Disabled activists in Wexford yesterday blocked the town's railway line in a protest over access to new coastal facilities.
The €20 million redevelopment of the quays includes a new quay wall, a marina for 60 boats, a new dock and a public viewing area.
Yesterday afternoon, a group of about 20 people, some of them visually-impaired and some in wheelchairs, as well as a group of their supporters, succeeded in stopping one train for 15 minutes.
The protesters, who call themselves Direct Action Network Ireland, and the Wexford branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association said that they wanted to highlight their difficulty in crossing the railway line to get to the new marina, which is being developed by Wexford Corporation.
At present, people with disabilities are unable to cross the railway line, which is situated between the quays and the coast road, despite the fact that the line is unfenced along most of its route through the town.
The group's spokesman, Mr Roger Prouse, said that local people had been petitioning Iarnrod Éireann for more than a year to provide a pathway across the railway line.
A local councillor, Mr Dominic Kiernan, pointed out that enjoyment of the quays was being denied to those with mobility problems.
The corporation says that it designed a number of crossing points on the railway to facilitate wheelchair-users. This involved raising the line by between six inches and one foot in certain places.
However, Iarnrod Éireann said yesterday that it had been unable to install the required crossing points for safety reasons.
A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann, Mr Barry Kenny, commented: "We would literally be inviting people to walk, or take their wheelchairs in front of trains, and we couldn't do that. In the event of an accident, we would be held liable. In normal circumstances, our route would be fenced off, and that would be that, but Wexford Corporation won't hear of a fence because of the amenity of the area."
Mr Kenny said that there were a number of crossing points which were suitable for the disabled, but he acknowledged that these involved a considerable detour. He added that negotiations were continuing with Wexford Corporation.
Following the protest, Mr Prouse said that the demonstrators had achieved their target of highlighting the inequality of treatment suffered by the disabled.
"We were told that under no circumstances would the trains stop, but we did stop one and we delayed it for 15 minutes. We handed out leaflets and apologised to those inconvenienced, but we promised to come back again and again until Irish Rail sorts this matter out."
Mr Prouse complained about the installation of flashing amber road signals which, he said, fell short of a "proper pedestrian crossing". Amber flashing lights frequently failed to stop vehicles and, as a result, the lives of people using crossings were put at risk. The difference was that cars would have to stop at a red light and, when it was safe to cross, the visually-impaired would have the right of way.
