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Accessibility and Equality Action Plan:
Progress Update
January 2015
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Contents
Foreword ............................................................................................................ 4
1.
Improving physical accessibility .................................................................. 5
Buses & Coaches ........................................................................................... 5
Community Transport ..................................................................................... 5
Local transport in rural and isolated communities ........................................... 6
Wheels to Work (W2W) .................................................................................. 6
Rail Vehicles ................................................................................................... 7
Access for All Programme .............................................................................. 7
Crossrail.......................................................................................................... 8
Train Station Design for Disabled People: Code of Practice ........................... 8
Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles ...................................................................... 8
Mobility scooters ............................................................................................. 9
Tactile Paving Guidance review .................................................................... 10
Inclusive Mobility Guidance review ............................................................... 10
Cycling Delivery Plan .................................................................................... 10
2.
Information & Communication ................................................................... 12
Transport Direct ............................................................................................ 12
Audio-Visual (AV) Technical Solutions for Buses ......................................... 12
Smart ticketing .............................................................................................. 13
Mobility Centres Review ............................................................................... 13
Travel training ............................................................................................... 13
3. Improving Attitudes & Behaviour toward vulnerable categories of
passengers ....................................................................................................... 14
Reducing conflict in the shared space area on public transport .................... 14
Disability Equality Awareness Training ......................................................... 14
Code of Conduct on treatment of passengers/staff on buses ....................... 15
Passenger Assist Evaluation research ......................................................... 16
Improving the tools for reporting, recording and analysis of crime and antisocial behaviour incidents on public transport .............................................. 16
Door to Door safety ....................................................................................... 18
Road safety................................................................................................... 18
4.
Monitoring & Engagement ......................................................................... 19
The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) .................. 19
Building our Evidence Base .......................................................................... 19
Working with Young People .......................................................................... 20
Equality information ...................................................................................... 21
Transport and Disability Statistics ................................................................. 21
New Guidance on Consultation .................................................................... 21
Working with Civil Society ............................................................................. 22
Family Tests ................................................................................................. 22
Cross Government working: ......................................................................... 23
3
Foreword
We are working toward a fairer society by
improving equality and reducing discrimination
and disadvantage for all, at work, and in
people’s life chances. It is not only the right
thing to do, but there is also a strong economic
argument for equality. We must all reach our
full potential for a stronger and fitter economy.
In December 2012, the Department for Transport published two action plans:
“Transport for Everyone: an Action Plan to improve Accessibility for All” and
“Transport for Everyone: an Action Plan to promote Equality”. When the Action
Plans were published, the Department made it clear that these would be living
documents that would be reviewed and amended as appropriate.
This second annual update sets out progress made and demonstrates that we
remain committed to delivery. In addition this report provides evidence of how
the Department for Transport has worked to comply with the equality duty
during 2014 and is a reaffirmation of the Department’s commitment to its
equality and accessibility objectives.
We have already made a lot of progress in providing a more accessible and fair
transport system. However we are not complacent. There is more to do, and
that is why we are committed to deliver further accessibility improvements to
vehicles and transport infrastructure, making better use of developing
technologies, open transport data and changing the attitudes and behaviour
toward vulnerable categories of passengers.
THE RT HON. THE BARONESS KRAMER
4
1. Improving physical accessibility
Buses & Coaches
1.1
According to the Department’s most recent Annual Bus Statistics
(published in September 2014), 95% of buses in England now have low
floor designs, while 84% of the total bus fleet holds a Public Service
Vehicle Accessibility Certificate (PSVAR) compared to 78% last year.
The Government welcomes efforts by bus and coach operators to run
fully accessible services before the relevant compliance deadlines.
1.2
From 1st January 2015, all single decker buses weighing under 7.5
tonnes and carrying 22 or more passengers that are used on local or
scheduled services have been required to be fully PSVAR compliant.
