By Angie Sullivan
Scott Wollin of Keswick has spent 17 years navigating our town’s roads in a wheelchair after a diving accident at age 20 left him a quadriplegic.
At the end of September, Wollin invited all candidates in Georgina’s Oct. 26 municipal election to join him in his spare wheelchair and spend a few hours navigating the community from his perspective.
Over a few weeks, Wollin took out 18 of 22 candidates, including all three mayoral candidates and both regional councillor candidates.
“This is showing the people in charge a perspective that they don’t normally get,” Wollin said.
“One of the first reactions I get out of all the candidates is that they are so much lower to the ground. The reality is that from where we sit in a wheelchair, our head is about at the top of a standard pickup grill.”
“When you’re travelling outside of a car, whether you’re walking, rolling or cycling, you’re a vulnerable road user. You don’t have that vehicle around you for protection. The speed of passing traffic, the space you’re given, the condition of a sidewalk and whether you can safely cross an intersection all become a much bigger deal.”
Wollin described an incident on Ravenshoe Road in which a vehicle passed so close that he estimated it came within 12 to 18 inches of his elbow while travelling at about 90 km/h. Another time, a driver turning right onto Woodbine Avenue failed to see him crossing with the pedestrian walk signal and almost hit him despite Wollin wearing a bright yellow sweater.
Wollin wants to raise awareness of the challenges people using wheelchairs and other mobility devices face. But he believes the responsibility for safer streets extends beyond individual behaviour to the way roads, sidewalks and intersections are designed.
“I need the next town council to keep those experiences in mind when approving projects. Sidewalks, intersections, new developments, road improvements, all of it,” he said.
“Think about the people using these spaces without the protection of a car. Can they get where they need to go safely? Does the sidewalk actually connect somewhere? Can somebody cross the road without taking a gamble?”
Here are some of the responses posted on Facebook by candidates who took part in Wollin’s challenge.
Mayoral candidate Dale Kerr Genge said, “It was definitely eye-opening. And often nerve-wracking, being so low to the ground next to cars on the road where there were no sidewalks, and even when the sidewalk was right next to the road.”
“Scott and I jumped in our matching electric road wheelchairs and headed out,” regional councillor candidate Geoff Fardy said. “I got stuck within the first ten seconds at the end of his driveway, where a culvert had been replaced and poorly repaired.”
The pair then navigated major roads, pathways, grass, and poorly maintained sidewalks along The Queensway.
Ward 2 Councillor candidate Mike Gurr said the experience highlighted how public spaces are often designed around vehicles rather than pedestrians.
“Our world is built for cars, not humans,” Gurr said. “Sidewalks spanning major arterial roads like The Queensway and Metro are a complete afterthought, with many sections simply impassable. Poor quality pavement—I mean, really, really bad—is shockingly common.”
The concerns extend to other residents who depend on mobility devices. During his tour with Ward 4 Councillor candidate Mike Anderson, they stopped to speak with Vernon Perry, 93, of Keswick, who uses a mobility scooter.
Perry worries about drivers failing to stop at stop signs. He is also concerned that children using small-wheeled scooters could be injured if their wheels catch in potholes or uneven pavement.
“I worry about the kids getting hurt like that,” Perry said.
Scott Wollin is hoping his challenge will encourage municipal decision-makers to consider these dangers and practical realities when planning new infrastructure.
Wollin points to intersection designs in the Netherlands, where cyclists and pedestrians can be separated from vehicle traffic, as examples worth considering.
“Why do we build intersections the way that we do right now when we have examples of them, like in the Netherlands, where bikes and people can essentially be completely separated from cars?” he said.
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