Living Streets’ call for more time to cross the road has been echoed in an independent report which recommends an urgent review of the assumed walking speed to allow older people enough time to use pedestrian crossings safely.
Thousands of people have joined Living Streets’ campaign to increase crossing times at signalised pedestrian crossings since it was launched last year and the new independent research by the Transport Research Laboratory is further proof that an urgent review is needed.
The authors of the report, A Review of Pedestrian Walking Speeds and Time Needed to Cross the Road, found that there is a clear indication that the current assumed walking speed of 1.2m/s cannot be achieved by a proportion of the population, particularly older people, and that a review of walking speeds should be conducted.
Living Streets is calling for measures which make walking safer and easier, including adding an average of three seconds for pedestrians at signalised crossings so older people have enough time to cross safely.
Living Streets’ Director of Policy and Communications Phillipa Hunt, said: “This new report by TRL backs up our call to reduce the assumed walking speed and give the UK’s most vulnerable people more time to cross.
“The fact is, as this independent research has found, that the Department for Transport’s current assumed walking speed of 1.2m/s is too fast for many older people to manage, not to mention small children, parents with buggies or people with sight or mobility problems.
“We know that not having enough time to cross the road makes people feel rushed or harassed at best, and at worst creates impassable barriers to shops, services, family and friends. Just three seconds can make the difference between an older person feeling confident they can walk out of their front door, and feeling vulnerable and afraid to cross the road, in turn causing them to feel isolated.
“Making walking safer and easier for everybody should be a Government priority and our ageing population is set to become increasingly isolated unless the DfT addresses inadequate crossing times and barriers to walking which can cut millions of people off from their own streets.”
The Department for Transport is due to respond to its traffic sign consultation this autumn and Living Streets is calling for an urgent review of the walking speed giving the country’s most vulnerable people more time to cross. It is also encouraging people to join the campaign by writing to Transport Minister Robert Goodwill, urging him to review the current assumed walking speed.
According to the TRL research, about one-in-five older people felt hurried or harassed when crossing and, when asked, 62% said they needed more time to cross. A separate study by experts at University College London (UCL) found that 76% of men and 85% of women aged over 65 have a walking speed slower than that needed to use a pedestrian crossing.
Jim Shaw, Project Coordinator for Living Streets’ older people’s project, Streets Apart, said: “People frequently tell me they feel hurried and intimidated when they’re trying to cross the road. Some older people simply cannot walk fast enough and run out of time to cross, meaning some drivers rev their engines and start to edge forward while they’re still on the crossing.
“If people feel harassed that’s when accidents happen and it’s easy for an older person to trip or stumble. A few extra seconds makes hardly any difference to drivers but it means older people can cross the road in comfort and safety.”
Being unable to cross a road may deter older people from walking, preventing them from taking regular exercise and the health benefits it brings, and reduce their access to shops, services – including essential health services – and social interaction. Others may be more at risk of being involved in a collision as a result of not having enough time to cross the road.
Lucy Harmer, Director of Services at Independent Age, said: “Many older people are regularly forced to race against inadequate crossing times. This is not just intimidating, it’s potentially dangerous. Some people may try to avoid crossing altogether which could limit their access to essential services and increase social isolation. The government has a clear opportunity in the coming days to act on this new evidence and to update guidance on assumed walking speeds. This would extend all-too-brief crossing times and benefit all vulnerable and older people.”
Visit www.livingstreets.org.uk/crossings to add your voice to Living Streets’ campaign by writing to Transport Minister Robert Goodwill asking for an urgent review of the assumed walking speed. |