The Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) has produced new guidance encouraging councils to use active travel funding to improve access to make streets more accessible for disabled people.

The guidance, titled “Small Changes can make a Big Difference”, suggests a range of simple improvements which councils can introduce to make walking and wheeling easier and more accessible – such as installing dropped kerbs, removing pavement clutter and improving pedestrian crossings.

Barriers to cycle ways, bus stops and access to green space could also be removed.

David Hunter of MACS said:

“For many people, the most important active travel opportunities are those on their doorstep.  But too often, simple things like poor pavements mean that disabled people can’t walk, wheel or cycle as they would like to.

We’re encouraging councils to use some of the active travel funding which they receive from Transport Scotland (which runs into several million pounds a year) to invest in making local streets more accessible. We hope too that local disability groups – especially Access Panels – will contact their councils to suggest everyday access problems which should be tackled.”

You can read “Small Changes can make a Big Difference” on the Transport Scotland website.