Campaigning on Streets Ahead

Transcription

1 Campaigning on Streets Ahead Registered charity in England and Wales (209617) and in Scotland (SC038979) /14

2 Contents Introduction... 3 Pavement parking... 4 Street clutter Advertsing boards Café furniture Wheelie bins Shared surfaces Contact us

3 Streets Ahead Streets Ahead is a key campaign for Guide Dogs. The campaign aims to tackle obstacles to accessibility on the UK s streets whether that be through the design of a street or reducing excessive amounts of clutter on pavements. This toolkit provides information on how to get involved in our national campaigning and offers advice and tips on local campaigning. The issues covered by this campaign lend themselves well to local campaigning as they an often be solved. We have broken this toolkit down into several sections: Pavement parking Cars parked on pavements are a dangerous obstacle for people who are blind or partially sighted, often forcing them out into the road. Guide Dogs is calling for a UK-wide law prohibiting pavement parking, unless specifically permitted, as is in place in Greater London. Street clutter Street Clutter describes objects that are on our streets that can reduce the independent mobility of people who are blind or partially sighted. Common street clutter items can include: Shop advertising boards (A-boards), pavement cafés, overhanging branches, wheelie bins on the street, some poorly positioned street furniture, such as benches. Shared surfaces Shared Surfaces are when the road and pavement are built at the same level, removing the kerb so that cars, buses, cyclists and pedestrians share the same surface. Shared surface streets are dangerous for blind and partially sighted people who rely upon the presence of the kerb to know they are on the pavement and not in the road. I have to walk beside a busy road to get to the bus stop and every day there is at least one vehicle parked on the pavement stopping me and my guide dog getting past and therefore we have to risk our lives going into the busy main road. For more information please see the Negotiating the Streets DVD at go to Lena, Guide Dog Owner. 3

4 Pavement parking What does Guide Dogs want to happen? Guide Dogs is calling for a UKwide law prohibiting pavement parking, unless specifically permitted, as is in place in Greater London. Pavement parking Cars parked on pavements are a dangerous obstacle for blind or partially sighted people, often forcing them out into the road. This can be particularly dangerous for people with sight loss as they cannot see oncoming traffic. In the worst cases, pavements obstructed by cars can stop people who are blind or partially sighted from leaving their homes. Vehicles parked over dropped kerbs and crossing points are particularly dangerous. They block access to crossing areas which are essential to people who are blind or partially sighted. Pavement parking can also be dangerous for parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users and other disabled people who are prevented from using the pavement safely. What do you need to know? What can councils do across the UK? England and Wales Northern Ireland Scotland Local authorities in England and Wales have some limited powers to tackle pavement parking. In Northern Ireland penalty notices can only be issued to cars on pavements where the road has parking restrictions. In Scotland pavement parking is rarely prosecuted. 4

5 Pavement parking What drivers think? Guide Dogs commissioned a survey by YouGov into the attitudes of motorists who chose to park on a pavement in January Amongst other findings the survey revealed over half of motorists who pavement parked made the decision to do so despite considering the effect it might have on pedestrians. Damage to pavements Parking on pavements can cause pavements to crack. This is a hazard to pedestrians who may trip on broken pavements, and is again even more dangerous for blind and partially sighted people who cannot see the damage. It is also expensive; between 2006 and 2010 local authorities paid over 1billion on repairing kerbs, pavements and walkways. 106million was spent in compensation claims to people tripping and falling on broken pavements during the same five year period. Pavement parking is a problem for the Council as it costs us a great deal of money to repair broken pavements, in addition to the obvious problems not only for blind people but also for those in wheelchairs, mobility scooters and with double buggies and prams. Local Councillor 5

6 Pavement parking Campaiging ideas: Tell the decision makers Your local council decides the local policy on parking on pavements. If it is an issue in your area you should tell them. Some ideas on how you can do that are: Write to your local councillor. Remember to include details about specific roads where it is a particular issue. Tweet a photo of cars parked on pavement to your local council so they can see where the problem is Show support to stop parking on pavements through a petition. We have produced examples you might want to use. Attend a council meeting to discuss whether anything can be done on pavement parking in your local area. See if the police can help In some local areas the police enforce local parking laws. If police can help in your area you might want to get in touch with local Police Community Support Officers to tell them that this is a local issue and see if they can help bring a stop to it. 6