The Department for Transport provides the Driver and Vehicle Standards
Agency (DVSA) with a specific fund to enforce the requirements outlined
in PSVAR and we will work with DVSA colleagues to ensure that PSVAR
compliance continues to be monitored closely and that any bus operator
found to be in breach of these Regulations is dealt with accordingly. We
will also write to all bus companies who have indicated that they operate
a vehicle in this category to remind them of their accessibility obligations
and to explain that operating a non-accessible vehicle of this kind is now
against the law.
Community Transport
1.3
The Government recognises that Community Transport can provide a
wide range of people with vital access to public services, employment,
education and training. In order to support the important contribution
made by the Community Transport sector, the Department for Transport
has created a £25 million Community Bus Fund. This fund has allowed
community transport operators, who meet the necessary criteria, to bid
for a new minibus to replace or expand their existing fleet.
1.4
The Secretary of State for Transport formally launched the fund on 17th
November 2014 and we have worked with the Community Transport
Association (CTA) to ensure that details of the fund reached as many
operators as possible. The bidding process for the Community Bus Fund
closed on 15th January 2015 and Department for Transport officials will
assess all bids received, before confirming those who have been
successful.
1.5
This fund will assist the community transport sector in continuing to
deliver vital services to those communities who may not be served by
5
conventional local bus services. It is aimed primarily at existing voluntary
and third sector organisations that already have a permit to run not-forprofit services of benefit to their local community. We will look to
prioritise smaller community transport providers who rely on volunteer
drivers, as well as those operating in rural areas.
Local transport in rural and isolated communities
1.6
On 14 January 2015 the Government announced that up to £4 million is
being made available to pilot new and better ways of delivering joined-up
local transport in rural and isolated areas.
1.7
The Department for Transport fund aims to promote a better coordination
and utilisation of all available transport services in local communities.
Around £2 billion of public funding for transport services is currently
provided each year by a number of agencies. However, this funding is
often not coordinated or integrated at a local level, resulting in duplication
and potential waste of public funding. The pilot funding will allow local
authorities to show how transport resources can be used more efficiently
by bringing organisations together, improving vital transport services in
local areas.
1.8
It is common sense that we ensure that rural and isolated areas have
vital transport services that meet the needs of local communities. The
funding will provide the essential first step for local authorities to
implement service integration. The pilots will fund the costs of feasibility
studies and other groundwork to identify the scope for service integration
in individual areas exclusively for rural and isolated urban areas.
Successful bidders will be announced in March 2015. Further details can
be found on GOV.UK.
Wheels to Work (W2W)
1.9
W2W schemes provide transport vehicles (usually mopeds, motorcycles,
electric bikes or bicycles), subsidised driving lessons and general
transport advice to people who are unable to access training,
employment or education, due to a lack of suitable public or private
transport. These schemes are particularly beneficial to young people
living in isolated rural communities and those seeking employment.
1.10
There are now 36 schemes and the W2W Association estimates that
some 3,000 people per year are assisted by the schemes.
1.11
A government grant of £40,000 for 2014/15, funded jointly by Department
for Transport and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,
provides for a National Co-ordinator for the Wheels to Work Association.
This is the third year of such government support to the Association.
1.12
Key deliverables of the W2W Association for 2014/15 include:
6

Development of a strategy for the Wheels to Work Association to
become financially self-sustaining from March 2015 when
Government funding will end;

Collecting comprehensive data to provide evidence of the impact of
W2W schemes (user profiling, outcomes, accident data, training
information); and

Increasing the number of new schemes and places on schemes.
Rail Vehicles
1.13
As of November 2014, over 9,100 rail vehicles are now in service that
were built, or fully refurbished, to modern access standards (Rail Vehicle
Accessibility Regulations and the Technical Specifications for
Interoperability for Persons with Reduced Mobility). This is over half of
the national fleet.
1.14
Officials work closely with rolling stock operating companies to ensure
rectification work is planned and delivered by the legal deadline of 1
January 2020.
