Part of the Palace of Westminster was transformed into a street scene recently by the charity Guide Dogs, to highlight the challenges people with sight loss can face when walking the streets, and was visited by Macclesfield’s MP, David Rutley.
As part of the event, David took up Guide Dogs’ challenge of having to avoid a pavement-parked car, a variety of street clutter, and visiting an area lacking safety features such as kerbs and pedestrian crossings. As well as collecting messages from local residents supporting Guide Dogs’ campaign, David spoke with a guide dog owner about her experiences and the impact street clutter can have on their lives. He heard that many guide dog owners feel that such obstacles can leave them scared and reluctant to go out.
According to a survey commissioned by Guide Dogs, 97 per cent of blind and partially sighted people have encountered obstacles on the pavement. The most common obstacles were cars parked on the pavement, with 9 out of 10 respondents having experienced problems with pavement parking, which can force pedestrians into the road to face oncoming traffic. This is particularly dangerous for people with vision impairments, parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users and other disabled people. In separate research by YouGov for Guide Dogs, two out of three drivers admitted having parked on the pavement and nearly half were confused by the law on pavement parking.
Speaking after his visit, David said, “I am pleased to join with Guide Dogs in highlighting the challenges that people with sight loss can experience when out and about on our streets. It is clear that pavement-parked cars can pose a real danger to guide dog owners, and I hope that this timely and important campaign will help to raise awareness amongst drivers and make our streets safer for blind and partially sighted people.”