Everyone has different abilities. Don’t discriminate against some of us.

Cycles provide enhanced mobility to all of us, especially now that most types are available also with electric assist.

Amsterdam. By @quixoticgeek

The Beyond the Bicycle Coalition has been lobbying transport authorities, both at local and national level to keep in mind the needs of people who use cargo bikes and specially adapted cycles, when designing road infrastructure and incentive schemes.

Too many safe routes become unusable when narrow pinch points are built. This is very important now, as the pressure to build fast may lead people not to think about all the details.

Courtesy of Ellis Palmer

Sustrans have listened and have embarked on a national programme to remove discriminatory barriers to the National Cycle Network

Image by @BikeWalkScoot

Coalition member Wheels for Wellbeing has posted a manifesto to ensure transport authorities don’t fall into discriminatory practices. Here are the asks:

We urgently ask for Central Government to:

1. Engage with Disabled people’s organisations to ensure Disabled people are not locked out of their communities over the long term.
2. Take measures to tackle the infrastructure barriers to Disabled people’s wheeled mobility:
   • Publish the reviewed national cycle design guidance (to replace LTN02/08)
   • Improve footways safety for all by explicitly allowing the use of mobility scooters in cycle lanes and rename “cycle lanes” as “mobility lanes” or “micro-mobility lanes”.
3. Take measures to tackle the cost barrier to Disabled people taking up cycling:
   • Extend financial support for electric-cycles, adaptive cycles and cargo-cycles, to Disabled people in self-employment and those who are not in work
   • Support our call for Motability to extend its offer to include adaptive cycles
   • Require (& resource) local authorities to provide cycle training on Electric-cycles/adaptive cycles and inclusive cycle hire centres.
4. Recognise the fact that cycles are mobility aids for many Disabled people and develop a blue badge for Disabled cyclists
5. Run a national public education campaign (inspired by RNIB’s call for a Covid Courtesy Code)

Further we ask Local Authorities to:

1. Involve local Disability organisations in the access-auditing of temporary schemes & in co-production of all permanent schemes.
2. Prioritise safety and accessibility of all temporary walking and cycling footway widening & temporary Cycling schemes. We recommend the use of TfL’s Temporary Traffic Management Handbook.
3. Carry out Equality Impact Assessments for all temporary schemes and apply inclusive design principles, referring to our Guide to Inclusive Cycling.
4. Retain essential car access for pick up, drop-off and Blue Badge parking, including on otherwise car-free streets.
5. Provide for accessible cycle parking for longer/wider cycles in town centres and on residential streets/estates/developments.