Blind face ‘obstacle course’ on streets
ASIGHT loss charity has warned that the number of advertising boards and other pavement clutter is making Glasgow’s streets “an obstacle course” for blind and partially sighted residents and those with other disabilities.
A survey by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) across the UK found that a third of blind and partially sighted people questioned said they had been injured by advertising boards and other obstacles while walking outside.
Other obstacles reported to be commonly encountered include bollards, bins, cars parked on pavements and ‘shared space’ schemes.
James Adam, director of RNIB Scotland said: “Blind and partially sighted people have as much right to freely traverse our streets safely as anyone else.”
He added: “But A-boards and other street clutter, like carelessly arranged café tables, can deter many from walking outdoors.
“They can appear without warning often with no consistency in where they’re placed, so people just walk into them, either hurting or injuring themselves.
“While we want businesses to prosper, our streets should not be an obstacle course to be negotiated.
“Advertising boards could be replaced by boards mounted on a business’s walls, for example.”
The charity points to a move by Edinburgh City Council in 2018 to ban advertising boards from the city’s streets after consultations with businesses and disability groups.
RNIB Scotland has called on the Scottish Government to strengthen and reinforce existing legislation. It points out that under the 1984 Roads Scotland Act it is an offence to wilfully obstruct free passage along the road and deposit anything which causes an obstruction.
The charity adds that the Equality Act 2010 required public authorities to take reasonable steps to enable disabled people to avoid substantial disadvantages caused by physical features.
The call from RNIB Scotland comes after the decision by Glasgow City Council last month to make the changes made to street layouts under the Scottish Government’s ‘Spaces for People’ initiative permanent.
Mr Adams said: “We want to reiterate our concerns about the implications of making temporary Spaces for People measures permanent.
“The decisions taken could have serious long-term implications for the citizens of Glasgow in terms of how they access their city and its amenities.
“The safety of pedestrians, particularly those who are more vulnerable, must be the deciding factor when determining changes.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Spaces for People has delivered extra space for walking, wheeling and cycling across Glasgow during Covid-19, with many measures to become permanent following an independent review that highlighted the long term benefit they offer to the environment and in encouraging the uptake of active travel.” They added: “In general terms, the council’s overall objective is to reduce street clutter where possible; specific to Spaces for People we engaged early with disability groups in respect of road layout changes and we also took into consideration learnings from previous infrastructure projects delivered.”