7 Pavement parking Case study Don t plonk it! Park it! Parking on pavements Don t Plonk it, Park it campaign Laura, who works for the Shrewsbury Guide Dogs Mobility team, was concerned about the issue of pavement parking in her local area. She worked in partnership with other local disability organisations and the local police force to develop the Don t Plonk it, Park it campaign. A leaflet has been developed which looks like a penalty notice and has information on it about the law on pavement parking. The local police force place it on vehicles that they see parked on the pavement. At the same time they take the details of the vehicle and if the vehicle causes a further unnecessary obstruction a fixed penalty ticket will be issued. Laura says: This simple leaflet provides a solution to a problem for many police forces who struggle with parking on pavements. Whilst it may not solve the problem completely it is having a positive impact on the day to day lives of people in Sandwell. A local police representative says: This is a low cost, nonconfrontational, educational initiative which drew upon the findings of the Guide Dogs pavement parking survey and has, in my opinion, achieved its objectives. Where an issue arises we now have another tool in the box to tackle it. Other local police forces are also now looking at how they can use the Don t Plonk it, Park it materials. Could yours? 7

8 Pavement parking Case study Working in collaboration Joel, a Guide Dogs employee and a guide dog owner has supported two Pavements are for people campaigns and is currently looking to work in partnership to hold another. These campaigns aim to reduce the amount of parking on pavements in our towns and cities. After promoting the Streets Ahead campaign to local organisations Joel was invited to collaborate with them and other local charities to help raise awareness of the issues pavement parking can cause not just for blind and partially sighted people but also other vulnerable pedestrians. They ran an awareness raising event in town - choosing a location in the centre of the main shopping area using the Guide Dogs sensory tunnel to engage the general public and tell them about the campaign. They invited councillors, the mayor and the local police going through the tunnel as well as raising public awareness.working together helped ensure it was a well-attended event that they are going to run again. Working in partnership with others in your local area can strengthen your campaign as it demonstrates the strength of support for your calls. It can also show how many different groups of people are affected by pavement parking. Organisations who might be able to help you with your campaign include: Schools and parent groups Your MP and councillors Local disability organisations 8

9 Pavement parking Raise public awareness Many people are not aware of the potential dangers of parking on the pavement. By raising local awareness of your campaign you will educate motorists about why they shouldn t park on the pavements and could influence decision makers at the same time. Here s some ideas about how you can raise public awareness: Write to your local paper - see our example letter you might want to edit and send. Put up posters - displaying posters asking people not to park on pavements acts as an educational tool. Display posters in areas where lots of people will see them as well targeting problem areas. Some ideas of where you can display posters are: community centres and notice boards, schools, libraries, local shop windows, your own window. See for details. Don t park on pavements Did you know that by parking on the pavement you may be stopping pedestrians from being able to walk past safely? Guide dog owners, parents with pushchairs, older people and wheelchair users all could be forced to walk in the road to get past a pavement parked vehicle, putting them in danger of being hit by passing traffic. Please think before you pavement park! Five steps to get streets ahead for Guide Dogs For more information please visit: Registered charity in England and Wales (209617) and in Scotland (SC038979) /14 Follow these five steps to make your street friendly for people who are blind and partially sighted: 1. Park your car or van on the street, not the pavement 2. Cut back overhanging branches from your garden 3. Ensure wheelie bins and refuse containers are not left on the pavement. Where bin collectors do not replace bins properly, please report this to your local council. 5. Clean up litter, especially broken glass which can injure guide dogs, and bulky items which can create a trip hazard. 4. Report broken street lights, badly cracked paving slabs, potholes, damaged drain covers or anything else that might prove a hazard to people who are blind or partially sighted. Registered charity in England and Wales (209617) and in Scotland (SC038979) /14 Streets Ahead 54% 54% of drivers admit to parking on the pavement, of which 17% do it once a week or more Parking Attitudes Survey 2013, Guide Dogs 2. Street Clutter Survey 2012, Guide Dogs 90% According to a Guide Dogs survey in 2013 of 1,600 people 90% of respondents had experienced problems with pavement parked cars. It is the most frequently encountered form of street clutter. 2 Stats and facts 22% 22% of UK drivers hadn't considered that parking a vehicle on the pavement could put pedestrians in danger by forcing them to use the road. 1 48% 48% of drivers who said they park on a pavement said they haven t thought about the possible problems it causes to blind or partially sighted people. 1 9

