When is a shared space not a shared space?

Cheltenham Borough Council is waiting to hear if its plans to part pedestrianise Boots Corner will finally be approved by Gloucestershire County Council. The proposals which form part of the Cheltenham Transport Plan will see private vehicles (cars, vans and lorries) prevented from moving through Boots Corner. Buses, taxis and cyclists would share the space with pedestrians.

One of the many criticisms I have about the Transport Plan is the difficulties this proposed shared space at Boots Corner will create for people with sight problems or other sensory disabilities.

Shared Space is an urban design approach which seeks to minimise demarcations between vehicle traffic and pedestrians, often by removing features such as kerbs, road surface markings, traffic signs, controlled crossings and regulations. In my view the proposed changes at Boots Corner are pretty consistent with the idea of a 'Shared Space'.

This is precisely what is shown in the sketches of how Boots Corner could look if the Cheltenham Transport Plan goes ahead, pedestrians walking in an open space shared with buses and helpful features such as kerbs and the controlled crossing removed.

In fact the shared space concept was originally meant to be used in areas with low traffic and removing the cars at Boots Corner will make it a lower traffic area than it currently is.

At the very core of shared space is removing barriers between pedestrians and vehicles to change behaviour of drivers. It is about integrating pedestrians and vehicles – be those buses, taxis, cars or whatever. It is these principles which make using these spaces very challenging for people who can’t see properly (some of whom will also have other sensory disabilities such as hearing loss).

Fears about the safety of shared spaces are well documented. A pensioner was killed by a bus in a shared space in Coventry. RNIB and Guide dogs for the blind have campaigned against shared spaces. At Boots Corner the crossing which many (no doubt able bodied people) claim is a barrier for pedestrians is actually an enabler for disabled people, even with the current level of traffic moving through it.

There are very real concerns about the safety of creating a shared space at Boots Corner, for example because of the size of the space at Boots Corner, the behaviour of bus and taxi drivers and the needs of those with sight problems.

If it was to be pedestrianised with no vehicles going through this space, it would be easy to see that it could be safe for people of all ages and abilities. However removing the crossing but allowing through a significant number of large buses, taxis and cycles will create a significant barrier for people with sight problems and for others too. 

So when is shared space not a shared space?

I recently saw a video on YouTube which was created to show the impact of 'shared spaces' on the independence and safety of blind or partially sighted people. I recommend you take a look at it, it's about half an hour long if you want to watch it you can see it here.

Having emailed all Cheltenham Borough Councillors with the link to the video I thought I would send a tweet encouraging Andrew North the Chief Executive of the council to view the video.

Rather surprisingly Mr North sent a number of replies asking what point I was trying to make, that the video was irrelevant because the changes at Boots Corner are not a shared space. The suggestion being, I am trying to guess, that Boots Corner was being pedestrianised with buses having access.

I must admit I found this response shocking given the concerns about the impact of existing shared spaces in other parts of the country and the clear vision of Boots Corner as shown in the pretty illustrations produced to support the scheme.

It is certainly convenient to narrowly define the changes at Boots Corner as mere pedestrianisation with access for buses as it avoids the need to confront the fact that the changes will make the town centre a no go for people with sight problems.

The supporting illustrations show that eventually buses will go straight in front of Boots along the High Street as well as along Clarence Street.  Taxis will also be allowed to use this route. In order to enable this to happen the controlled crossing would have to be removed.

Look at the above picture after watching the video I have posted. Now try to imagine how the people featured would use the changed space. It is clear that what is said in the video is very relevant and very important.

Such concerns should not be dismissed for the sake of convenience.