Campaigning on Streets Ahead
Contents
Streets Ahead
Pavement Parking
What do you need to know?
What do drivers think?
Damage to pavements
Campaigning Ideas
Stats and Facts
Street Clutter
Why is it a problem?
What do you need to know?
Stats and Facts
Advertising boards (A-Boards)
Café Furniture
Wheelie Bins
Shared Surfaces
Why are shared surfaces a problem?
What do you need to know?
Campaiging ideas:
Stats and Facts
CASE STUDY
CONTACT US
Streets Ahead
Streets Ahead is a key campaign for Guide Dogs. The campaign aims to tackle obstacles to accessibility on the UK’s streets whether that be through the design of a street or reducing excessive amounts of clutter on pavements.
This toolkit provides information on how to get involved in our national campaigning and offers advice and tips on local campaigning. The issues covered by this campaign lend themselves well to local campaigning as they can often be solved.
We have broken this toolkit down into several sections:
Pavement Parking
Cars parked on pavements are a dangerous obstacle for people who are blind or partially sighted, often forcing them out into the road. Guide Dogs is calling for a UK-wide law prohibiting pavement parking, unless specifically permitted, as is in place in Greater London.
Street clutter
Street Clutter describes objects that are on our streets that can reduce the independent mobility of people who are blind or partially sighted. Common street clutter items can include: Shop advertising boards (A-boards), pavement cafés, overhanging branches, wheelie bins on the street, some poorly positioned ‘street furniture’, such as benches.
Shared Surfaces
Shared Surfaces are when the road and pavement are built at the same level, removing the kerb so that cars, buses, cyclists and pedestrians share the same surface. Shared surface streets are dangerous for blind and partially sighted people who rely upon the presence of the kerb to know they are on the pavement and not in the road.
Quote: “I have to walk beside a busy road to get to the bus stop and every day there is at least one vehicle parked on the pavement stopping me and my guide dog getting past and therefore we have to risk our lives going into the busy main road.” - Lena, Guide Dog Owner
For more information please see the Negotiating the Streets DVD at
Pavement Parking
Cars parked on pavements are a dangerous obstacle for blind or partially sighted people, often forcing them out into the road. This can be particularly dangerous for people with sight loss as they cannot see oncoming traffic. In the worst cases, pavements obstructed by cars can stop people who are blind or partially sighted from leaving their homes.
Vehicles parked over dropped kerbs and crossing points are particularly dangerous. They block access to crossing areas which are essential to people who are blind or partially sighted. Pavement parking can also be dangerous for parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users and other disabled people who are prevented from using the pavement safely.
“Pavement parking is a problem for the Council as it costs us a great deal of money to repair broken pavements, in addition to the obvious problems not only for blind people but also for those in wheelchairs, mobility scooters and with double buggies and prams.” – Local Councillor
What do you need to know?
What can councils across the UK do?
England and Wales: Local authorities in England and Wales have some limited powers to tackle pavement parking.
Northern Ireland: In Northern Ireland penalty notices can only be issued to cars on pavements where the road has parking restrictions.
Scotland: In Scotland pavement parking is rarely prosecuted.
What do drivers think?
Guide Dogs commissioned a survey by YouGov into the attitudes of motorists who chose to park on a pavement in January 2013. Amongst other findings the survey revealed over half of motorists who pavement parked made the decision to do so despite considering the effect it might have on pedestrians.
Damage to pavements
Parking on pavements can cause pavements to crack. This is a hazard to pedestrians who may trip on broken pavements, and is again even more dangerous for blind and partially sighted people who cannot see the damage. It is also expensive; between 2006 and 2010 local authorities paid over £1billion on repairing kerbs, pavements and walkways. £106million was spent in compensation claims to people tripping and falling on broken pavements during the same five year period.
Campaigning Ideas
Tell the decision makers
Your local council decides the local policy on parking on pavements. If it is an issue in your area you should tell them. Some ideas on how you can do that are:
Write to your local councillor. Remember to include details about specific roads where it is a particular issue.
Tweet a photo of cars parked on pavement to your local council so they can see where the problem is.
Show support to stop parking on pavements through a petition. We have produced examples you might want to use.
Attend a council meeting to discuss whether anything can be done on pavement parking in your local area.
See if the police can help
In some local areas the police enforce local parking laws. If police can help in your area you might want to get in touch with local Police Community Support Officers to tell them that this is a local issue and see if they can help bring a stop to it.
Don’t plonk it! Park it!