10 Street clutter Street clutter Street clutter describes objects on our streets that can reduce the independent mobility of people who are blind and partially sighted. Common street clutter items include: Shop advertising boards (A-boards), pavement cafés, overhanging branches, wheelie bins on the street, and some street furniture such as benches to name a few. Why is it a problem? Guide dogs are trained to avoid street clutter but many pathways simply do not leave enough space for guide dog partnerships to get through without going on to the road which is dangerous for blind and partially sighted people. 40% of visually impaired 10 respondents to a recent survey said street clutter made them less willing to go out on their own. When walking in the centre of town I regularly have to walk on the road to avoid obstacles such as: outdoor cafes, A-board adverts, cars parked on the pavement; rubbish etc. This is dangerous for me. I have walked into an A-board and cut my leg on it. The cafe was very unsympathetic to what had happened and didn t move their sign.

11 Street clutter What do you need to know? There are three main types of street clutter that are most frequently reported to the Guide Dogs campaigns team as causing issues for people who are blind and partially sighted. These are: Advertising boards (or A-boards) Café furniture Wheelie bins I fell and broke my wrist whilst walking in the street I still don t know what I fell over. Eileen, Shropshire Campaign toolkit We go into detail about each of these in the following section. There are many other items of street clutter that people who are blind and partially sighted encounter. For more ideas look at our Campaigning toolkit or get in touch with the Guide Dogs Campaigns team. 97% 97% of blind and partially sighted people said street clutter is a problem. 92% 92% of those who cited street clutter as problematic said they encountered such challenges on a daily or weekly basis. 65% 65% of blind and partially sighted people surveyed have suffered a minor injury due to street clutter and 9% sustained a major injury which required medical treatment. Stats and facts 43% 43% of blind or partially sighted people have complained to their council about street obstacles Data from Guide Dogs Street Clutter Survey, a public survey on street clutter. 1,600 people responded, including 780 people who are blind or partially sighted. 11

12 Advertising boards Advertising boards (A-boards) Many shops place A-boards outside their shops as a form of advertisement. Some shops put A-boards in places on the pavement which are difficult for people who are blind and partially sighted to pass. As mentioned above this can be a nuisance, and potentially endangers people s safety. What do you need to know? Guide Dogs wants local authorities to implement a licensing scheme with clear guidance for businesses on the appropriate placement of A-boards on our pavements to balance the needs of businesses with the practical needs of pedestrians. It is up to local authorities to decide on the exact wording of their guidance but Guide Dogs recommends including the following points: A-boards should be easily detectable and noticeable to pedestrians with visual impairments They must be situated in such a way that they can be negotiated with ease by users with mobility problems. Boards should be displayed directly adjacent or in close vicinity to the premises. A-boards should only be allowed on pavements where sufficient width of footway can be left clear and unobstructed for pedestrian usage of the area (usually a minimum of 2 metres). 12

13 Advertising boards A-boards and goods must be removed from the street outside the times permitted in the licence. Where premises are in a side street, A-boards must not normally be placed remotely in the main street directing customers to the premises. All A-boards placed on the highway should be able to be moved freely and easily. An A-board should not be attached to any sort of object on the highway. Whilst positioned on the highway they should be stable and kept upright The A-board should not cause any damage to the highway When walking through my local town centre I often collide or narrowly miss A- boards that are placed on the pavement. Licensing schemes have already been successfully implemented by a number of councils such as Islington, where licensing of tables, chairs and A-boards is part of their Assisting Pedestrians and Shoppers policy. License schemes do not need to be a burden for shop owners Liverpool s licensing scheme costs only 50 for one year. Tamworth Borough Council charges a one-off fee of 95. Licensing can be implemented with ease and bring benefits to blind and partially sighted people and other high street users, as well as making the area more attractive. Campaiging ideas: Write to your local authority asking them to introduce a licencing scheme for A-boards. Talk to or write to specific shops if the placement of their A-board is causing problems. Provide them with some suggestions to improve the positioning of their A-boards to ensure they are not causing obstructions. Following success let the local media know to help increase awareness of this issue and to encourage local shops to continue ensuring A-boards are not obstructing the pathway. Local business forums can be great allies in helping reduce the number of A-boards on a voluntary basis. This can help you to reduce the number of A-boards in a whole area very effectively. Find out who your local business forums are and write to them or arrange a meeting to discuss ways that businesses can reduce the number and impact of A-boards on the street. 13

