Problems with the pedestrian environment and public transport
“Once the route changed without any notice and I found the bus stopping on a three lane highway on the opposite side of where I wanted to be. I had no idea where the crossing was and the driver had no time to help me. Obviously if I had known about it I wouldn’t have got on the bus or I would have got off sooner.”
Personal testimony from someone with sight problems in Travellers' Tales
Trapped in your own home
Almost two thirds of older people with sight problems never go out alone because of the difficulties of moving about the pedestrian environment and in using public transport.
Being able to access the environment and transport services in safety, security and comfort is vital for blind and partially sighted people, for independent living, to access the employment market and to enjoy the same opportunities as non-disabled people.
Access is affected by a range of factors - physical access to buildings, safety and security in the pedestrian environment, vehicles, access to information and affordability. Without an integrated and accessible transport network blind and partially sighted people can face a lonely and isolated existence, and suffer disproportionately from accidents, ill-health, and poverty.
Recent changes in the law
Recent changes in the law should, though, lead to improvements for blind and partially sighted people, although much remains to be done.
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New rights for Guide Dog owners when using mini-cabs
Following campaigning by RNIB, Guide Dogs for the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind and others, the Government has recently implemented the Private Hire Vehicles (Carriage of Guide Dogs etc) Act, as Section 37 of the Disability Discrimination Act. This means that private hire vehicles have a duty to carry guide and other assistance dogs at no extra charge and cannot refuse bookings to assistance dog owners.
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Half price concessionary fares
The Transport Act requires local authorities in England and Wales to offer disabled people half-price concessionary fares for bus travel as a minimum and provides that when there are rail replacement services they must be accessible to people with a mobility impairment.
The National Assembly for Wales has agreed that passes in Wales should be transferable, and the London Freedom Pass can be used across all London boroughs and in peak hours.
We are now campaigning for national standards: a 100 per cent concession, available in the morning rush hour and for passes issued by one local authority to be useable anywhere in the country.
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Disability Discrimination Bill
The Bill contains a number of measures that will be of great benefit to disabled people:
- An end date by which older inaccessible rail vehicles will have to be taken out of service (the government has indicated this will be 2020).
- The bringing in, by regulations, of transport sectors to be covered by part three of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, outlawing discrimination against disabled people when using a transport vehicle.
Research: Travellers’ Tales
In 2002 we published new research on the problems that blind and partially sighted people face with travelling- on foot, by bus and by train.
The report showed that problems exist in all these areas for blind and partially sighted people and that almost two thirds of older people with sight problems never go out alone because of the difficulties of moving about the pedestrian environment and in using public transport.
Full text of the report
Resources and policy statements
The Joint Committee on Mobility of Blind and Partially Sighted People (JCMBPS) is an independent body consisting of representatives of all the principle organisations of and for blind, deafblind and partially sighted people with a specific interest in mobility.
JCMBPS Policy Statements are an invaluable resource for policy makers, local authorities and transport operators, offering clear guidance on meeting the transport and mobility needs of blind, deafblind and partially sighted people.
Contacts
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Nicholas Russell
Campaigns Officer, RNIB
020 7391 2136
nicholas.russell@rnib.org.uk
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Carol Thomas
Joint Committee on Mobility of Blind and Partially Sighted People
RNIB Cymru
Trident Court
East Moors Road
Cardiff
CF24 5TD
Tel: 029 2044 9556
Fax: 029 2044 9550
E-mail: jcmbps@rnib.org.uk
JMU Access Partnership is the UK's leading access consultancy working to make the built environment more accessible for disabled people. www.jmuaccess.org.uk