Parking on pavements ‘Don’t Plonk it, Park it’ campaign
Laura, who works for the Shrewsbury Guide Dogs Mobility team, was concerned about the issue of pavement parking in her local area. She worked in partnership with other local disability organisations and the local police force to develop the‘Don’t Plonk it, Park it’ campaign. A leaflet has been developed which looks like a penalty notice and has information on it about the law on pavement parking. The local police force place it on vehicles that they see parked on the pavement. At the same time they take the details of the vehicle and if the vehicle causes a further unnecessary obstruction a fixed penalty ticket will be issued.
Laura says: “This simple leaflet provides a solution to a problem for many police forces who struggle with parking on pavements. Whilst it may not solve the problem completely it is having a positive impact on the day to day lives of people in Sandwell.”
A local police representative says: “This is a low cost, non-confrontational, educational initiative which drew upon the findings of the Guide Dogs pavement parking survey and has, in my opinion, achieved its objectives. Where an issue arises we now have another tool in the box to tackle it.”
Other local police forces are also now looking at how they can use the Don’t Plonk it, Park it materials. Could yours?
Working in Collaboration
Joel, a Guide Dogs employee and a guide dog owner has supported two ‘Pavements are for people’ campaigns and is currently looking to work in partnership to hold another. These campaigns aim to reduce the amount of parking on pavements in our towns and cities.
After promoting the Streets Ahead campaign to local organisations Joel was invited to collaborate with them and other local charities to help raise awareness of the issues pavement parking can cause not just for blind and partially sighted people but also other vulnerable pedestrians. They ran an awareness raising event in town - choosing a location in the centre of the main shopping area using the Guide Dogs sensory tunnel to engage the general public and tell them about the campaign. They invited councillors, the mayor and the local police going through the tunnel as well as raising public awareness. Working together helped ensure it was a well-attended event that they are going to run again.
Working in partnership with others in your local area can strengthen your campaign as it demonstrates the strength of support for your calls. It can also show how many different groups of people are affected by pavement parking. Organisations that might be able to help you with your campaign include:
Schools and parent groups
Your MP and councillors
Local disability organisations
Raise Public Awareness
Many people are not aware of the potential dangers of parking on the pavement. By raising local awareness of your campaign you will educate motorists about why they shouldn’t park on the pavements and could influence decision makers at the same time.
Here are some ideas about how you can raise public awareness:
Write to your local paper - see our example letter you might want to edit and send.
Put up posters - displaying posters asking people not to park on pavements acts as an educational tool.
Display posters in areas where lots of people will see them as well as targeting problem areas. Some ideas of where you can display posters are: community centres and notice boards, schools, libraries, local shop windows, your own window.
See for details.
Stats and Facts
According to a Guide Dogs survey in 2013 of 1,600 people 90% of respondents had experienced problems with pavement parked cars. It is the most frequently encountered form of street clutter.[1]
54% of drivers admit to parking on the pavement, of which 17% do it once a
week or more.[2]
22% of UK drivers hadn't considered that parking a vehicle on the pavement could put pedestrians in danger by forcing them to use the road.
48% of drivers who said they park on a pavement said they haven’t thought about the possible problems it causes to blind or partially sighted people.
Street Clutter
Street clutter describes objects on our streets that can reduce the independent mobility of people who are blind and partially sighted. Common street clutter items include: Shop advertising boards (A-boards), pavement cafés, overhanging branches, wheelie bins on the street, and some street furniture such as benches to name a few.
Why is it a problem?
Guide dogs are trained to avoid street clutter but many pathways simply do not leave enough space for guide dog partnerships to get through without going on to the road which is dangerous for blind and partially sighted people. 40% of visually impaired respondents to a recent survey said street clutter made them less willing to go out on their own.
Quote: “When walking in the centre of town I regularly have to walk on the road to avoid obstacles such as: outdoor cafes, A-board adverts, cars parked on the pavement; rubbish etc. This is dangerous for me. I have walked into an A-board and cut my leg on it. The cafe was very unsympathetic to what had happened and didn’t move their sign.” – A Guide Dog owner
What do you need to know?
There are three main types of street clutter that are most frequently reported to the Guide Dogs campaigns team as causing issues for people who are blind and partially sighted. These are:
Advertising boards (or A-boards)
Café furniture
Wheelie bins
We go into detail about each of these in the following section. There are many other items of street clutter that people who are blind and partially sighted encounter. For more ideas look at our ‘Campaigning toolkit’ or get in touch with the Guide Dogs Campaigns team.
Quote: “I fell and broke my wrist whilst walking in the street… I still don’t know what I fell over.” - Eileen, Shropshire
We go into detail about each of thesein the following section. There are manyother items of street clutter that peoplewho are blind and partially sightedencounter. For more ideas look at our‘Campaigning toolkit’ or get in touch withthe Guide Dogs Campaigns team.
