On June 17 2009 hundreds of people representing dozens of disability organisations stood outside City Hall to tell London Mayor Boris Johnson to stop funding shared surfaces.
Shared surfaces are areas which motorists, pedestrians and cyclists can all use. Pavements, pedestrian crossings and kerbs are removed to enable cars to use all of the available space. Shared surfaces are dangerous for deafblind people. If you cannot hear or see cars coming how can you stay out of their way?
The Greater London Authority have given £13 million in to the construction of a shared surface in Exhibition Road, west London. The organisations protesting on June 17 were calling on them to stop providing this funding until the safety of disabled people has been guaranteed. Sense, RNIB, Guide Dogs, the National Autism Society and Leonard Cheshire Disability were represented at the demonstration.
The campaign to stop the construction of new shared surface schemes continues and is gathering more support as people learn how dangerous these schemes are.
Help guarantee that disabled people can continue to safely use the facilities of your local community. Find out how you can help.
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