Dear Editor:

When I read the headline in the November 19 issue of the Osoyoos Times and read the headline,  ‘Seniors Persuade Shell to offer full service’, I was really excited.

However, as I read the article, I was greatly disappointed.

While 10 hours a week is better than none, this is not a great improvement of service. The average winter hours of operation for their station are 112 hours per week and what they are offering is still less than 10 per cent of full service.

For a person with a disability like myself, and many seniors, a full service gas station is an essential service.

I would suggest that if any other business only offered a wheelchair access ramp for 10 per cent of their business hours, they would be ridiculed by the public.

There are companies like the Super Save Gas in B.C. that offers full service at most of their 40 locations, with no additional cost.

The nearest Super Save Gas outlet to Osoyoos is located in Penticton just off the channel parkway on Green Mountain Road. They also provide you with a paper receipt to sign if you are incapable of reaching the gas pump to enter your PIN number.

Not all cities in B.C. have issues with full service stations.

Richmond and Coquitlam have made two longstanding bylaws that mandate full self-serve stations, despite pressure from gas station owners and oil companies.

In 2013, full service and split service made up only16 per cent of gas stations in Canada, which means the lack of service for the disabled and frail seniors and is an issue not only here, but across the entire country.

Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells stated last year that he wanted Osoyoos to be one of the most accessible communities in Canada.

I wonder what he could think knowing that less than 10 per cent access is being provided to customers?

I have witnessed many levels of poorly thought out plans by the government when it comes to accessibility.

For example, the Town of Osoyoos marina had to be revised earlier in 2014 to be fully accessible after “completion”, which cost local taxpayers close to $25,000 more than it needed to.

Another example is the wheelchair accessible fishing dock at Yellow Lake was placed at the bottom of an extremely steep 12-foot embankment, which makes the dock itself inaccessible.

I see examples every day that have been poorly planned due to lack of knowledge by the government and public alike.

As a person who has used a wheelchair for 30 years, I know that it is unreasonable to think that any abled bodied person would ever be able to have the experience, level of understanding or appreciation that I have when it comes to accessibility.

I continue to wonder when all levels of government and businesses will recognize the importance of accessibility and consult with those who have experience.

Mike Stiles

Osoyoos, B.C.