Question reference: S6W-14776
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 8 February 2023
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Current status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 23 February 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to rectify any potentially dangerous new street layouts, aimed at encouraging walking and cycling, which are reportedly impacting the daily lives of visually impaired people.
Answer
Responsibility for the management of local roads, including decision making on street layouts, remains with local authorities as set out in the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.
The Scottish Government supports local authorities to deliver safe and accessible active travel infrastructure through the provision of the £35 million Cycling Walking Safer Routes grant which goes directly to local authorities on a pro rata basis.
Support is also provided to local authorities to deliver safe walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure that is accessible to all through the Scottish Government funded Places for Everyone programme (PfE). Through the PfE programme, support is available at the design stage, and with completion of Equality Impact Assessments (EQIA), to ensure access for all and equality of opportunity in public space.
The Scottish Government is funding Living Streets to research the user experience and consistency in design for walking and cycling infrastructure such as continuous footways and bus stop bypasses.
Where new infrastructure is found to cause accessibility issues for visually impaired people, we would encourage people to engage with their local council.