Street audit and recommendations for Biggleswade

Street audit and recommendations for Biggleswade

1 Introduction

As part of the RNIB’s Who Put That There? street campaign I undertook a brief audit of some of the obstacles in Biggleswade which affect me and other blind and partially sighted residents. It became abundantly clear that problems which I face also affect other disabled people (especially those who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids,) older people and families with young children. This makes up a sizeable chunk of Biggleswade’s population.

As well as looking at what the main problems are in Biggleswade when it comes to street obstacles I engaged with local councillors and my MP. I complete 3 blindfold walks with Town Cllr Bernard Rix, Central Bedfordshire Cllr Budge Wells and my MP Alistair Burt. These walks highlighted the common problems but also some of the coping strategies I and other blind and partially sighted people use to get around. 

I have written up a separate blog piece explaining more about these blind fold walks which you can read here.

There are also a number of films relating to street obstacle issues in Biggleswade featuring Paul Day and me which you can find here

2 My Audit

Although there are a number of street obstacle issues which affect Biggleswade including:

• wheeliebins
• cars parked on pavements
• over hanging branches
• pavements in poor repair
• Advertising boards (A-Boards)
• cafe furniture
• a need for safer places to cross roads

I focussed my audit on aspects which are easier to quantify - the number of A-boards and cars parked on pavements. I also noted any good practice that I came across.

Advertising boards present on Saturday 11th July

A-boards are particularly problematic as they are often placed in different places daily so a visually impaired person can not “learn” where they are. By their size and shape they are often hard to see if you are visually impaired. Many are quite heavy with sharp edges, they are also at that height which means that they catch your wrist whilst using a white cane or they can trip you. It is important to note that most blind and partially sighted people will follow the shop line either with their white cane or guide dog. When A Boards are placed along the shop line this can cause difficulties but visually impaired people at least expect to find them there. When they are placed in the middle of pavements or in random places they can cause even more problems as they are not expected to be there by the visually impaired person.

Market square 

Against shop fronts: 14

Elsewhere / random: 19

Total: 33

High street (from Rose Pub to Shortmead St including around the war memorial) 

Against shop fronts: 12

Elsewhere / random: 4

Total: 16

Total number of A boards present in Biggleswade town centre:

Against shop fronts: 26

Elsewhere / random: 25

Total: 51

Cars parked on pavements on Saturday 11th July

Cars parked on pavements cause a double obstacle in that visually impaired people can bump into them but if they completely block the pavement they cause visually impaired people to have to walk out into the road in order to get past. Having to walk out into roads where there is no pedestrian crossing can be a very stressful and a dangerous thing for a visually impaired person to have to do.

These were counted on one of my usual routes home from Biggleswade town centre

1 on Eagle a Farm Road

1 on Sorrel Way

7 on Apollo Gardens 2 completely blocking path

1 on Pluto Drive

Cars parked on pavement on Apollo Gardens on Monday 13th July

6 on Apollo a Gardens 1 totally blocking path 

1 on Pluto Drive

I avoid walking down the remainder of my own street, Jupiter Way due to the road surface still not being properly laid and that there is invariably 2 or 3 cars blocking the pavement. 

Also on my route home that day I walked into some over hanging branches and came across two road work sign frames which had been left on the pavement for over a month. They were advertising road works which ended at the beginning of June. These were particularly dangerous as they were heavy but only the frame which was very hard to see. 

Good Practice

Some cafe’s like the Surfin’ Cafe in town do have barriers placed around their cafe furniture - this allows white cane users to find the boundary of where the cafe furniture is and so avoid walking into chairs and tables. They also place their cafe furniture in the same place every day which again is useful so that blind and partially sighted people can learn where the obstacles are. 

The pedestrian crossings in Biggleswade do have rotating cones which indicate to a visually impaired person when it is safe to cross. This is particularly important when the crossings do not beep. There is also good tactile pavement indicating the crossings.

