Pedestrian Areas: Visual Impairment

(asked on 19th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy that future travel schemes will ensure direct access from the pavement to the bus.


Answered by
Richard Holden Portrait
Richard Holden
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
This question was answered on 9th January 2023

The 2021 National Bus Strategy (NBS), Bus Back Better, outlined the government’s vision for bus services to be accessible and inclusive by design. This extends to bus stops and bus stations. It also detailed the government’s expectation that all Local Transport Plans will include measures to upgrade supporting infrastructure to facilitate independent, accessible journeys.

In addition, the NBS mandated that all English Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) outside London were required to publish Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), which must be aligned with wider Local Transport Plans. These set out the local vision for the step-change in bus services that is needed; driven by what passengers and would-be passengers want. The Department’s BSIP guidance recognised the importance of LTAs investing in accessible and inclusive bus services. It did this by outlining that not only the vehicles must be accessible to everyone, but also the bus stops and bus stations; so that everyone can travel on buses with confidence.

Local Authorities must comply with equalities law when upgrading or investing in new bus stops and stations infrastructure.

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