14 Cafe furniture Cafés furniture Many cafés and restaurants provide outdoor seating for their customers. Where these are placed on a narrow street or where they spread out far into the street and are not in a clearly marked area this can cause issues as it becomes difficult for people who are blind and partially sighted to pass. It also potentially endangers people s safety. What do you need to know? Guide Dogs want local authorities to implement licensing schemes with clear guidance for businesses on the appropriate placement of café furniture. Guide Dogs recommend licences include the following points: Café furniture should be easily detectable and noticeable to pedestrians with visual impairments They must be situated in such a way that they can be negotiated with ease by users with mobility problems. Furniture should only be allowed on pavements where sufficient width of footway can be left clear and unobstructed for pedestrian usage of the area (usually a minimum of 2 metres). Councils should consider the enforcement of sectioned off areas of café furniture. 14

15 Cafe furniture Campaiging ideas: Write to your local council asking them to create a licencing scheme for café and restaurant furniture. Cafés and restaurants are often on Twitter send them a message on Twitter about the issues you are having as this will bring public attention to this issue. If local cafes and restaurants outdoor furniture is causing problems and your local council is not responding to your letters calling for a licensing scheme then we suggest you speak to or write directly to those businesses. If the café or restaurant is part of a bigger chain and you don t get an adequate response you might like to write to their head office. I find a local pavement café difficult to navigate. There is a narrow gap between bollards, tables and chairs and I find it hard to pass, especially when people stand beside the tables to speak to those sitting down. 15

16 Wheelie bins Wheelie bins Bin day can cause real issues for people who are blind and partially sighted as people put their bins out in the street, or bins are placed back on the street after being emptied. This causes obstructions that can be difficult to get around, which can result in people having to walk in the road. What do you need to know? Most of the time there are two main stakeholders that can help you reduce the impact of poorly placed wheelie bins in your local area - local residents and refuse collectors. You need to identify where the problem lies in your local area before starting your campaign. In some areas it might be that you need to run a campaign to convince both groups to make a change. If that s the case think about what campaigning activity is most appropriate for each group. 16 I frequently find that the position the bin men leave the wheelie bins in once they ve emptied them causes me problems such as having to go onto the road or weave around the bins to avoid them. This happens both in the town I stay in and the city where I work. It causes constant problems, particulary when the householder doesn t collect their bin on the day it has been emptied.

17 Wheelie bins Campaiging ideas: Write to your local council highlighting the issue and asking them to include measures to prevent it in their contract with the waste disposal company. If not enough action is taken once you have contacted the waste disposal company you might want to speak directly with the waste disposal crews who empty bins on your street. Speaking with them about the impact on badly replaced bins can make a difference. If your local authority does not respond to your request you can write directly to the waste disposal company asking them to speak with their staff. You can find out who the waste disposal company is by calling your council. Local residents can also help with problems with badly placed bins. They for example might be able to be more thoughtful about where they place their bins to be taken out, and how quickly they collect them from the street after they have been emptied. Waste disposal companies that are contracted by your local authority will have Service Level Agreements. These are standards that are included in their contract that the waste disposal company must meet. Service Level Agreements can include how bind should be placed after they have been emptied. Since discovering that I have a visual impairment, the bin men have taken to lining all the bins up in a line on the edge of the kerb, providing me a clear safe access path to walk along the kerb. Once I have found the first bin I know where the rest are. 17 You can raise awareness of this issue with local residents through: Writing a letter to your local paper Displaying a poster Speaking with your neighbours Distributing the top tips leaflet for making your road Streets Ahead.

