Dd131_Tma_01

‘Drawing on what you have learned about City Road, outline some of the inequalities on a street that you know’. The main objective of this essay will examine some of the ways that inequalities are made, using a particular road in Britain. Firstly I will highlight the problems faced by both residents and consumers during particular times of the day with competition for space. My second point will indicate the decline of small businesses, due to the social and material order on the road. And finally I will show how material infrastructure affects and hinders the improvements of society. Wallasey Village is predominantly a residential area, with various shops running along the strip of this extensive road. It has a mixture of pre-war semi-detached properties, and 19th century terraced houses. Modern purpose built apartments are now a prominent fixture. The general population of this area is generally families and elderly. The history of Wallasey Village is similar to that of City Road. It was originally made up of a narrow lane with an inn. Many years of change has seen shops convert from mainly general convenience trades to more upmarket shops such as sport, restaurants and beauty parlours. Wallasey Village also serves a recently modernised college and one of the largest Primary Schools in the country. One of the main points of inequality within Wallasey Village is one way road system on one of the side streets, which during school pickup and drop-off causes severe congestion. The road is very narrow and has a Doctors surgery which serves a large number of the public. As the surgery has little parking facilities available during the day, anyone visiting comes across difficulties during these times. Patients find it extremely difficult to negotiate access to their local surgery, as vehicles tend to park on both sides of the road, across private driveways and Wallasey Village itself. It impacts negatively on those using the surgery and the local residents, particularly during the afternoon. Efforts to improve the situation have been mainly unsuccessful, despite cooperation with the school; parking is still a major concern. Consequently the surgery has had to increase its opening hours to alleviate part of this on-going problem. The competition for space is therefore comparable to that of City Road, (‘Making Social lives on City Road’ 2009, scene 1.) resulting in considerable difficulties arising between residents, surgery users and parents. A second inequality that I found on Wallasey Village is the implementation of social order and the negative impact on businesses. Like City Road, double yellow lines feature very prominently to maintain order (‘Ordered lives’ 2009, scene 1). However it also has an adverse effect which can be found in pockets of Wallasey Village, where many traders have tried to build up a business only to face difficulties, even closure, due to the detriment of having double yellow lines displayed directly outside their properties. In fact the majority of empty shops and recently demolished structures in this road have had the familiar restrictive lines. This has had a serious impact on the remaining businesses as a whole, with unsightly waste ground and steel shuttered vacant shops giving this part of the area a decayed feeling in contrast to other sections of Wallasey Village. My final focus on inequality is the lack of bank facilities on the road. Although the Village caters well for the general populace with a variety of shops there are no banks. Only two cash machines are available, both are located centrally, although access is problematic. One located in a petrol station has been a victim of card cloning. While the other, opposite the main roundabout has parking restrictions in place. The local post office, too small for the area it covers is set at the far end of the road, essentially away from the main focus of shopping. Those without a vehicle or living further along Wallasey Village would find it difficult to access funds. The last bank closed recently and there are no other resources that cater for shoppers or residents to access the means to exchange cash and pay bills. This puts businesses on Wallasey Village at a distinct disadvantage as the main ingredient of the general public accessing cash easily in order to purchase goods whether planned or spontaneous is missing. In conclusion this essay has outlined inequality in respect of how changes in the use of the road during different times of the day causes conflict, how order can impact on local business survival. It also shows that the lack of a vital service can result in inequality for the larger section of society.