Jill Allen-King, of the National Federation of the Blind, writes . . .
On June 6, 1978, the National Federation of the Blind of the UK launched the Give us Back Our Pavements campaign, to draw to the government and the public's attention to the hazards that confront blind and partially sighted people every day, such a
s cars parked on the pavement, people riding their bikes on the pavement, unguarded holes, litter bins and bags, over-hanging branches, and badly positioned street furniture.
Over the 30 years the pavements have got steadily more cluttered, and less money spent on maintenance, leading to thousands of accidents where pedestrians have tripped, resulting in serious injuries and even deaths.
Not only are the two million people that are blind or partially sighted fighting to keep their pavements in good repair and free of obstacles, but now the battle is on to retain the pavement itself, as many local authorities are introducing shared space schemes, with the pavement and pedestrian crossings removed, leaving a completely flat surface for traffic and pedestrians to share.
Blind people are being prevented from visiting their shops in these high streets.
Plans to also include such schemes in residential areas will mean they will not be able to live there, and those who already do will be frightened to go out alone.
No consideration is being given to the safety of pedestrians in these schemes.
All pavements should be retained, kept in good repair, and be un-cluttered to enable all pedestrians to walk safely, independently and with confidence.
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