Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, speaking ahead of tomorrow’s (Friday 3rd December) International Day of Disabled People has called on the Mayor of London to make a firm commitment to ensure that every pedestrian crossing in London is accessible for disabled people.
Following a series of questions put to the Mayor by Caroline Pidgeon he has admitted that there are more than 400 pedestrian crossings in London which fail to provide any facilities (a bleeping sound or a rotating cone) to allow blind and partially sighted people to safely cross the road. The Mayor, who chairs Transport for London, has also failed to say when all these crossings will finally be made accessible to blind people.
Commenting on the poor access standards at so many pedestrian crossings in London, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“It is disgraceful that the capital provides such poor access to disabled people, especially on something as basic as pedestrian crossings.
“On International Day of Disabled People, and just weeks before the Mayor’s Year of Walking commences, the Mayor needs to make a firm commitment to ensure that within months every pedestrian crossing across London is accessible for disabled people. Every Londoner, disabled or not, deserves the right to be able to cross roads safely."