A GALASHIELS woman says she feels “trapped” in her house due to the area severely lacking in disabled-friendly infrastructure.

Wheelchair user Emma Nisbet, 27, moved into the property on Eildon Housing Association’s Coopersknowe development in June last year.

But due to a lack of ramps, dropped kerbs and pavements, she is forced to travel up and down on the road when she wants to leave her cul-de-sac.

Ms Nisbet, along with her dog Summer, shares the narrow 30mph stretch of the C77 with cars, large trucks and bin lorries.

And she said the danger she is faced with whenever she wants to leave the house has been mentally draining.

“The house that I live in is kitted out to deal with me but I’m trapped in it,” she said. “It’s a lovely house but I’m trapped.

“From a selfish point of view I could get hit but I could kill someone from them trying to avoid me.

“It’s f****** terrifying because you have bin lorries, you have cars, you’ve got vans, you have horse boxes, you’ve got everything coming.

“Anyone walking with me is immediately put in danger. It’s mentally draining because I’m conscious of myself, of my dog and anyone I’m with.”

Lawrence Niven, who has lived next to the C77 for 17 years, pointed out the volume of traffic on the route.

“There are queues on this road in the mornings,” he said. “There’s just a lack of driving competence.”

The 58-year-old added: “You see lorries driving up this stretch at 40mph to get up the hill.”

Ms Nisbet said: “I time it right to walk here because I know how busy this road gets. I’m out at 6am.

“I’ve got lights on the front and back of my chair. I look like a fluorescent ghost. My dog has lights on too.”

After she has cleared the C77, Ms Nisbet said getting to Galashiels is then a struggle.

“Once you get out the surrounding area is not accessible. I have to go all the way to the school [Langlee Primary School, in Langlee Drive] to cross the road to then double back on myself.

“Once you get into Gala it’s great but getting to Gala, that’s the hard bit.”

Ms Nisbet left her family home in Kelso to come to Galashiels, where she lives with her sister.

But she said her mental health has “dipped” since moving and called for pavements to be installed around the area to allow her to go for walks safely.

“I can’t be sociable,” she said. “I’ve noticed it in myself that my mental health has dipped because I can’t go out.”

The 69-house Eildon development at Coopersknowe has yet to be fully completed, with a pedestrian route down to Melrose Road planned as part of the project.

But with that development not due to be finished for several weeks, Ms Nisbet has questioned what she is supposed to do in the meantime.

“I know what Eildon will say, they will say that my access will be through the new housing estate but what am I supposed to do in the interim?

“I can’t stop living my life. I’m a 27-year-old woman who’s meant to be going out, having fun and being silly.

“I find myself thinking I should have just stayed in Kelso. I’m just trapped.”

An Eildon spokesperson said: “We are nearing the end of the building work at our Coopersknowe development and we appreciate the patience from all residents who have already moved in.

“The final work is due to complete at the end of next month where there will be a new access road to connect the whole of McQueen Gardens to the C77 directly and provide a safe pedestrian route to the Melrose Road from there.

“We are aware that the residents at the north west corner of McQueen Gardens currently use the access through Coopersknowe Crescent, then on to the C77, until the rest of the Coopersknowe development is completed.

“All new tenants have meetings with us after moving into their new home so we can keep in touch and find out how they are getting on.

“These meetings will continue, and we’ll be working with them on what we can do to help until the new access road is available.”

A council spokesperson said: “Scottish Borders Council is aware of the need for a pedestrian route connecting Coopersknowe Crescent with Melrose Road in Galashiels.

“A new route is planned as part of the Eildon Housing Association Coopersknowe development which is currently under construction. This will provide a connection to [an] ‘existing footpath’ on the C77 near Melrose Road. The current completion date for the project is March 2023.”