Wheelchair dilemma: Coarse gravel causes trouble in Bad Pyrmont!

Wheelchair dilemma: Coarse gravel causes trouble in Bad Pyrmont!

In Bad Pyrmont, a new surface on the main avenue is causing dissatisfaction and challenges. The redesign of the footpaths came after cable laying work carried out by a company contracted by Westconnect. In a section in front of house number 7 on Südstrasse, coarse, grayish gravel was laid instead of the usual fine-grained, yellowish gravel with which the avenue is sprinkled before the start of the season. Ute Meeßen, a wheelchair user, expresses concern about this change. “I’m worried that my wheelchair will be damaged by the new surface,” she says. The resident lives opposite the Welger car dealership and uses the path regularly.

Her neighbor, Heidemarie Bergmann, who uses a walker, also now avoids this route. Both seniors demand that the gravel be better pressed into the ground by a roller to make it easier to use. The city of Bad Pyrmont has now confirmed that the subsurface has not been restored to its original condition and has asked Westconnect to rectify this. While the city administration is not planning any further measures, Westconnect will bear the costs of correcting the defects.

Fiber optic expansion in Bad Pyrmont

In addition to these challenges, the expansion of the fiber optic network is currently being pushed forward in Bad Pyrmont. Westconnect officially broke ground at Schulstrasse 31, at the corner of Am Friedhofsweg. The expansion will initially focus on the west of the city. Mayor Klaus Blome underlines the importance of broadband infrastructure, especially for the economic development of rural areas. Households and businesses can look forward to a free connection, which can mean savings of around 1,500 euros.

The nationwide fiber optic expansion is set out as an important goal of the federal government in the coalition agreement. An accelerating law to improve approval processes ensures that the implementation of mobile and fiber optic networks is treated as an “overriding public interest”. This has the advantage that untouched areas can be connected to the grid more quickly, which is particularly important for Germany as a location.

Current efforts to expand fiber optics are already having an impact. Almost 99 percent of households in Germany have access to a broadband connection with at least 16 megabits per second, and the number of households that have gigabit connections is now 76.5 percent. This offensive strategy aims not only to improve the digital infrastructure, but also to strengthen the future of rural regions.