Access for all on Yorkshire Street
People with disabilities have helped to design improvements to Yorkshire Street to ensure that shopping on the street is safe and accessible to all.
People with disabilities have helped to design improvements to Yorkshire Street to ensure that shopping on the street is safe and accessible to all.
Lancaster City Council helped to organise a design workshop at Galloway's Society for the Blind on Balmoral Road. Attending the workshop were representatives from the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Galloway's, One Voice (a disability advice service), and members of the Local Access Group.
At the workshop suggestions were made to the layout and design, resulting in a number of changes being made so the street better meets the needs of the visually impaired. For example, without kerbs and other orientation clues blind people with guide dogs can find negotiating streets very difficult so the new design has taken this into consideration, the drainage channel was changed, and a number of measures to help identify crossing points easily, including surfacing alterations and orientation features, were added.
To assess the alterations Lancaster City Council's Access Officer organised a site visit to Yorkshire Street to give the improvements a trial run. The feedback was very positive;
· Guide dogs were able to find the 'kerb' edge without difficulty and moved as though the kerbs were still there.
· The cobbled surfacing did let them know where the crossing points were as the surfaces coincided with the crossing points.
· The bollards helped to define the kerb line, especially for those with some vision.
The trial run went well and those consulted felt much more involved and in control of the process, which led to reassurance that things were being done with their needs incorporated at the beginning, rather than at the end.
As a result of these design improvements Yorkshire Street may also be included in the training route for Guide Dogs.
Tony Finn, a spokesperson from One Voice, took part in the consultation, and the trial run, and said: "I am delighted to have been involved and that time was taken to consult with the visually impaired. I am even more delighted that the comments made have been incorporated and led to a street that is very comfortable to walk down and is easier to cross. It is refreshing to work with a contractor who is prepared to experiment to make the street more accessible to all users and to understand what had to be done."
Coun Evelyn Archer, cabinet member with responsibility for regeneration in Morecambe, added: "I am delighted that representatives from local access groups were able to have their say on the improvements being made to Yorkshire Street. It was important that their views were incorporated into the designs so that shops can be made accessible to all members of the community."
Contractors undertaking the improvement works to Yorkshire Street, Volker Stevin, have tried to consider the needs of all visitors to the street. Mark Gardner, Divisional Business Manager for Volker Stevin, said: “It is particularly satisfying that this effort has been recognised as achieving such a standard that it can now be used as a training route for guide dogs.”
Date Updated: 19/03/09