Report suggests five big ideas that could transform disabled people’s mobility

A new report – co-produced with a disabled people’s organisation – has suggested five “big ideas” that could transform disabled people’s mobility.

The Transforming Mobility report aims to ensure disabled people are included when places “become more ambitious in transforming mobility”.

The research was led by Transport for All and disabled members of the charity Sustrans, which works to improve opportunities for walking, wheeling and cycling.

Among the report’s five big ideas is to increase the number of “side road zebra crossings” – painted white zebra strips across a junction but without the flashing lights and zig-zag approach markings – so more drivers give way to disabled people and others waiting to cross the road.

When tested in Greater Manchester, they led to 65 per cent more drivers giving way, providing disabled people and other pedestrians with the space they need to cross a road.

Another of the big ideas is to create accessible “mobility hubs” that would make it easier to walk, wheel or cycle to the bus, train or tram.

The report also suggests taking space away from cars on some streets and making it available instead for walking, wheeling, cycling, and public transport; and cutting the amount of space allocated to car parking to make room for benches, trees, bike parking, and wider pavements.

And it says disabled people should be paid to become members of local access panels, so they can “help shape local transport decisions”.

The report says that mobility in the UK is currently “neither fair nor sustainable, especially for disabled people”, with disabled people experiencing “greater barriers to mobility, including cost, accessibility and safety”.

The project surveyed disabled people across the UK and found that less than half of those who cycled, or travelled by bus or train, viewed these kinds of transport positively, while walking and wheeling was rated negatively by one in five disabled people, including around safety, accessibility and comfort.

The survey also found that four-fifths (78 per cent) of disabled people supported a public commitment from public transport providers to improve the design of trains, buses and trams.

The survey found three-fifths (58 per cent) of disabled people support cutting car use across urban areas to “reduce congestion, speed up buses, and make places more pleasant to walk, wheel and cycle in”, although the report says it is essential that any such plans ensure disabled people who rely on cars do not face barriers to making their journeys with “freedom, dignity, ease and confidence”.

The report’s findings come from a 2024 survey of more than 1,000 disabled people across the UK, carried out by researchers at More in Common, and workshops with disabled people in Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Oxford.

The research was funded by Motability Foundation*.

Dr Ruth Cumming, senior research officer at Transport for All, said: “We all need the freedom to travel – for work, for school, for shopping – and to make those journeys easily and safely.

“Disabled people are often blocked from that.

“Including disabled people as experts in transport and urban planning ensures our requirements are built into developments, creating streets, communities and cities that we can all use and enjoy.”

Tim Burns, head of research at Sustrans, said: “We know disabled people face greater barriers to getting around and accessing the things they need to live well – while also wanting to travel more sustainably.

“Our report highlights tried and tested ideas, increasingly being adopted across the UK.

“Disabled people want transport to change.

“When disabled people are represented, the outcomes are better for everyone.”

*Motability Foundation is a Disability News Service subscriber

Picture by Chris Foster/Sustrans

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