TALK of pedestrianising The Square and High Street has horrified a disabled Petersfield woman.

But a blind resident holds the opposite view, saying making the centre of Petersfield car free would be make life safer for deaf and blind people.

The no cars idea was raised in an informal survey on how the town should grow by members of the Petersfield Town Council development committee.

Pensioner Fi Dodwell of Fitzhamon House off Moggs Mead is the holder of a Blue Badge, which gives disabled drivers parking privileges, and says banning cars from the town centre would be “disastrous.”

She said: “As someone who is unable to walk far I already have great difficulty reaching my bank, the post office and library.

“I should be interested to know how many disability card holders there are in and around the town who have the same problem.

“There is a very high proportion of ageing pensioners in Petersfield and it would be useful to know the numbers before this disastrous idea comes into force.”

Steve Sloman of Cranford Road is registered blind with hearing problems, and says he fully supports the idea of a no traffic town centre.

He also said that trying to introduce a ‘shared space’ scheme that would see traffic speed reduced to walking pace so that pedestrians can mingle with motorists may be fatal.

He said: “Deaf and blind people will have difficulty knowing if traffic is around even at slow speed.

“And children might not understand the ‘shared space’ concept and put themselves in danger, this could also be true for those with a sensory Impairments.

“I find it very difficult to manage the High Street due to the speed of vehicles using it, and would welcome full pedestrianisation with disabled parking.

“I also have trouble navigating around cars parked in the High Street, if they weren’t there my life would be a lot simpler – and safer.”