GSD criticises Govt for dragging feet on zebra crossing

The GSD has lambasted the Gibraltar Government for its tardiness making the only zebra crossing to the new Midtown car park accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs.

The car park was inaugurated on August 5 this year but nothing was done about the zebra crossing until it was raised in Parliament by Opposition MP Lawrence Llamas.

Mr Llamas was “grateful that a simple question in Parliament results in getting things done for the benefit of our community” 

“The lack of planning on many issues is palpable. It has taken Government over four months to determine whether a ramp is needed. Even though the Minister for Equality lamentably refused my attendance to the accessibility seminar, which would have served in a short term a learning curve and in a long term vision provide a continuity of knowledge and experience should there be a change of administration in the future,” said Mr Llamas.

He believes that the Government should realise that this sort of public funded event is far more useful to Opposition MPs than receiving free VVIP tickets.

“It is sad to note that the Government does not lead by example on this type of issue, an issue which forms one of the important factors being introduced in the Disability Bill, but yet hypocritically holds a seminar for the public and private sector by Mr Ian Streets the Managing Director of About Access UK to talk about accessibility,” said Mr Llamas.

But last night the Government said the GSD statement was as “petty as it is incorrect.”

“The ramp had been ordered long before Mr Llamas raised the issue in Parliament. Luckily, Gibraltar now has a government that leads by example in this field. What is extraordinary, however is how quick Mr Llamas was to pat himself on the back for this false achievement of his. That alone says a lot about him as a politician,” said the Minister for Infrastructure, Paul Balban.