About RNIB Cymru
1.
RNIB Cymru
is Wales’ largest sight loss charity. We provide support,
advice and information to people living with sight loss across
Wales, as well as campaigning for improvements to services and
raising awareness of the issues facing blind and partially sighted
people.
2.
We
welcome the opportunity to provide evidence to this inquiry into
Welsh Governments plans for the railway network and will use this
opportunity to highlight the needs of blind and partially sighted
users of the Wales and Borders franchise and the South Wales Metro,
to ensure that any potential or real barriers to the use of trains
are addressed to help encourage vision impaired people to have the
confidence to use the services.
3.
Access
problems on public transport are one of the most persistent topics
raised by our members. Train travel can pose problems for people
who have sight impairment and this can range from poor lighting and
signage, to inaccessible ticket machines and poorly trained staff.
We hope that the recommendations that emanate from this inquiry
will help make rail travel a more pleasant experience for
everyone.
About sight loss
4.
There are currently 106,000 people
in Wales living with sight loss. It is estimated that the number of
people living with sight loss in Wales will double by 2050 (1).
Blind and partially sighted people are often reliant on public
transport for making essential journeys. Thus it is obvious that
the need for an accessible, effective and integrated transport
system is becoming even more critical.
5.
Sight loss has a huge impact on
individuals. For many people, loss of sight results in increased
dependence on others. In a survey of blind and partially sighted
people conducted by RNIB, 60 per cent of respondents stated that
they needed help to get out of the house because of their sight
loss (2). Nearly half of blind and partially sighted people report
feeling ‘moderately’ or ‘completely’ cut
off from people and things around them (3), with 43 per cent saying
that they would like to leave their homes more often (4). This
sense of isolation inevitably has an impact on people’s
mental and emotional wellbeing.
6.
Blind and partially sighted
people rely on public transport for most of their every day
journeys. The ability to go shopping, get to work and keep medical
appointments are all underpinned by both the availability and
accessibility of a functioning public transport system.
7.
Despite the importance of the public
transport system, over a third of people with sight loss experience
restrictions in accessing local train or bus or services (5). Thus
we welcome this opportunity to highlight the importance of
accessible infrastructure and services when considering the
franchise specification
and Metro delivery,
to ensure rail services meet the needs of
all current and future travellers.
Rail services and
infrastructure
8.
RNIB Cymru
welcomes the Welsh Governments planned improvements to increase the
accessibility of train stations. Our surveys show that 11 per cent
of blind and partially sighted people frequently travel by train,
and this is likely to rise as accessibility improves.
Research also
shows that 54 per cent of those who currently use trains (at least
some of the time) experience some degree of difficulty in doing so
(6).
9.
Trains are an
integral mode of transport for many blind and partially sighted
people. Whilst we agree in principle with Welsh Government’s
high level outcomes for rail in the Wales and border area we
believe that these high level outcomes should be set over and above
legislatory minimums so that compliance with the Equalities Act
2010 for example, is a requirement, not an aspiration.
10.
For a
sight impaired person, travelling in a busy train can be quite a
traumatic experience particularly if they have to stand for any
length of time. Most of the current rolling stock has few
‘priority seats’ for disabled customers and space for
service dogs is also at a premium.
11.
It is
important to ensure that during peak times there are sufficient
staff available and clear aural updates to help those who need it.
Whilst we understand that there will inevitably be occasions where
the number of passengers exceeds the number of seats available, it
is important that the needs of blind or partially sighted people
are considered in advance.
12.
We believe
that train companies
should be required to provide high quality announcements on
stations and trains and assistance must be available at all
stations.
13.
There are
opportunities to improve the accessibility of train services for
blind and partially sighted people via the next Wales and Borders
rail franchise. We would hope to see the franchise address the
accessibility of vehicles;
all rail vehicles, both heavy and light rail, must be accessible by
no later than 1 January 2020.
14.
All new rolling
stock has to comply with the standards set by
The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non Interoperable Rail System)
Regulations 2010 (RVAR 2010) or
the European
technical specification for interoperability for persons with
reduced mobility (PRM TSI),
but it also has to be retrofitted to all rolling stock by 2020. We
believe that these standards
should be
mandatory from the start of the next Wales and Borders
franchise.
15.
