moved closer to the main entrance of the centre and only the stairs will be re-built.
Mr Sandham, 58, said he’d like to see the ramp re-built.
“It’s ridiculous to remove the ramp for good, I’ve seen a lot of people use it in wheel chairs, prams and shopping trolleys and now all those people will have to go the long way around,” the regular shopper at Thompson Parkway said.
Centre Management at Thompson Parkway admitted the walk for disabled shoppers from the disabled parking bays to the Priceline Pharmacy will be longer, and said the changes to the disabled bays were due to the sloping ground.
“The former car parking bays near Priceline were on a slight grade, and as part of the refurbishment it was an opportunity to ensure the disabled parking bays are on level ground,” centre management said.
Mr Sandham argued he has never noticed a slant.
“They seemed level to me, there might be a slight angle, but it’s nothing to worry about, I couldn’t tell when I was walking on it,” he said.
Centre management said the new four bays that would be built in front of the post office were designed with the help of an architect to ensure the disabled parks were closer to entry and exit points for all shops at the centre.
“The four new disabled parks will feature the latest Disability Discrimination Act design requirements and will provide easier on-grade access to all the shops, as they are on level ground,” they said.
According to centre management, the walk from the new disabled parks to the Priceline Pharmacy will be about 42 metres and Mr Sandham said the changes had made accessing the pharmacy on his own much harder.
“They’re creating an inconvenience for disabled people to access the pharmacy, I know there’s a lot of disabled people that go to that chemist and they’re all going to be feeling the same as me,” he said.