The market is laid out in such away that there is a wide route down the middle and to the sides of the market. There are also exits from the market at designated points along it. This enables visually impaired people to learn the route of the market. Often markets are laid out in such away that it is difficult for blind and partially sighted people exit it safely.

3 Input from other residents of Biggleswade who are not visually impaired

Through the We Love Biggleswade page I received 34 comments about street obstacles, the vast majority about wheelie bins but there were also comments and messages about cars parked on pavements and over hanging branches in various localities around Biggleswade. I was sent a number of photos of wheelie bins obstructing the pavement and the following streets were named, often more than once, as problem areas for wheelie bins being left as an obstruction by the bin men:

Lawrence Road

Havelock Road

The Baulk

Banks Road

Drove Road

Auckland Street 

Only one person commented about neighbours not putting their bins away all other comments were about the bin operatives leaving the bins in a worse place than where they were originally left.

My posts on the RNIB street obstacles campaign received 71 likes over the course of 2 weeks.

4 List of recommendations / requests

From the work I have done over the last few weeks with town and central Beds councillors and our MP as well as speaking with residents I would like to propose the following recommendations are taken forward.

1 Engage meaningfully and proactively with local disabled people

The Town and Central Bedfordshire Councils should proactively seek advice and consult with local disabled people on issues relating to the built environment. This can be achieved in two ways:

i)A group of disabled people with suitable skills and expertise should be brought together as an “access panel” or group. They will be consulted with about key policy issues and developments affecting the built environment. 

ii)More widely when public consultations are planned disabled people should be encouraged to take part and the process should be accessible to them.

These measures will ensure that policies and schemes are “access proofed” by people with the right expertise and experience. They will be able to spot potential problems for disabled residents at an early stage and prevent costly mistakes from happening. The involvement of access panels is widely accepted as a way of meeting Equality Duties and showing that a council is paying due regard to the needs of disabled people.

It is particularly vital to involve disabled people in plans for the works on the railway bridge on the High St, proposals to move the market and the development of the transport interchange in Biggleswade.

2 Improve blind and partially sighted people’s experiences of bin day - and you’ll improve everyone’s experience!

Advertise widely the phone number and email address for reporting wheelie bin obstructions including on pages like We Love Biggleswade, The Chronicle and the local talking news paper.

I would like to Invite refuse operatives, council managers and councillors to take part in a blindfold "swap with me" event with local blind and partially sighted people. So both groups can learn from each other. It is much easier to understand why it is important to keep the pavements free of obstacles when you actually spend time with the people affected. This would involve refuse operatives and council officials meeting with blind and partially sighted residents, trying on “sim specs” which simulate different eye conditions and attempting to navigate the streets on bin day. It would also allow blind and partially sighted people to learn about the job of waste disposal and the challenges bin operatives face. Similar initiatives have happened with refuse and waste departments in other local authorities and with bus drivers. (Nearly 50 of these “swap with me” events have been held with bus drivers across the country.)

There should be a change of policy so that on bin day where ever it is possible, residents should leave bins in their front gardens and drives, off the pavements but easily accessible for the bin operatives.  Refuse operatives will return bins to this area just inside the residents property after the bins are emptied. This policy is used across the whole of London but also in more rural local authorities around the UK.

3 A-boards and street furniture

The town and Central Beds Council should consult with residents and business about their A-boards policy. Once a suitable policy is decided upon it must be enforced whether that is to license with safety conditions or to ban A-boards in all or part of the town. 

4 Cars parked on pavement 

As with the wheelie bins the council need to advertise the reporting number and email more widely including with the talking news paper.

Consider the issue of pavement parking in the current parking strategies - as more double yellows or parking restrictions often lead to more pavement parking. 

Council and Police to consult with residents where problem areas exist.

5 Shared space on Hitchin St

Urgent repairs are needed to this shared space area on Hitchin Street and blind and partially sighted people need to be consulted with over any further  changes to this area.