Guide Dogs tells Mayor Boris to ‘Kerb it’ in Exhibition Road row

Hundreds of blind and partially sighted people, and disabled and elderly people surrounded City Hall in London on Wednesday 17 June, angry at the Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s 13m of funding for this dangerous street design.

The Mayor has said – in an email to Guide Dogs – that he wants ”the streets of London to be accessible to everyone in our community, including those who are blind and partially sighted” . Yet he is continuing to help fund a shared surface street in Exhibition Road - home to The Science Museum, The Natural History Museum, and The Victoria and Albert Museum – which is described by Guide Dogs as “dangerous and hazardous for thousands of vulnerable local residents and visiting tourists”.

The protest comes as a YouGov survey reveals 67% of Londoners agree or strongly agree that the shared surface street design of Exhibition Road will negatively impact on blind and partially sighted people and other groups. Nearly a quarter (23%) said it is a waste of money if it disadvantages vulnerable people .
 
“This development actively discriminates against the safety and independence of blind and partially sighted people, disabled and elderly people, and young children. If people can’t tell where the road begins and the pavement ends, how can they feel safe?” commented Tom Pey, guide dog owner and Guide Dogs’ Director of External Affairs.
 
“Boris knows our position on this and we want him to withdraw his funding for this dangerous street as our calls for a kerb and a safe Exhibition Road will not go away. Nearly 20 other national disability organisations representing blind and partially sighted people, and people with other disabilities, and over 140 MPs are supporting our call for a halt to shared surface street designs.”

The entire development will cost £25m, funded in part by the Mayor of London and Transport for London (£13.2m).

The event was part of Guide Dogs ‘Say NO to shared streets’ campaign which aims to stop shared surface streets being built in the UK. These streets, which have no definition between road and pavement, force all road users to make ‘eye contact’ to establish who moves first which obviously undermines the safety, confidence and independence of vulnerable pedestrians.

Blind and partially sighted people use the kerb as a key navigation cue so its removal has dangerous consequences. Wheelchair users have to share their space with intimidating vehicles and cyclists, and young children no longer have a kerb to safely stop, look, and listen at.

Guide Dogs research shows that blind and partially sighted people in both the UK and the Netherlands, often cited as a country where shared surface streets ‘work’, have their safety, confidence and independence undermined by these streets.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has recently issued a letter to all local authorities acknowledging the difficulties of shared surface streets for vulnerable pedestrians. This is ahead of a two year research project they are undertaking into this street design. A number of local authorities in the UK have already rejected plans for shared surface streets on health and safety grounds, after learning about the risks they pose.