• THE National Federation of the Blind UK (NFB UK) has drawn attention to the increasing numbers of local authorities breaching the Equality Act 2010 by designing “dangerous and discriminatory” road lay-outs that put blind and partially sighted people at risk of serious harm.

Visually Impaired in Camden (VIC) has protested strongly against bus stops that place blind and partially sighted pedestrians at risk of colliding with cyclists; for example, in Royal College Street where the “boarder” bus stops have cycle lanes between the bus stop and the boarding point.

The increasing number of “island” bus stops force pedestrians to cross a cycle lane to reach them. The removal of controlled crossings and their replacement by zebra crossings also impacts negatively on blind and partially sighted pedestrians’ safety.

Such designs and schemes are flawed and inherently dangerous. How on Earth could they have been approved? Surely the council has a responsibility to ensure that any scheme it devises will not have a negative impact on the less vocal and more vulnerable of its residents.

VIC supports NFB UK in its call to government to force councils to commission independent equality impact assessments of all road redesign proposals and then to abide by the findings.

ROSEMARY NICHOLSON
Visually Impaired in Camden