A WOMAN in a mobility scooter had to be rescued by firefighters after getting stuck in a ‘ridiculously narrow’ footpath by Hounslow station.
The incident, in Whitton Road, Hounslow, has sparked fresh calls for something to be done about the pavement, which is less than a metre wide at its narrowest point.
Firefighters were called to release the woman, who became trapped between railings and the wall of the railway bridge, on Saturday, April 20, at about 2pm.
Andreas Simeou, whose picture (above right) captured the rescue operation, said it brought back memories of the time his child’s buggy became stuck at the same point about two years ago.
The 37-year-old engineer and his partner, who live in Whitton, were able to free the pushchair without having to call on the emergency services.
He said they had warned Hounslow Council of the potential danger at the time but never heard back and no action was taken, although there is now a small warning sign on the exit from the train station.
“The pavement narrows down so tightly there is barely large enough room to allow a normal adult to pass through and it can be very scary as traffic passes you so close,” he said.
"The poor lady in the motorised mobility vehicle was in tears as she couldn’t reverse or go forward. I hope the council will finally do something about this ridiculous pavement before something like this happens again.”
Widening the pavement would involve major work to the bridge, which would most likely be prohibitively expensive. But Mr Simeou has suggested closing that pavement, widening the opposite footpath and installing a pedestrian crossing to the north of the bridge, towards Hounslow High Street.
