A severely visually impaired pedestrian living in East Craigs has hit out at OpenReach for placing telecommunication poles in the middle of public walkways at Fauldburn park.
The poles have been fitted in a way that reduces the pedestrian space available for people in the west of Edinburgh.
The masts were put in place in mid-September with residents saying that they are an accident waiting to happen.
Sylvia Paton, who is a local resident and is severely visually impaired, spoke of how the posts have made her life difficult with regards to getting around.
She relies upon a guide dog to safely lead her to where she needs to go.
On the OpenReach masts, she said: “These posts are a nightmare. I use a guide dog and they always work on the left to keep the owner as close to the centre of the footpath as possible.
“But when we turned the corner after the posts were installed, my dog almost walked into the post. Now she takes me to the other side of the path to avoid the pole but then I sometimes step off the path and onto the grass which is fine so long as I don’t trip over the edge between the footpath and the grass or if the grass is not sodden wet and muddy.
“The alternative is that she just stops to indicate a danger because what’s left of the width of the footpath isn’t broad enough for us to pass the poll safely. I’m happy to communicate with OpenReach if someone needs to speak to me about yet another botched job.”
Fauldburn has walkways that are commonly used by pedestrians who are travelling from Queensferry Road or Cammo into residential areas like East Craigs and Craigmount.
In response to the issues raised by Sylvia, an Openreach spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear of local concerns about the new poles. Health and safety is always our top priority.
“We’re building a new, ultrafast broadband network in East Craigs to give residents access to gigabit capable services. We know there’s strong local demand.
“Wherever we can, we use our existing duct-and-pole network to avoid digging and disruption. But in order to reach some homes and businesses, we needed to put up a small number of new poles. These are similar in size and width to local street lamps.
“They need to be in the right place to provide internet, TV and other services to properties, must avoid other underground services like gas and water pipes and drainage, and meet regulations on space left on the pavement for pedestrians, cyclists and prams.
“We didn't have permission to put up poles on the grass, but all network providers follow a statutory process to install telecoms infrastructure on public land.
"We give local authorities 28 days’ notice before we put up poles, and liaise with them if they raise any concerns about planned installations. No issues were raised in East Craigs.
“Under the rules, residents have a year to object to new poles. Details are pinned to the poles.
“The poles comply fully with all the relevant standards but, given the issues raised, we will take another look in this case.”