18 Shared surfaces Shared surfaces Shared surfaces are where the road and pavement are built at the same level, removing the kerb so that cars, buses, cyclists and pedestrians share the same surface. Shared surface streets are dangerous for blind and partially sighted people who rely upon the presence of the kerb to know they are on the pavement and not in the road. Controlled crossings (such as pelican crossings) are also often removed which rely on eye contact to negotiate priority. Why are shared surfaces a problem? Key concerns for people who are blind or partially sighted: You have to make eye contact Pedestrians, motorists and cyclists have to make 'eye contact' to decide who moves first. This obviously compromises the safety, independence and confidence of people who are blind or partially sighted. People rely on the kerb Blind and partially sighted people, particularly guide dog owners and long cane users, use the kerb as a navigation clue to know where they are in a street. Avoidance Many blind and partially sighted people, disabled and elderly people have said that they feel unable to use the shared surface street in their town. 18

19 Shared surfaces Concerns of other disabled people People with learning difficulty, people who are deaf or hearing impaired, older people and young children also experience problems with shared surface streets. What do you need to know? The redevelopment of an area with a shared surface without effective separation between areas used by pedestrians and vehicles has significant implications for blind and partially sighted people, as well as other vulnerable pedestrians who may also be at risk. Guide Dogs believes that by introducing shared surfaces without due regard for the concerns of blind and partially sighted people, local authorities may be in breach of their duties under the Equality Act 2010 [DDA for Northern Ireland]. These acts require local authorities to play their part in making society fairer by tackling discrimination and providing equal opportunity for all. The area has no definition between the road and the pavement. I found myself walking directly across a road in front of a car as I hadn't realised it was a shared area. The area is also lacking in colour definition meaning that pavement, road, benches and street ornaments are all the same colour. The Department for Transport have published a Local Transport Note on Shared Space (LTN 1/11) which emphasises the importance of stakeholder engagement and inclusive design. This LTN explicitly acknowledges that poorly design shared space schemes can be problematic particularly for blind or partially sighted people. Work in partnership Speak with other groups that may be negatively affected such as other disability groups, elderly residents and mums groups. 19

20 Shared surfaces Campaiging ideas: Tell the decision makers Your local council decides local planning policy. If you hear that your council is considering introducing a shared surface make sure you have your say! Some ideas on how you can do that are: Write to your local councillor to tell them about your concerns Invite local councillors and planners to take part in a blindfold walk Speak with your MP, they might be able to help you influence the decision Attend council meetings about the proposals Taking away the kerb is the equivalent to turning off the lights for a sighted person. Without a clear indication of where the pavement ends and the road begins, it is impossible to move around confidently. Shared surfaces put our lives at risk. 20

21 Shared surfaces 1. TNS survey of local authorities for Guide Dogs 2008, unpublished. 2. TNS-BMRB The impact of shared surface streets and shared use pedestrian/cycle paths on the mobility and independence of blind and partially sighted people, % 25% of local authorities say the main disadvantage of shared surfaces is the fear of accidents and safety concerns. 1 37% only 37% of local authorities involve disabled people when testing shared surfaces 2 Stats and facts 90% 90% of blind and partially sighted people have concerns about shared surfaces. 2 6 out of 10 6 out of 10 blind or partially sighted people avoid shared surfaces or are reluctant to use them. 2 58% 58% of people in a Guide Dogs survey said they had problems navigating their way around shared streets. It s scary - I don t know where traffic is coming from or where is a safe space. It s disorientating for working dogs to. It s impossible to cross the road without sighted support. 21

22 Shared surfaces Case study Making shared surfaces safer In June 2012 Neil became aware of proposals to redevelop Frome Town Centre. The proposal involved changing the main shopping street to a shared surface, which can be problematic for people who are blind and partially sighted. Neil sent a copy of the Inclusive Street Design Principles booklet to local councillors and received assurances that no decisions would be made until there had been opportunities for all interested parties to make representations. Neil subsequently attended a public meeting where the three possible schemes were explained. Following the public meeting he spoke to the project consultant and outlined his concerns that if the proposed crossings were introduced it would be virtually impossible for visually impaired people to cross the road without assistance. He also wrote to local councillors setting out his concerns. The council responded to Neil s letter on its website saying that they are committed to meaningful consultation with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and others. Neil will continue to monitor the situation and to campaign for an Equality Impact Assessment. 22

23 Contact us Contact us Remember......to keep everyone who has supported your campaign up to date. Whether your campaign has been successful or not, it s important to inform people so they know what has happened as a result of their involvement. This campaigner support is crucial in building long term relationships with your campaigners. Contact us Campaigning is always evolving and we can learn a lot from the successes, and challenges that you come across in your campaigning. Please keep in touch with the Guide Dogs campaigns team to let us know how your campaign gets on. You can keep in touch with us in the following ways: campaigns@guidedogs.org.uk

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