Pedestrian Areas: Visual Impairment
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress her Department has made on improving the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of streets for blind and partially sighted pedestrians.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
Local authorities have a legal responsibility to manage their roads and public spaces in a way that meets the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under the Equality Act 2010. It is for them to ensure that their streets are designed and maintained in a way that takes account of the needs of everyone, including visually impaired people.
The Government has produced good practice guidance to help them in this, and this is available at
The Government recognises the problems that blind and partially sighted pedestrians can face when motorists park on pavements, and when e-scooters and e-bikes are left blocking pavements. It will make an announcement shortly on next steps on pavement parking, following the 2020 consultation, and is introducing new regulatory powers through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to help local authorities manage shared micromobility schemes more effectively.
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