Stats and Facts[3]
97% of blind and partially sighted people said street clutter is a problem.
92% of those who cited street clutter as problematic said they encountered such challenges on a daily or weekly basis.
43% of blind or partially sighted people have complained to their council about street obstacles.
65% of blind and partially sighted people surveyed have suffered a minor injury dueto street clutter and 9% sustained a majorinjury which required medical treatment.
Advertising boards (A-Boards)
Many shops place A-boardsoutside their shops as a formof advertisement. Some shopsput A-boards in places on thepavement which are difficultfor people who are blind andpartially sighted to pass. Asmentioned above this can bea nuisance, and potentiallyendangers people’s safety.
What you need to know?
Guide Dogs wants local authorities toimplement a licensing scheme with clearguidance for businesses on the appropriateplacement of A-boards on our pavementsto balance the needs of businesses with the practical needs of pedestrians. It is up to local authorities to decide on the exact wording oftheir guidance but Guide Dogs recommendsincluding the following points:
A-boards should be easily detectableand noticeable to pedestrians withvisual impairments
They must be situated in such a way thatthey can be negotiated with ease by userswith mobility problems. Boards should bedisplayed directly adjacent or in closevicinity to the premises.
A-boards should only be allowed onpavements where sufficient widthof footway can be left clear andunobstructed for pedestrian usage of thearea (usually a minimum of 2 metres).
A-boards and goods must be removed from the street outside thetimes permitted in the licence.
Where premises are in a side street, A-boards must not normallybe placed remotely in the main street directing customers to thepremises.
All A-boards placed on the highway should be able to be movedfreely and easily. An A-board should not be attached to any sortof object on the highway.
Whilst positioned on the highway they should be stable andkept upright
The A-board should not cause any damage to the highway
Licensing schemes have already been successfully implementedby a number of councils such as Islington, where licensing of tables,chairs and A-boards is part of their Assisting Pedestrians and Shopperspolicy. License schemes do not need to be a burden for shop owners – Liverpool’s licensingscheme costs only £50 for one year. Tamworth Borough Council charges a one-off fee of£95. Licensing can be implemented with ease and bring benefits to blind and partiallysighted people and other high street users, as well as making the area more attractive.
Quote: “When walking through my local town centre I often collide or narrowly miss A-Boards that are placed on the pavement”
Campaigning Ideas
Write to yourlocal authorityasking themto introducea licencingscheme forA-boards.
Talk to or write to specificshops if the placementof their A-board is causingproblems. Provide themwith some suggestions toimprove the positioningof their A-boards toensure they are notcausing obstructions.
Following success let the local media know to helpincrease awareness of this issue and to encourage localshops to continue ensuring A-boards are not obstructingthe pathway.
Local business forums can be great allies in helping reducethe number of A-boards on a voluntary basis. This can helpyou to reduce the number of A-boards in a whole area veryeffectively. Find out who your local business forums are andwrite to them or arrange a meeting to discuss ways thatbusinesses can reduce the number and impact of A-boardson the street.
Café Furniture
Many cafés and restaurantsprovide outdoor seating fortheir customers. Where theseare placed on a narrow streetor where they spread out farinto the street and are not in aclearly marked area this cancause issues as it becomesdifficult for people who areblind and partially sightedto pass. It also potentiallyendangers people’s safety.
What do you need to know?
Guide Dogs want local authorities toimplement licensing schemes withclear guidance for businesses on theappropriate placement of café furniture.Guide Dogs recommend licences includethe following points:
Café furniture should be easily detectableand noticeable to pedestrians withvisual impairments
They must be situated in such a way thatthey can be negotiated with ease byusers with mobility problems.
Furniture should only be allowed onpavements where sufficient widthof footway can be left clear andunobstructed for pedestrian usage of thearea (usually a minimum of 2 metres).
Councils should consider the enforcementof sectioned off areas of café furniture.
Campaigning Ideas:
Write to yourlocal councilasking themto createa licencingscheme for caféand restaurantfurniture.
Cafés andrestaurants are oftenon Twitter – sendthem a messageon Twitter aboutthe issues youare having asthis will bringpublic attentionto this issue.
If local cafes and restaurants’ outdoor furniture is causingproblems and your local council is not responding toyour letters calling for a licensing scheme then we suggestyou speak to or write directly to those businesses. If thecafé or restaurant is part of a bigger chain and you don’tget an adequate response you might like to write to theirhead office.