Access for All Programme
1.15
The rail industry was invited to nominate stations in November 2013 for
the additional £100m funding that was made available. 278 stations were
nominated from which the Department have been able to select 42.
These were selected based on their annual footfall, weighted by the
incidence of disability in the local area. We also took into account the
preferences of the train operating companies and other factors such as
proximity to a local hospital or the availability of third party match funding.
The successful stations were announced in April 2014. In December
2014, an extra 26 stations were selected from the remaining
nominations, this followed an announcement of further £60m.
1.16
Delivery of the current Access for All programme is progressing well and
more than 150 stations will have an accessible route for passengers by
2015. 139 of these are already complete. In addition, more than 1,100
stations have received smaller scale access improvements.
7
Crossrail
1.17
The Crossrail project will now be ‘step free’ following a £14 million
investment announcement by the Rt Hon. the Baroness Kramer Minister
of State for Transport on 18 November 2014.
1.18
The government’s investment at Langley, Taplow and Iver stations will
make it easier for passengers with reduced mobility to access Crossrail
platforms when full services begin in December 2019.
1.19
The government’s investment package builds on Transport for London’s
announcement in October 2014 that it would fund step-free access at
Seven Kings, Maryland, Manor Park and Hanwell stations. Now each of
the 40 Crossrail stations will be ‘step free’.
1.20
In addition to the improvements at stations, the new Crossrail fleet will be
built to the latest accessibility standards. This includes audio-visual
information systems, dedicated priority seats and spaces for wheelchairs.
Train Station Design for Disabled People: Code of
Practice
1.21
We are updating the ‘Accessible Train Station Design for Disabled
People: A Code of Practice’ to reflect the revised European Standards in
the Persons with Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for
Interoperability (PRM TSI), which came into force on the 1st January
2015.
1.22
We have taken this opportunity to improve the best practice guidance in
the Code, based on consultation with various stakeholders. These
include Network Rail, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory
Committee (DPTAC), the Association of Train Operating Companies
(ATOC), Transport Scotland, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) and
accessibility managers from the train operating companies.
1.23
We aim to publish the revised Code of Practice, which will be renamed
‘Accessible Design Standards for Railway Stations’, by April 2015.
Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles
1.24
The Department welcomes local initiatives to enhance taxi and private
hire vehicle driver training. Our Best Practice Guidance highlights to local
licensing authorities the importance of training. We are still considering
the case for imposing on drivers of wheelchair accessible taxis and
Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) duties to assist passengers who use
wheelchairs. If we do impose the duties we shall need to consider how
8
best to ensure that drivers are fully aware of the nature and extent of
these duties.
1.25
Following its three year review of taxi and PHV legislation, the Law
Commission published its final report and draft Bill in May 2014. Among
the recommendations for reform are a number of proposals to promote
equality and accessibility, including requiring all taxi and PHV drivers to
undergo disability awareness training. The Government is currently
considering both the report and draft Bill in their entirety and will respond
to the Law Commission in due course. However, there will not be a
dedicated Taxi Bill in the final session of this Parliament.
Mobility scooters
The Use of Invalid Carriage Regulations 1988
1.26
The Department remains committed to amending restrictions on the
weight limit for what are known in legislation as ‘invalid carriages’
(mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs) for those users whose
clinical needs mean they require heavy equipment on their vehicle to
meet medical and nursing requirements. DfT officials have drafted an
amendment to the Regulations, and will be laying it before Parliament by
March 2015.
Eyesight pilot
1.27
The Department is instigating in association with the Federation of
(Ophthalmic and Dispensing) Opticians and the London Borough of
Camden a mobility vehicle users – eyesight screening pilot, commencing
in 2015.
