A large proportion of blind and partially sighted people in the United Kingdom do not regularly use rail transport and are anxious about how easily they can access train services, according to a damning new survey by a UK charity.
Research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), found that up to 80% of people registered as blind or partially sighted have experienced difficulties with the infamous “gap” between platforms and train carriages at British stations and some have suffered falls and injuries, been hit by moving trains, been stuck or entangled between train doors, and pulled along platforms. As a result, the gap is a “significant source of fear,” the survey showed.
The study also revealed that 37% of blind and partially sighted people have had such bad experiences with rail journeys that they feel unable to use trains as much as they would like or require. Out of the nearly 1,200 blind and partially sighted respondents, 75% told the charity they could not depend on railway employees for assistance and information, including schedule changes such as destination changes or station stops.
Only 20% of blind and partially sighted people reported having had use of “tactile wayfinding,” a method of directing individuals with visual impairments to navigate built environments safely and independently via standardised, textured ground surface indicators. Such assistance is more common in continental European and Asian stations and road transport systems.
In the UK, not all rail operators provide information in formats that are accessible for blind and partially sighted passengers and due to pressures on staffing, the 42% of RNIB respondents who would prefer to buy their tickets from a human at a ticket office said they cannot do so.
Without being able to rely on staff or infrastructural assistance, half of the UK respondents to the RNIB said they feel afraid of finding themselves marooned at train stations, with all the worry and trauma that entails. And 60% said staff have failed to meet them despite assistance having been booked in advance.
Commenting on the results, Erik Matthies, the RNIB’s policy lead for travel and transport, told the press the RNIB are calling on the government to embed accessibility into a new railways bill for Great British Railways.
“Blind and partially sighted people have to contend with challenging ticket-buying methods, inaccessible stations, platforms and onboard facilities like toilets, and inconsistent gaps between the train and platform edges, which contribute to anxious, potentially unsafe journeys,” Matthies said.
