Edinburgh streets: Controversial active travel plans for Dundee Street/Fountainbridge need to be revised, say sight loss charities
Controversial active travel plans for Edinburgh's Dundee Street and Fountainbridge need to be revised, according to two charities which campaign for people who are blind or partially sighted.
Sight Scotland and RNIB Scotland have both voiced concerns about floating bus stops, where passengers must cross a cycle lane when they board or get off a bus; continuous footways, where the pavement carries on across side roads, with vehicles allowed to drive across them; and pavement widths, stressing the need for minimum standards to be met.
The Dundee Street / Fountainbridge active travel plan proposes a continuous segregated cycleway in both directions between Ardmillan Place in the west to Ponton Street in the east, as well as a quiet route route on Ashley Drive, Ogilvie Terrace, Harrison Gardens, West Bryson Road, Bryson Road and Fowler Terrace.
The aim is to provide an attractive alternative to cycling along the canal towpath, which is often busy with pedestrians.
But the scheme is opposed by walking campaign group Living Streets, which claims the cycleway is being created at pedestrians' expense, by narrowing large sections of busy pavements.
Meanwhile, another campaign group, Blackhall Safe Routes, has given the scheme its backing and branded Living Streets "Nimbys" for opposing it.
In its submission to Edinburgh council’s consultation on the plans, Sight Scotland says it strongly supports active travel initiatives, but expresses “serious opposition” to floating bus stops, also known as bus stop bypasses.
It says: “Compelling evidence demonstrates that these designs pose significant dangers to people with visual impairment, other disabled people and many other groups of pedestrians.
“The solution to conflict between users of bicycles and users of motor vehicle must not transfer the conflict zone to one between cyclists and pedestrians, particularly where this disproportionately impacts disabled people.”
Sight Scotland urges the council to remove all floating bus stops from the scheme and explore “alternative cycling route alignments” which do not require them.
But it says the council should in any case pause the floating bus stop plans, noting that recent UK legislation recommends this south of the border, pending updated guidance from the Department for Transport. The charity says: “This provision in primary legislation signals serious UK governmental concern about the accessibility and safety of these designs.”
It also says the council should ensure that all pavements are at least 2 metres wide and that cycling infrastructure is fully segregated from both vehicles and pedestrians.
And it adds: “We wholeheartedly endorse efforts to promote active travel and create safer streets. Truly accessible streets must work for all users, especially disabled people who face additional challenges navigating the urban environment – this includes people with visual impairment and sight loss.”
RNIB Scotland makes many of the same points and is particularly critical of continuous footways. It says: “Continuous footways pose an unacceptable risk for blind and partially sighted people, due to the increased danger of unknowingly walking out in front of moving vehicles.”
It says there is often a lack of tactile paving to indicate when there is a side street and vehicles may be approaching.
“RNIB Scotland have previously called for the application of tactile paving to be consistent. However, we have already seen examples of inconsistent use of tactile paving on continuous footways/crossings on Leith Walk.
“Continuous footways make it harder for people with sight loss to get around. The more difficult it is to get around, the less freedom and opportunity they have to participate in society and access key services and employment. We therefore urge against the use of continuous footways.”
RNIB also voices concern about pavement widths - saying that in several places these will be narrower than the council's minimum permitted 2 metre width - and cycleways crossing footways where cyclists are not required to stop for a red light.
“There is a very real risk of a blind or partially sighted individual suddenly and unknowingly stepping into the path of a cyclist – the cyclist may not realise the pedestrian hasn’t seen them. The risk of mobility aids such as white canes interfering with the wheels of bicycles is a further risk to physical safety of both cyclists and pedestrians.”
And the RNIB submission concludes: “The plans state that a primary aim of the project is to improve conditions for pedestrians, including those with visual or mobility impairments - however, many features of the designs will in fact discriminate against blind and partially sighted people as well as other disabled pedestrians.”