And most business owners actually put quite of bit of thought into making their premises attractive to passersby, hoping to entice them in.

So it was quite shocking to read during the week that an impromptu survey of businesses in the Bathurst central business district found at least 80 to be inaccessible for people in wheelchairs.

Bathurst Regional Access Committee (BRAC) chairman Bob Triming made the discovery last weekend when he and his wife were delivering pamphlets in the CBD.

The pamphlets were to promote the Bathurst Access Improvement for Small Business grants and Mr Triming was looking for businesses that could clearly benefit from improved accessibility.

He had 24 pamphlets to slip under doors and soon ran out.

The 80-odd premises Mr Triming identified only account for places where someone with a wheelchair, walker or physical impairment couldn't get in through the door. That number does not account for internal issues, such as steps or narrow walkways.

It's a startling result that illustrates the level of exclusion people with mobility problems can face.

And it's not that any business owner would consciously turn away customers; rather, it's that some are clearly unaware of the problem or unsure what to do about it.

Conveniently, there is real help available - which is exactly what Mr Triming was trying to do in the first place.

Council's access grants program is among the most generous in the state and, most years, has money left over because not enough businesses are applying for help.

Business is hard enough at the moment without making it hard for customers to get to you. And if council is giving away money to help, who wouldn't want their share of it?