Blind and partially sighted Londoners are being forced to use unsafe crossings at hundreds of roads across the capital, warns the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Lacking
There are 347 Transport for London pedestrian crossings across London which are lacking audible sounds and tactile rotating cones (1), making it extremely difficult and often very dangerous for people with sight loss to cross the road.
A shocking 31 out of 33 boroughs are home to these dangerous crossings. Westminster is the worst offender with 45 while Hackney accounts for 18 and Southwark has a total of 17. Only Kingston Upon Thames and Hillingdon are not represented on the list.
Caroline Pidgeon
The figures, obtained by Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, also show that there are 113 crossings which fail national safety standards by not providing the minimum amount of time for people to safely cross the road. (2)
Mohammed Mohsan Ali lives in Southwark and is registered blind, he said: "Many people don't realise how frightening it can be to try and cross the road without the help of rotating cones or audible sounds, you can end up waiting for ages trying to guess when the cars might have stopped.
"Bad experiences"
"I have had some bad experiences crossing busy roads in London and it would really boost my confidence if I could make it safely and easily to the other side without my heart pounding in fear."
Hugh Huddy, RNIB Campaigns Officer, said: "If the green man sign on a crossing is broken, then it is marked as out of order. Bleeps and tactile cones are the way that blind and partially sighted people judge that it is safe to cross, so without them the crossing is effectively out of order to anyone with a sight problem.
"Cannot be justified"
"Failing to install and maintain accessible road crossings cannot be justified. Every crossing without bleeps or tactile cones is unsafe for the UK's two million with sight loss."
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, commented: "It is shocking that in the year 2012 so many pedestrian crossings are unsafe for so many people.
"I have long called for the minimum safety standards to be met at every pedestrian crossing across the whole of London. The RNIB campaign has my total support."
Ahead of the Mayoral and London Assembly elections in May, RNIB is calling on all candidates to make London more accessible and to work with Transport for London to ensure all crossings meet long standing national accessibility standards.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
For media enquiries, please contact Rachel Cafferty in RNIB's Public Relations Team on 0207 391 2043, email rachel.cafferty@rnib.org.uk
(1) Tactile rotating cones: Small rotating cone devices can be installed on the underside of the Push Button box at crossings to allow a blind or partially sighted person to hold the cone between their finger and thumb and when it starts to turn they know that the green man is showing and it should be safe to cross.
(2) Figures as of the 6th December 2011.
Following a Freedom of Information request, Transport for London stated there were 347 pedestrian crossings across London which fail to meet minimum access standards for blind and visually impaired people. The figures relate to 31 of 33 London boroughs when including 'the City of London Corporation' as a borough.
About RNIB
Every day around 100 people in the UK start to lose their sight. There are around two million people in the UK with sight problems. RNIB is the leading charity working in the UK offering practical support, advice and information for anyone with sight difficulties. If you, or someone you know, has a sight problem RNIB can help. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk