The UK has a proud history of making transport more accessible for disabled people.
From the government-subsidised Motability scheme, which offers disabled motorists a chance to drive an adapted vehicle, to redesigning stations, trains and buses with lower steps, wider doorways, better signage and more priority seating, our country boasts one of the most inclusive transport systems in the world.
But millions of disabled people still find it difficult to use transport to get to school, commute to work, and get together with loved ones.
The successes of the past should be an ideal starting point for further breakthroughs, yet decades of progress appear to have come to a halt.
Accessible transport charity the Motability Foundation found that disabled people make 38 per cent fewer journeys than non-disabled people. This has been labelled the ‘transport accessibility gap’.
The size of this gap has shown no signs of narrowing over the past 10 years, bucking the historical trend of gradual, but continuous, improvement in accessibility.
It shows that advances towards a more inclusive transport system for disabled people cannot be taken for granted.
That’s why I am leading a new cross-party group of parliamentarians to eliminate barriers to travel.
The new Accessible Transport Policy Commission includes MPs and Peers from across the political spectrum who share a commitment to making transport more accessible across the UK.
The commission is part of the National Centre for Accessible Transport (ncat), which was set up with a seven-year, £20 million grant from the Motability Foundation.
ncat aims to shape the future of transport by ensuring disabled people are part of transport decision-making and is equipped with a number of tools for change.
Its research programme will deepen our understanding of disabled people’s experiences on the UK’s transport systems.
One of these projects aims to understand the barriers disabled people face at the beginning, middle and end of their journeys. Another is exploring how we can make our streets easier and safer to navigate.
A third study will map out the different roles and responsibilities of local councils in making transport more accessible.
The centre’s innovation funding programme will build on this evidence to help finance the creation of new technologies and service models, and ensure their adoption across the transport system.
Finally, the Accessible Transport Policy Commission exists to convene disabled people, transport professionals, local government officials and parliamentarians to ensure ncat’s research and innovation programme is translated into legislative and systematic reform.
Local government is where many of the key decisions about the future of transport are made.
In March, we launched the Accessible Transport Charter, which aims to recruit councillors to this important cause.
It commits signatories to: helping secure disabled people’s champions to all key transport decision-making bodies; set up accessibility panels of disabled people at transport providers; make sure accessibility and inclusion is integrated into public transport strategies; and make our streets free of clutter and accessible to everyone.
Councillors can register their commitment to closing the transport accessibility gap.
Councillors who sign the charter will have the opportunity to participate in our commission’s work, beginning with a special event at the end of the year.
I look forward to working with you to make transport accessible for all.
- Find out more about ncat’s work