Annette Brooke MP joins Guide Dogs' campaign to 'Say NO to shared surfaced streets'

7.48.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 29th Jun 2009

Annette Brooke

A dangerous new street design that puts the blind and partially sighted; disabled and elderly, as well as young children in danger has been condemned at a Westminster event organised by The Guide Dogs Association for the Blind.

Annette went along to try out a mock shared surface street whilst blindfolded as part of Guide Dogs' 'Say NO to shared streets' campaign and also learned about the importance of safe and accessible towns and high streets for vulnerable pedestrians

Shared surface streets - when the road and pavement are built at the same level with the kerb removed - force all road users to make 'eye contact' to establish who moves first.

Annette said "This undermines the safety, confidence and independence of vulnerable pedestrians. 'Wheelchair users have to share their space with intimidating cyclists and vehicles, and young children no longer have a kerb to safely stop, look, and listen at."

David Cowdrey, Guide Dogs Campaign Manager, commented: "If people can't tell where the road begins and the pavement ends, how can you feel safe? We need everyone to get behind our campaign so that they are free to use their town centres and high streets as they wish - instead of them becoming no-go areas."

The 'Say NO to shared streets' campaign is supported by nearly 20 other national disability organisations including MENCAP, Leonard Cheshire Disability, RNID, RNIB and Arthritis Care.

The following comment was received from Vanessa Trentham, who lives near Romsey in Hampshire:-

"Many road users would find shared surfaces problematic: The person with Aspergers or other Autistic Spectrum Disorder who can't make eye contact or read the driver's body language and facial expressions, the person with severe learning disabilities who like a child needs a curb to stop, look and listen at, elderly and those who are slow walkers due to mobility difficulties who drivers will find too slow and who will find the area frightening because they cannot get out of the way quickly, and so on. The idea it will make town centres safer is ridiculous- it will just make them more dangerous and scary. That is before you take into account the drivers who won't know how to negotiate their way through such space as I am sure will be a problem too."