Two lampposts in the middle of the sidewalk in Laren were a thorn in the side of a number of Laarders for several weeks. This made it difficult for visually impaired, blind and people in wheelchairs to pass. But the municipality has removed the lampposts and placed new posts in a better location, to the relief of visually impaired Irmy from the Laren Accessibility Team.
A brand new apartment complex has been built on the corner of Burgemeester van Nispen tot Sevenaerstraat and Stationstraat, including a new sidewalk. But in the eyes of the Laren Accessibility Team, this missed the mark considerably when the old lampposts ended up in the middle of the newly laid sidewalk.
“People in wheelchairs, for example, cannot now navigate the sidewalk,” said Irmy Vos of Laren’s Accessibility Team. previously to NH. Irmy herself is visually impaired and these poles also pose a risk to her. “When the sun is low I can’t see the poles,” she said. After questions from NH, the municipality of Laren announced plan to remove the poles.
About a week and a half later, that has finally happened, to the delight of Irmy and her team. “We are pleased that we acted quickly and it has now been resolved.”