“Wheelchair accessible taxis are essential, they can be a lifeline,” says Lord Holmes
“Wheelchair accessible taxis are essential, they can be a lifeline,” says Lord Holmes of Richmond MBE speaking exclusively to TaxiPoint.
Just weeks after London’s Streetspace plans were deemed ‘unlawful’, Lord Holmes, a former multiple gold winning British Paralympic swimmer and life peer in the House of Lords, highlights the essential role the fully accessible black cab plays in providing public transport for those with mobility impairments.
Following the High Court judgement which found the needs of disabled Londoners were “not considered", we asked Lord Holmes for his opinion on the importance of wheelchair accessible taxis in the communities they operate in.
Lord Holmes said: “Wheelchair accessible taxis are essential, they can be a lifeline. Our quality of life depends on transport and easy access to jobs, shopping, leisure facilities, and services.
“Access to transport is a basic requirement for an equitable society but many disabled people face barriers when trying to travel door to door independently. Just think of the number of stations without step free access, the limited wheelchair space on buses and then think about what options wheelchair users have to get to the places they need to be.
“Black cabs are also highly accessible for all users, drivers will always give me a hand to the door if I am going to a new destination. They see this as part of their role, not an add on or inconvenience but a key part of the service.”
The recent landmark judgement followed a judicial review mounted by the London taxi trade, challenging the Mayor and TfL’s Plan, associated Guidance issued to London Boroughs and the Order concerning a specific Streetspace scheme, the A10 Bishopsgate Corridor in the City of London.
With the judge quashing the current plans we asked Lord Holmes how can any future ‘Streetspace’ plan incorporate inclusive mobility? Lord Holmes responded: “Accessibility and inclusion needs to be the starting point of all street design. I have been campaigning for years against a street design known as ‘shared space’. It describes schemes such as Exhibition Road where a level surface is created with minimal, if any, definition between a ‘pedestrian area’ and ‘vehicle area’ and all users are encouraged to ‘share’ the same space. It just doesn’t work. I conducted a survey which found that 63% of users rated their experience of shared space as poor – and that was not confined to visually impaired or vulnerable pedestrians.
“Pedestrians, drivers and cyclists all complained about the schemes with one driver describing it as an ‘absolute nightmare that I avoid if I can’. I then worked with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) to produce a guidance document called ‘Creating better streets: Inclusive and accessible places’. A key aim for that work was to help planners, designers and local authorities better understand the statutory requirements set out in the Equality Act 2010. Creating an accessible, inclusive environment is a statutory requirement (as the Mayor and TFL have just been reminded by the recent Judicial Review) and must be considered as a central objective when designing future ‘Streetspace’ plans.”
The recent ruling could have a more far-reaching impact too. In 2018 the City of London Corporation’s (COLC) voted to make a 16-month experimental ‘safety’ scheme which excluded wheelchair accessible taxis at Bank Junction permanent. The COLC have now introduced further restrictions on a widespread section of roads across the Square Mile citing COVID- 19 distancing requirements. We asked Lord Holmes what he thinks should happen to this scheme and other schemes banning access to licensed taxis?
Lord Holmes told TaxiPoint: “Banning taxis from Bank Junction and Tottenham Court Road is a completely wrong-headed decision and I have asked the Minister in Parliament if she would look into enabling London- licensed black taxis to go through Bank junction. I am aware of safety arguments for banning vehicles from certain areas – but at Bank - black cabs have never been involved in a crash, in contrast to other vehicles.
“For some people, particularly those with accessibility needs, a black cab is not a luxury but a necessity to get to appointments in that part of the city.”
The Mayor of London has regularly cited that Streetspace plans will help improve air quality in the capital. With that in mind can the idea of inclusive mobility ever work alongside the aim to improve air quality? Lord Holmes said: “These are not contradictory aims and must not be pitted against each other. It is in all our interests to improve air quality and indeed an accessible public transport system and inclusive public realm will improve transport and environment for ALL.”
And finally, in London the black cab fleet is decreasing at an alarming rate. In fact, there are less than 15,000 vehicles available to cabbies and passengers, as numbers continue to tumble during the pandemic.
We asked the life peer in the House of Lords what could be done to encourage drivers and fleets to invest in more wheelchair accessible taxis.
He said: “Black cabs are more than a brilliant and accessible service they are absolutely iconic, classics of Great British design. As famous and as fabulous as fish and chips and Big Ben. Our streets wouldn’t be the same without them – and for many of us - our lives would not be the same without them. I’m supportive of all measures to promote such a brilliantly British and accessible mode of transport.
“And I say to all Londoners, all those visiting the Capital, use black cabs, they work, let’s all use them whenever we can, so they can indeed continue to work for us all.”
