Micromobility UK 2024 discusses accessibility and inclusion
Comments Off on Micromobility UK 2024 discusses accessibility and inclusionSource: Zag Daily
Industry leaders gathered at Micromobility UK 2024 in Warwick to explore how shared micromobility services can be made more inclusive for disabled individuals.
During the ‘Accessibility and Inclusion – Practice vs Policy’ workshop on September 18, CoMoUK, the Motability Foundation, and Wheels for Wellbeing presented evidence showing how shared micromobility can address mobility challenges faced by disabled people, emphasizing the importance of their inclusion in future legislation.
Research by Wheels for Wellbeing reveals that 75% of disabled people find cycling easier than walking, yet CoMoUK noted that fewer than 10% of disabled individuals currently use shared micromobility services.
“It’s really scary to see a whole new realm of public transport, which is micromobility, potentially developing in a way that excludes disabled people,” Wheels for Wellbeing Campaigns and Policy Manager Dr Kay Inckle said. “There’s a real urgency to ensure that disabled people, who make up 20% of the UK population, can utilise these services.”
Steering legislation with Wheels for Wellbeing
Research from Wheels for Wellbeing indicates that 90% of mobility-impaired individuals lack a suitable mobility aid for completing a 1-kilometre journey. Additionally, disabled people take 38% fewer trips across all UK transport sectors than non-disabled individuals.
Earlier this year, Sandra Witzel, Board Trustee of the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers, told Zag that this gap in transport accessibility limits disabled people’s ability to attend healthcare appointments, socialize, shop, and fully participate in daily life.
Dr. Kay Inckle outlined Wheels for Wellbeing’s legislative proposals, which include explicitly recognizing disabled people, as defined by the UK Equality Act 2010, as users of micromobility devices. The organization also calls for the end of mobility aids being classified as ‘invalid carriages’ – a legal term for vehicles used to assist with physical disabilities, such as mobility scooters. Currently, only vehicles in this category can be used as mobility aids.
“We need to end this idea that disabled people’s mobility is regulated under a completely separate category than everybody else, and disabled people are only allowed to use vehicles as mobility aids that qualify under ‘invalid carriages’. It’s so discriminatory and it holds back innovation.
“There needs to be Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicles (LZEVs) for everybody and disabled people should be able to pick the LZEV that’s best for them. If you’re disabled you can use it in pedestrian spaces. If you’re not disabled, you can’t.
“It’s simplifying the categories so that it’s no longer about what disabled people can use, but instead how they can use them differently.”
CoMoUK’s Five Key Barriers to Access
Antonia Charlton, Deputy Chief Executive of CoMoUK, presented findings from a Motability Foundation project on the future of micromobility services for disabled people. She identified five key barriers that need to be addressed to make shared micromobility more accessible: awareness and understanding, accessible communication channels, safety concerns, access to schemes, and vehicle adaptations.
To improve understanding, Antonia called for more representative marketing, along with the testing of apps and websites to ensure compatibility with different user groups.
On safety, she advocated for technical adaptations, such as adding harnesses to bikes, safety alarms, enhanced emergency support services, free trials, and improved segregated infrastructure.
“Safety concerns are there for everybody,” Antonia told the workshop. “But if you are a vulnerable user, those concerns are obviously heightened.”
To enhance access to shared bike and scooter schemes for disabled individuals, Antonia recommended designing more accessible parking bays and hubs, and providing staff assistance for first-time riders.
Regarding vehicle adaptation, she suggested a division between ‘minor’ adjustments, such as altering seat height and handlebar positions, and ‘major’ adaptations, like three-wheel vehicles, two-seater options, wheelchair add-ons, and hand-operated controls.