E-scooters and dockless bikes ridden and left on pavements raises collision concerns for blind and partially sighted people
Leading sight loss charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has released new research highlighting the daily challenges faced by blind and partially sighted people when walking in our cities and towns due to an increase in dockless bikes and e-scooters.
They are often ridden on pavements or left in public spaces, which could lead to people with sight loss falling over them and also force blind and partially sighted people to step into the road to get past them at risk of colliding with other vehicles.
RNIB’s new research of blind and partially sighted people showed:
- In the last three months, 4 in 5 (82 per cent) blind or partially sighted people have collided with an obstacle in the street. Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) said they had collided with a e-scooter, with a fifth (20 per cent) with a regular bike and one in ten (13 per cent) with dockless bikes.
- In the last three months, a quarter (25 per cent) of blind and partially sighted people have said that e-scooters make walking journeys more difficult for them, with 15 per cent citing dockless bikes as a cause of concern.
- 7 in 10 (70 per cent) of bind and partially sighted people surveyed noticed a change in pavement obstructions due to e scooters over the last six months.
- Nearly half (47 per cent) of blind and partially sighted people said that dockless and e-scooters stop them from getting out and about.
- Nearly half (48 per cent) of blind and partially sighted people said they agreed or strongly agreed that dockless and e-scooters have an impact them from getting out and about.
Erik Matthies, RNIB’s Policy Officer, who has sight loss, explained the issues that he and many blind and partially sighted people face: “It’s worrying that so many blind and partially sighted people are colliding with or falling over e-scooters and dockless bikes. They’re often ridden on pavements or left strewn in public places which pose a serious threat to walking safely and can force people to step into the road to get by them, which then puts blind and partially sighted people at risk from other vehicles. They need to be kept separate from pedestrians.
“E-scooters and dockless bikes are fast-moving and often quiet. We urge riders to use them safely and to dock them sensibly to avoid causing issues for people with sight loss, mobility aid users, parents with prams and older people. Our research showed nearly three quarters of people with sight loss have noticed a change in pavement obstructions due to e-scooters alone in just the last six months. In short, our streets are getting more difficult to use for people with sight loss.
“RNIB wants all hire schemes to have fixed docking stations, that are off-pavement and on the road wherever feasible to avoid the risk of collisions and injury.”
RNIB wants to see consistent national guidance from the Department for Transport (DfT) on e-bike and e-scooter parking, that can be enforced by councils and police. The Minister for Local Transport should develop this guidance with input from disabled people and organisations which represent disabled people.
The charity will continue to work with the DfT, local and combined authorities and e-scooter operators to press for action on these concerns. RNIB wants e-scooters to be more visually and audibly detectable to help reduce the risks and is calling for a system to report any incidents, accessible to blind and partially sighted people, and the monitoring of such reports by the operators and the DfT.
RNIB is also calling for improvements to street design and appropriate road infrastructure - such as detectable kerbs and pelican crossings – to improve how blind and partially sighted people get around.
Notes to editors
All surveys were conducted between 4 November 2024 and 14 November 2024 and the sample comprised 405 UK adults registered blind or partially sighted.
- The research was carried out online by Research Without Barriers – RWB
- All research conducted adheres to the UK Market Research Society (MRS) code of conduct (2023)
- RWB is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and complies with the DPA (2018)
All media enquiries to the RNIB press office on 0207 391 2223 or [email protected]. For urgent enquiries out-of-hours, please call 07968 482812.
About sight loss in the UK
- Every day 250 people start to lose their sight
- At least half of all sight loss is avoidable
- More than two million people have sight loss
- 350,000 people are registered blind or partially sighted
About RNIB
We are the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Every six minutes, someone in the UK begins to lose their sight. RNIB is taking a stand against exclusion, inequality and isolation to create a world without barriers where people with sight loss can lead full lives. A different world where society values blind and partially sighted people not for the disabilities they’ve overcome, but for the people they are.
RNIB. See differently. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk