A visually impaired woman has told how pavement parking and clutter forces her guide dog to take her on the road into sometimes "very busy traffic".
June Best, from Moira in Co Down, is one of many disabled people across the UK who have shared grim experiences of how poor infrastructure and planning stops them from making essential journeys for fear of their safety.
Sustrans, who researched the issue for months, says inadequate infrastructure unfairly discriminates against disabled people as they try to navigate their communities, with inaccessible routes leading to journeys cut short and isolation.
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June said: “One of my biggest challenges is vehicles parking on the pavement. When Clyde, my guide dog, takes me round a parked vehicle, I can’t tell if it’s just for one car, or a whole line of them. I don’t know how long I will be on the road for, and traffic can be very busy. I often have to orientate myself back and start all over again, or just return home.
“We need inclusive design,” she added. “I have always used public transport. In an ideal world, I could get off a train in any city or town, and safely get to where I want to be. But there is often so much street furniture – ‘street clutter’ as I call it.
“There are bins, junction boxes, signage, seating – these things are necessary, but they should be incorporated in a way that allows everyone to move safely.”
Sustrans’ research featured in the charity’s Disabled Citizens Inquiry report launched today, following months of engagement with disabled people. It found 41% face problems on a typical walking or wheeling journey because of accessibility barriers like pavement clutter and the way road crossings are laid out.
Now they are calling on the government to put people with disabilities front and centre to ensure our streets are accessible to everyone. The charity, which helps make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle, also want a ban on pavement parking.
Sustrans CEO, Xavier Brice, said: “Our report clearly demonstrates that understanding the barriers disabled people experience getting around their neighbourhoods is imperative in creating an equitable society.
“Putting disabled people at the centre of discussions about how we plan and create spaces where we can all move around easily and safely is vital. The UK government must listen and take action to create places planned around people, not cars.”
The report is the culmination of a six-month long Disabled Citizens Inquiry, coordinated by the charity in partnership with Transport for All, a disabled persons organisation.
An accompanying Ipsos survey of over 1,100 disabled people across the UK paints a stark picture of how inaccessible and dangerous our neighbourhoods and communities have become.
Some 41% of all disabled people said they often experience barriers, reaching their destination on a typical walking or wheeling journey, such as level kerbs to cross the street or clutter on the pavement.
This increased to 55% for those with mobility impairments or learning disabilities.
Sustrans has released a range of recommendations to make communities and neighbourhoods safer, accessible and more inclusive for disabled people.
They include:
- Prohibiting pavement parking
- Creating a long-term dedicated pavement fund to improve and maintain pavements
- Ensuring disabled people can be within walking or wheeling distance of services and amenities through better planning
Xavier Brice added: “In 2020, the Department for Transport consulted on pavement parking. Three years later, nothing has changed. Everyone is equally entitled to rely on safe and inclusive pavements and now is the time to act.
“The findings of our Inquiry are clear. More must be done to make our towns and cities more accessible, inclusive places that people want to live, work, and move around, for the benefit of everyone.”
The charity believes a planning system that ensures people live within walking or wheeling distance of basic services would help 88% of disabled people walk or wheel more in the local area and boost the UK economy with benefits in the region of £72.4 billion a year.
Caroline Stickland, CEO of Transport for All, said: “Not only does this give the government a uniquely clear and actionable picture of what we as disabled people need to make walking and wheeling more accessible, it provides a blueprint for how our community must be engaged with for every mode of transport going forward.”
Rachael Badger, Director of Performance and Engagement at Motability said: “This inquiry provides eye opening insight into the experiences of disabled people and the challenges they face when moving around their communities. It is vital the voices of disabled people are heard when decisions are taken about infrastructure in their local areas, and that accessibility is made a priority.”
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