Training
1.28
There is currently no legal requirement for training and testing mobility
scooter users. A number of local authorities, voluntary sector
organisations and retailers provide training and advice to enable people
to choose a vehicle that best suits their needs, and to be able to use it
safely. NHS wheelchair services are required to assess the needs and
abilities of their patients before prescribing a wheelchair, and to provide
basic training to ensure that they can use them safely.
Insurance
1.29
While we have no plans to introduce mandatory requirements for
insurance cover, the government is keen that public safety concerns are
addressed and strongly recommend it in advice issued by the
Department for Transport (See Mobility Scooters and Powered
Wheelchairs: the Rules). This advice is reinforced in the guidance
‘Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs on the road – some
guidance for users’ which is intended to help people who use mobility
vehicles. It is available online at:
9
www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobility-scooters-and-poweredwheelchairs-on-the-road-some-guidance-for-users
1.30
Aside from anecdotal incidents, there is limited evidence that the current
status presents a safety risk that justifies introducing these requirements
given the additional costs for users and concerns that it would unfairly
penalise older or disabled people by posing a barrier to encouraging
greater mobility for disabled people. Police forces have begun to collect
data on the involvement of invalid carriages in collisions, but it will be
some time (late 2015) before a baseline dataset is available. Without the
evidence there may be little confidence in the policy or public support for
it. This could lead to confusion and resentment, and a lack of evidence
may affect the availability and price of insurance.
Tactile Paving Guidance review
1.31
The Department remains committed to review and update ‘Guidance on
the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces’. Following corporate changes it has
not been possible to meet the 2014 deadline. We have met stakeholders
to identify a number of priority amendments to the existing guidance and
we plan to carry out further consultation on the proposed layouts.
Inclusive Mobility Guidance review
1.32
The Department remains committed to review and update ‘Inclusive
Mobility - a Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and
Transport Infrastructure’. In March we will be meeting with stakeholders,
including representatives from the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory
Committee to assess how we might improve the guidance and how it
would support practitioners and users by offering practical advice to
enable more inclusive door to door journey.
Cycling Delivery Plan
1.33
The Cycling Delivery Plan published in draft by Department for Transport
on 16 October 2014 sets out the Government’s 10 year strategy on
increasing and improving cycling in England.
1.34
The draft Delivery Plan incorporates a number of government
commitments and actions to increase levels of cycling, as well as
walking, across England. Specifically, the Delivery Plan recognises the
contribution this government has made to cycling already and issues a
call to action to local authorities, to build on this progress by offering the
opportunity to establish partnerships with central government that will
open up access to a range of incentives. In forming a partnership with
10
government, we are asking local authorities to demonstrate, amongst
other things:

1.35
that their walking and cycling plans include steps to meet the needs
of people from hard to reach groups – including disabled people,
older people and others – where those needs are different from the
needs of other people.
Since the publication of the draft, we have consulted extensively by
organising a series of six events across England during October and
November, giving stakeholders the opportunity to engage with the
Department on our plans and consider how best to normalise walking
and cycling so that it is accessible and safe for all.
11
2. Information & Communication
Transport Direct
2.1
Although the Transport Direct service has now closed, Traveline
continues to provide the capability for users to plan national accessible
journeys. This can currently be found in the Traveline South East and
Anglia, Traveline East Midlands, and Traveline South West journey
planners.
2.2
The Department continues to maintain the data needed to support
accessible journey planning, and this is available to use under the Open
Government Licence at http://data.gov.uk/dataset/transport-accessibilitydata. We are working with Traveline and local authorities to further
expand the coverage of this data.
Audio-Visual (AV) Technical Solutions for Buses
2.3
The Rt Hon. the Baroness Kramer, Minister of State for Transport,
launched the ‘All Aboard’ technology competition on 24 November 2014.
Run by the Transport Systems Catapult on behalf of the Department, the
competition challenges students aged 14 to 18 across the UK to come up
with innovative solutions to providing passengers with accessible onboard information.
