Why is the Council discriminating against Blue Badge holders?
An open letter to the Leader of Southwark Council, Kieron Williams, 27 November 2022
We are Blue Badge holders who wish to have our voices heard and our disability needs met by being allowed to drive through the Dulwich Village junction. Some of us live on roads to the east of the junction, some on roads to the west, but for all of us the closure of the junction causes us huge difficulties, frequent distress and a reduction in our quality of life.
We were promised that we would be consulted after the Council’s own Equality Impact Assessment highlighted, in September 2021, that “the groups who are car dependent because of their protected characteristic should be assisted by the Council to mitigate any disadvantages they may suffer.” More than a year has passed and there has been no consultation with us, no assistance from the Council and no mitigations. We have been left to suffer the disadvantages that have been imposed on us.
In April this year Southwark’s Head of Highways wrote to residents’ associations and campaign groups to say that there was the potential to reconfigure the junction to allow Blue Badge holders and others with disabilities through the junction. We have been waiting patiently for designs to be produced showing how this will be done. But instead the Council now says that it has “carefully considered permitting access to Blue Badge holders through the filtered sections of the junction” and has decided to continue preventing us from doing so.
The reasons given do not make sense. The Council says its priority is to protect vulnerable road users, but we are vulnerable road users with disabilities who have no choice but to depend on vehicles for mobility. It says it is concerned that if it allowed us through, other drivers who are not Blue Badge holders might inadvertently follow us. This is not a problem at any of the other junctions in Dulwich or elsewhere in the country where Blue Badge holders have exemptions, so why should this junction be any different? When asked, the Council refuses to answer.
The Council claims that the safety of pedestrians and cyclists “would be significantly undermined by permitting motor vehicles to access the space”. But drivers, cyclists and pedestrians safely share the space at thousands of junctions all over the country where Blue badge holders are permitted access, so this argument makes no sense either.
The reasonable needs of disabled drivers are being deliberately ignored. We call on Southwark Council to meet its Public Sector Equality Duty to look after the needs of people with disabilities and allow Blue Badge holders to drive through the Dulwich Village junction via Court Lane, Calton Avenue and Turney Road.
Signed by Age Speaks and a number of Blue Badge holders
Response from Matt Clubb, Southwark’s director of environment, 23 December 2022 Dear blue badge holders
Dear blue badge holders
Thank you for your open letter to the Leader of the Council of 27th November requesting that blue badge holders be able to drive through the Dulwich Village junction via Court Lane, Calton Avenue and Turney Road – as a reminder there are currently no restrictions on the Dulwich Village/Turney Road junction.
Your reference to the council’s Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) with respect to people with disabilities is acknowledged, as you will be aware the PSED includes all protected characteristic groups and therefore it would be inappropriate to consider one group in isolation from other groups. You will be aware of the high usage of the junction by children, wheelchair users, pushchairs and pedestrians with mobility impairments, which is significantly higher in volume than blue badge holders. All of the aforementioned groups, and cyclists, would be significantly adversely affected if the Dulwich Village/Calton Avenue junction was opened up and widened to allow the two way passage of blue badge holders.
In response to your specific points:
As part of the Phase 1 consultation on the Dulwich Streets for People proposals, the council consulted with Transport for All, an independent not-for-profit organisation that is the leading disabled-led group striving to increase access to transport and streetspace across the UK for those with disabilities.
Wheels for Wellbeing were also consulted on the needs for wheelchair users
As part of the Phase 3 consultation, the council will be undertaking a full Equality Impact Assessment of the proposals. This will include full consideration of blue badge holders.
The council is not proposing configuring the junction to permit blue badge holders as this would be to the detriment of the significant number of other protected characteristic groups such as pedestrians with limited mobility, wheelchair users and children given the potential conflict between blue badge holder vehicles and non-vehicle users. There continue to be a number of vehicles knowingly and unknowingly still driving through the junction.
This particular junction is significantly more complex than other junctions where blue badge holders have been given access due to the existing traffic signal arrangements, pedestrian crossings, and the number of different turning movements that would need to be accommodated.
We are currently reviewing alternative options that would allow access for blue badge holders from the Calton Avenue, Court Lane and Turney Road areas across Dulwich Village. The details of the options will be available as part of the Phase 3 consultation due to commence in early 2023.
Kind regards
Matt Clubb
Director of Environment