BBC One’s Morning Live broadcast an important feature this morning on the barriers experienced by disabled people when using the rail network across the UK. Paul Herriotts, ncat’s centre director, was interviewed as part of the segment. He shared how disabled people make 38% fewer journeys than non-disabled people which impacts many aspects of their lives such as limiting job opportunities or the chance to have a normal social life. Morning Live presenter Mark Lane went further, explaining how a lack of accessible transport takes away spontaneity and flexibility for disabled people.
The feature also focused on Ian Cook’s and Katie Toft’s local train stations of Flitwick and Chinley, and the work they’ve done to campaign for increased step-free access at these stations. Unfortunately, these stations are representative of a wider trend since as many as 3 out of 4 mainline stations across the UK lack step free access.
Paul Herriotts hopes that the work of ncat will “help address these issues by providing evidence about transport accessibility and by promoting innovative solutions.”
You can watch the broadcast on BBC Iplayer Morning Live . The segment starts at 31 minutes.
