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Home > News > Investigation into travelling in London with a sensory impairment
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Investigation into travelling in London with a sensory impairment

Transport for All

The London Assembly Transport Committee is investigating the experiences of people with a sensory impairment using the London...

The London Assembly Transport Committee is investigating the experiences of people with a sensory impairment using the London transport network. Your experiences of how recent efforts to improve accessibility have made travelling from A to B easier for you, and your thoughts on what needs to happen next, will help the Committee to understand what it’s really like for a person with a sensory disability to use the London transport network.

Whether you’re a pedestrian, an Underground commuter, a bus passenger or prefer to travel in London’s iconic black cabs, we need your stories and first-hand knowledge.

Issues that we at Transport for All will be bringing to the attention of the Committee include:

  • The success of “Turn Up and Go” assistance on London Overground and the Underground, enabling people to travel spontaneously. We’re campaigning every rail operator to introduce this
  • “A” boards and other street clutter in some areas of London – we’d like to see a zero tolerance rolled out and properly enforced!
  • The risks faced by passengers at “floating bus stops”, where a cycle lane lies between the pavement and the bus
  • The provision of accessible information at train stations and on trains, with patchy provision of visual and audio announcements
  • The problem of worn down or incorrectly laid tactile paving
  • The illegal but continuing practice of some taxi and minicab drivers refusing to allow guide dogs
  • The need for hearing loops on all buses – currently, it’s only available on newer vehicles

What do you think?

Have the staff on the Underground received enough training? Are businesses complying with the zero tolerance policy on street clutter? Have you ever had a lengthy discussion with a taxi driver before being allowed to travel with your assistance dog?

Drew Jarman, who has a hearing impairment, said:

“My main issues are recorded or ad hoc announcements, which due to the background noise levels are unintelligible. I’d like to see more VDU [visual display units] to supplement audio announcements, which are usually impossible for me to hear in normal station or train situations.

“On buses with a hearing loop, their internal systems cause to loops to produce an electrical whine which interferes with my hearing aids. Often these loops do not even work, causing me to just hear nothing at all.”

TfA member Andrew Hodgson said:

“As a totally blind person, I suppose the biggest challenge to using the public transport system in London is knowing when the bus you want has reached your stop. I often use stops which are served by multiple routes and so I have to ask someone who is also waiting there to tell me when my bus arrives. An audio system which announced the number of the bus would be very beneficial. At present you can ask the driver, but they don’t always hear you or don’t always reply.

“Also, buses are becoming increasingly silent and sometimes one can creep up unawares and you almost miss it. This must be even more of a challenge for visually impaired people with a hearing loss.“

This investigation is a great opportunity for TfA members to share their examples of the best of the best and the worst of the worst. To get involved, email transportcommittee@london.gov.uk and cc us in at lianna (AT) transportforall (DOT) org.uk by Friday 12th February. You can also phone Rebekah Canning, from the Committee Secretariat, on 020 7983 659.

Join us at City Hall

TfA intend to give evidence to the Transport Committee at their meeting at City Hall on Wednesday 9th March; please email lianna (AT) transportforall (DOT) org.uk if you would like to join us. The nearest station is London Bridge, which is step-free, and we can arrange for you to be met there if you would like someone to walk with you to the venue.

You can see a short online video about this investigation at www.london.gov.uk/about-us/london-assembly/london-assemblys-current-investigations/travelling-sensory-impairment

A man standing in front of a painted brick wall smiling at the camera. He is holding a cane and is wearing glasses, a black jacket and a grey t-shirt. A man standing in front of a painted brick wall smiling at the camera. He is holding a cane and is wearing glasses, a black jacket and a grey t-shirt.

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