2.4
It is hoped the competition will deliver ideas that can be turned into cost
effective systems for keeping passengers informed. Research shows that
the perceived high cost of existing technology has been cited as an
obstacle by bus operators in parts of the country that do not currently
provide audio visual information on buses.
2.5
Finalists will be invited to present their work at the Big Bang Fair 2015 in
Birmingham, where a panel of judges will decide on the competition
winner. As well as receiving a cash prize, the winners will have the
opportunity to work with local businesses to see their design being
developed into a working prototype.
2.6
The All Aboard competition is part of the government’s Accessible Britain
Challenge which encourages communities to be inclusive and
accessible. It involves working with disabled people to remove the
barriers that stop them participating fully in their community.
2.7
For more information please access the competition website at
http://www.theallaboardcompetition.co.uk/
12
Smart ticketing
2.8
The South East Flexible Ticketing (SEFT) Programme to deliver
smartcard based ticketing on rail is progressing well. The Southern and
c2c franchises are seeing increasing customer use of smartcards for
travel on their networks. Further launches with other operators are
expected in 2015.
2.9
On 18 December 2014 the Department announced further details on
more flexible ticketing using carnets on smartcards in order to offer a
more modern and more flexible deal on fares, particularly for part time
workers. The new GTR and c2c franchises are developing plans to
implement smart carnets. We will be evaluating these carnet schemes
whilst carrying out further detailed analytical work on pricing, customer
preference and the impact on revenues to help inform future policy.
2.10
The Smart Cities Partnership, a collaboration between the Department
and the nine largest English conurbations outside of London and all
major bus operators, continues to make good progress on accelerating
the roll out smartcard based ticketing. A tangible example of success has
been Merseytravel’s successful launch of the multi-modal, multi-operator
SaveAway product on smartcards from 24 November 2014.
Mobility Centres Review
2.11
The Department will shortly be finalising a review of the services
currently offered by the Mobility Centres.
2.12
The review will evaluate whether they represent value for money and if
and to what extent DfT should be funding the centres in the future. The
review will also look into whether alternative delivery models could better
meet the needs of customers in the context of demographic, social and
technological changes. The project will inform decision on the
Department's future engagement with the Forum of Mobility Centres
beyond 2015/16.
Travel training
2.13
The Department is considering providing support at a national level
toward improving the quality and quantity of travel training schemes,
giving people including those who are older and people with learning
disabilities, the confidence to travel independently and safely. We are
assessing whether there are any opportunities to enable the delivery of
more travel training schemes.
13
3. Improving Attitudes & Behaviour
toward vulnerable categories of
passengers
Reducing conflict in the shared space area on public
transport
3.1
With grant funding from the Department for Transport, Transport for
Greater Manchester (TfGM) developed and piloted a campaign to
encourage passengers to be considerate toward other users, particularly
wheelchair users, when accessing the shared space area of a bus.
3.2
TfGM worked with the Greater Manchester Bus Operators Association to
ensure operators were involved in the campaign, and to engage front-line
staff. The pilot was launched in August 2013 and ran for six months.
TfGM placed adverts in the Metro, a paper widely distributed free on
buses in Greater Manchester, supported by a media release. Posters
were also installed at bus stations and bus stops throughout Greater
Manchester. A banner was installed on the homepage of the TfGM
website, linked to a supporting webpage where more information was
provided. Following the launch TfGM sought feedback from the public
trough a web based questionnaire using an advert on the TfGM website.
3.3
The pilot campaign was developed to test alternative options and obtain
feedback, in turn giving wheelchair users more confidence to use buses.
Post campaign launch feedback was received from various disability
groups, including some areas where improvements could be made in
order to better achieve the objectives.
3.4
TfGM will produce a report on lessons learned from their Shared Space
pilot campaign by May 2015. The report will be of particular benefit to
local authorities and transport operators. Department for Transport will
work with TfGM to help publicise the report among industry and other
stakeholders with an interest.