We firmly believe
that all rolling stock, will need to meet RVAR2010 and PRMTSI
standards as a minimum, we would also highlight the need for
visual and audible passenger information systems which will help
make trains more accessible for visually impaired
people.
16.
With regard to
access to the train and to the facilities and services provided on
the train, the key issues to be addressed are;
·
Boarding/alighting through the
doorway and the interface between the platform and train
floor;
·
Circulation within the
train;
·
Seating and/or sleeping
accommodation;
·
Access to the facilities and
services on the train (toilets, catering etc.);
·
Provision of information (on board
and outside the train) (7)
17.
Consideration should also be given
to the use of highly visible and tactile indications on or adjacent
to all power operated controls throughout the train. The height of
tactile indications above floor level should also be
consistent.
Station
facilities
18.
We recommend that the RNIB Good
practice Guide for making train services accessible for blind and
partially sighted people (8) provide the baseline for considering
which facilities need the most improvement.
19.
Disrupted train
journeys are of intense frustration and concern to most people, no
matter how caused, but can be of particular concern to blind or
partially sighted passengers. We believe that an operator should be
required to set out its expectations for customer service,
including assistance for passengers with sight loss, if disruption
is unavoidable. One of the issues often reported by our members is
the lack of assistance available when there are unplanned route
alterations or delays with trains.
20.
Often, any
arrangements for passenger assistance that have been made in
advance then fall through, with no alternative available, leaving
blind and partially sighted people to struggle alone.
21.
Any systems put
in place to keep passengers informed of delays or disruptions must
be accessible to blind and visually impaired people and there must
be clear protocols for ensuring that alternative arrangements are
clearly communicated through a range of mediums and the relevant
support and guidance are on hand to help people who may find
themselves on an unfamiliar station for example, or not know how
wide the gap is when alighting the train.
22.
If Welsh Government wishes to
deliver its vision of a truly integrated transport system in Wales,
it is important to ensure that the new Wales and Border franchise
operator takes a proactive approach to engaging with a range of
other rail franchises, local authorities and other transport
providers.
23.
We also believe that regular
dialogue with community groups and the third sector should also be
encouraged to ensure that the service is accessible and demand led
in order to encourage patronage and increased usage.
Staff
training
24.
One of the priority areas for operators is ensuring that all staff
are given interactive sight loss awareness training as a minimum.
This is extremely important not only for frontline staff on trains
or stations, but also for office staff to enable them to give
considered advice and information to blind and partially sighted
passengers when required.
25.
The need for
station and train staff to be adequately trained to identify people
who are having problems is vital.
Note
We have included a copy of RNIB’s 2014 Good Practice Guide on
the Passenger Experience which we feel is imperative to providing
an exemplary standard of service for blind and partially sighted
people. Welsh Government should be keen to adopt these practices
identified in the report will help to provide a good service to all
customers.
References
(1) Access
Economics, “Future Sight Loss UK 1: The economic impact of
partial sight and blindness in the UK adult population, RNIB,
2009.
(2)
RNIB Cymru, “Saving sight and saving money: the cost
and impact of sight loss in Wales”, 2012
(3) Pey, T,
Nzegwu, F and Dooley, G, “Functionality and the Needs of
Blind and Partially Sighted People in the UK: An interim
report”, 2006
(4)
Douglas, G, Corcoran, C, and Pavey, S, “Network 1000:
Opinions and circumstances of visually impaired people in Great
Britain”, University of Birmingham, 2006
(5) McManus
S and Lord C, “Circumstances for people with sight loss:
secondary analysis of Understanding Society and the Life
Opportunities Survey”, NatCen report for RNIB, 2012
(6) Guide
Dogs for the Blind Association, “Functionality and the Needs
of Blind and Partially Sighted Adults in the UK”, 2006. 1,155
blind and partially sighted people interviewed about their
experiences in a range of life situations.
(7)
European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical
Research 335, “Passengers’ Accessibility of Heavy Rail
Systems, Final Report of the Action European Commission Directorate
General Transport”, 1997 Ibid
(8) ) RNIB,
“The passenger experience: Key ways to make train services
accessible for blind and partially sighted people”, RNIB Good
Practice Guide, 2014
Rhian
Nowell-Phillips,
Policy &
Campaigns Officer,
Rhian.nowell-phillips@rnib.org.uk,