Dartmouth Park Restoration - V

Further to yesterday's post, I am now, as promised, going to let those of you know, who have not already sussed it out, what is missing from the concrete steps shown in the top photo.

This omision will come as no surprise to the upper echelons of Sandwell MDC who appoint and preside over the experts who designed the steps.

But it came as a great surprise to me - particularly as I vividly recall the laborious business a few years ago of Sandwell digging holes in the middle of concrete slabbed steps to install a handrail.

See the bottom photo, and see the central handrail that took about a week to install. Quite why Sandwell decided to do this is unknown to me, especially as there already were handrails either side of the steps - and there are only 11 steps anyway!

See also the central handrail in the middle photo. If you can focus on the handrail, rather than lament at the sad state of those minds that conceived and authorised the destruction of the stone stairway itself, you will see the real necessity for this one. This stairway must be getting on for 20 feet in height, and being faced in stone, readily becomes slippy when wet, let alone when it has ice or snow on it.

Now look at the new flight of concrete steps.

Same height as the stone stairway. Not made of stone, but each step lovingly edged in shiny blue brick.

And where do you see the hand rail?

That's right. There isn't one.

The little flight of steps has 3 handrails.,

The stone stairway had one handrail.

The new set of concrete steps has no handrails.

Well done Sandwell, and its expert designers of steps, and its Health and Safety people.

But there is hope. I mean, be fair. Sandwell may be hopeless, but few things are completely hope less.

I'm prepared to bet that by this time next year there will be so many safety rails there that you will hardly be able to get up the steps.

It will be amazing how galvanised Sandwell will become after the first few sprained wrists; broken ankles; ricked backs and fractured crania --- and the attendant litigation.

I wonder whether not designing in handrails to a 20 foot high set of public steps amounts to negligence? If so, would the whole of Sandwell Council be liable, or only the architect?

Oh well. Not long to find out ...........