Shared Space - Did the DfT go far enough?

Despite our feelings about shared spaces – where kerbs, crossings and other vital pedestrian safety measures are removed and the street scene made completely level – we always contribute to debate on the topic in a constructive manner. So when we were able to contribute to the Department for Transport's guidance on designing shared spaces, we were happy to help shape the document to ensure these areas are safe and inclusive for everyone.

We gave the DfT a raft of recommendations from our own expertise, and we were pleased to find that when the final document – known in the business as a Local Transport Note – was released, many of our recommendations were adopted. Unfortunately, there were still areas where our advice wasn't taken, such as providing something to warn blind and partially-sighted people of built up kerbs at bus stops. There's also no recommendation for developers to monitor how effective schemes are once they're in place. So it seems there are still many reasons for us to continue to do everything we can to shape future shared spaces.

It's not difficult to understand why shared spaces are potentially dangerous to everyone. We were all taught to stop, look and listen at the kerb when we learned to cross the road – what if the kerb isn't there? And with modern distractions like MP3 players and mobile phones, sighted pedestrians have never been more in need of something to physically flag up that they're about to stroll into danger. It's even worse for blind and partially sighted people, as guide dogs are trained to sit at a kerb to alert their owner to the pavement's edge, and kerbs give long cane users a physically detectable marker for where the road begins. You don't need perfect vision to see that taking kerbs away is a recipe for disaster.

Then there's the shared space principle of driver and pedestrian making eye contact to establish who has priority. No need to explain why this is a ridiculous ask for many guide dog owners, but don’t forget this might also be difficult for children and those with learning difficulties or mental health conditions. On dark winter afternoons, it can be hard even for sighted pedestrians to see into a vehicle to make eye contact, turning crossing a shared space's 'road' into a gamble that no-one would want to take.

We published our own guidance on shared space last year, and we urge architects to bear our advice in mind. Surely everyone has the right to walk through their local town centre without the fear of straying into traffic? It costs £50,000 to breed, train and support each guide dog, money that comes solely from the public's generosity as the guide dogs service gets no government funding. But blind and partially-sighted people tell us that they consider shared spaces 'no-go areas'. So we're making a direct appeal: architects, please don't let our efforts go to waste at a stroke of your pencil. We believe good streets are inclusive streets, and streets that aren't inclusive are simply not good enough.