UK streets are making it hard for disabled people to make essential journeys
Outdoor seating, A boards and E-scooters are creating obstacles
A Disabled Citizens' Inquiry has found UK streets are stopping disabled people making essential journeys.
Following a six-month study led by Sustrans in partnership with Transport for All, they found that inadequate infrastructure is unfairly discriminating against disabled people when they move around their communities.
The research also highlights the actions the government and local authorities must take now to give disabled people the freedom to walk or wheel independently around their neighbourhoods.
Fiona is a wheelchair user from Aylesbury and told us some of the restrictions she encounters:
"Cafe chairs and tables, I'm someone who likes sitting outside drinking coffee, love it, but when you're just trying to get past on the pavement that can be quite an issue, Signs, the A board signs, e-scooters where they have toppled over."
"Sometimes I feel quite isolated I don't actually go out an awful lot by myself and that is purely to do a lot of the time with the problems I encounter getting around. I feel more confident going out with someone else and it shouldn't be like that."
The walking and cycling charity Sustrans are now calling on local and national governments to give disabled people a voice when it comes to decisions that affect how they get around their local area.
Xavier Brice, our CEO, 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, accompanied by an 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.
Coordinating the findings, Sustrans has released recommendations to make communities and neighbourhoods safer, more accessible, and more inclusive for disabled people.