An elderly man had a lucky escape from serious injury yesterday morning when he came off his mobility scooter while crossing the road in Russell Street.
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Bathurst police received a call at around 11.15am that the man was lying on the pedestrian crossing, having been tipped off the scooter.
Initial thoughts were that the gentleman had been hit by a car while using the crossing.
A duty officer with Chifley Local Area Command said it appeared the man had turned to look at a car driving past, had run up the gutter and rolled the scooter. As a result, he was tipped out.
Fire and Rescue NSW also attended the accident. Station officer Ross Bramich said the refuge island has sloped sides and when one side of the scooter ran up it, the scooter tipped.
Emergency services personnel managed to right the scooter and the man was taken to hospital for a check-up.
Local disability access advocate Bob Triming believes it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured on one of Bathurst’s pedestrian crossings.
Because he uses a mobility aid himself, he is all too aware of the vulnerability of people in wheelchairs and on scooters.
“People just don’t stop for you,” he said.
“It might be because they are inattentive or on their phones. Maybe they just don’t see you because they are focused on the roundabout and not the crossing.”
After he was nearly wiped out on one of the George Street crossings, Mr Triming said he sat down and studied why motorists often don’t even notice the crossings are there.
He believes one of the reasons is a lack of consistency in the signage at pedestrian crossings – something he raised at the last meeting of council.
He said the signage on the crossings near the Western Advocate and Country Coffee are a dark mustard colour, whereas newer signage in other parts of town are a fluorescent yellow or green, which is much easier to see.
Another crossing further up George Street only has one sign – and it is near a school.
However, Mr Triming believes it is not all the motorists’ fault.
He said people who use mobility scooters can do things to make themselves more visible to motorists.
Mr Triming has a swag of LED lights on his own wheelchair and normally wears a fluorescent jacket or vest.
