Thomas Ableman is a former Director of Strategy & Innovation, Transport for London. He founded Freewheeling to help transport leaders achieve results – his blog and podcast are well worth a look. In his long career in transport, he has seen politics hold back change. It’s no surprise then, that he has a few things to say about the excuses people give for blocking walking, cycling and public transport initiatives.
This guest article, adapted from a LinkedIn post blows apart the argument that car-focused transport systems benefit disabled people.
Disabled people aren’t your excuse for blocking better transport
My mum, my daughter and my mother-in-law are all disabled.
None of them will ever be able to drive.
So I get a tad grumpy when one of the arguments used against traffic reduction measures is that they’re bad for disabled people.
Many disabled people, like all those in my family, cannot drive.
For them, every journey made by car removes a potential fare from the public transport system that could be paying for the service that they depend on. Every journey made by a car is a barrier to getting the safe walking and cycling infrastructure that would provide another way for them to get around independently.
As I learned at the Future Journeys workshop run by RNIB /Motability Foundation, cars are an enemy for blind people. They block pavements and are dangerous.
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Cars are also an enemy for those who use mobility aids (such as mobility scooters or e-bikes). Street space and infrastructure budgets given over to cars means less for the wide, smooth cycle paths and footpaths they need.
There are, of course, many disabled people who can and do drive. It is these people that motoring campaigners claim to be helping. But the best thing non-disabled drivers can do is to leave their car at home and free up road space and parking spaces for those that most need it.
Public and active transport aren’t always perfectly thought out for disabled people, and we need to support the projects and people who are making them better.
But don’t let able-bodied campaigners tell you that them being able to drive through crowded cities helps the disabled.