Disability Equality Awareness Training
3.5
The Department for Transport has recently reviewed (one year after its
application) the use of a derogation applied under EU Regulation
14
181/2011 (concerning bus/coach passenger rights) exempting bus and
coach drivers from undertaking mandatory disability awareness training.
3.6
To inform the review, the Rt Hon. Baroness Kramer Minister of State for
Transport wrote to bus industry representatives, disability stakeholders
and charities with an interest to determine whether drivers are receiving
adequate disability awareness training under the current voluntary
arrangement.
3.7
Having received and considered many comprehensive responses, the Rt
Hon. Baroness Kramer took the opportunity to share her findings with
Ministerial colleagues and discuss how best to proceed. These
discussions continue, but in the interim we will shortly be putting a
summary of responses received in relation to the review on the
Government’s website.
3.8
Department for Transport officials are also currently in discussions with
the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) about
undertaking a research project that will further evaluate disability
awareness training currently provided to bus/coach drivers around the
country.
Code of Conduct on treatment of passengers/staff on
buses
3.9
Although the Senior Traffic Commissioner and the Confederation of
Passenger Transport (CPT) have previously looked into the possibility of
drafting a voluntary Code of Practice on the treatment of passengers and
staff on board buses which remains an important issue, due to work and
resource pressures at both organisations, it has not been possible to
take this project forward over the last year.
3.10
However, between 11th November and 23rd December 2014, the
Department for Transport undertook a public consultation on proposed
amendments to the Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers,
Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations 1990 (‘Conduct
Regulations’), which set out the duties and expected behaviour of bus
drivers, conductors, inspectors and passengers on bus and coach
services operated around Great Britain.
3.11
This public consultation exercise provided an opportunity for those
responding to outline their own views on which parts of the Conduct
Regulations should be removed, updated or simplified to ensure that this
legislation, outlining how bus drivers, conductors, inspectors and
passengers should be treated during any journey, is fit for purpose. The
Government will provide a formal response to this consultation in due
course.
15
Passenger Assist Evaluation research
3.12
As part of the Department’s commitment to improve access to rail travel
for disabled people, DfT contributed to the cost of an evaluation research
into the Passenger Assist scheme, carried out by Passenger Focus,
published in March 2014. The research report is available at:
http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/research/publications/passengerassist-research-presentation-slides .
3.13
We understand the rail industry has considered the findings of this work
and has been looking at ways in which the system can be improved
around issues such as booking confirmations, identifying and assisting
passengers with hidden disabilities and other operational issues.
3.14
Passenger Assist (PA) is the system which disabled passengers use to
book assistance and reservations on the national rail network.
Improving the tools for reporting, recording and
analysis of crime and anti-social behaviour incidents
on public transport
British Transport Police
3.15
In 2013 the British Transport Police (BTP) introduced a new system
whereby passengers can text the BTP about non-emergency incidents,
including anti-social behaviour. The text number (61016) is monitored
24/7 and the BTP is able to send officers if required.
3.16
In addition, BTP will be commencing a review of relevant data and
reporting/recording mechanisms, to ensure it accurately records
offences. The purpose is to improve its overall recording approach, and
ensure any offences incorrectly recorded can be reviewed and reclassified if necessary. BTP will also review how Crime Recording Centre
Staff and other relevant staff are trained and informed with regard to
disability issues to assist in accurate data recording.
Transport for Greater Manchester – Hate Crime Campaign
3.17
TfGM has, to date, successfully undertaken two approaches to
addressing hate crime using DfT grant money, with a further campaign
planned for early 2015.
3.18
The first initiative undertook was to support Manchester City Council’s
(MCC) Manchester Hate Awareness Week (20 -26 January 2014) by
printing and displaying campaign posters at bus stations, bus stops and
Metrolink tram stops and also through social media engagement.
3.19
The second initiative TfGM undertook was in partnership with the North
West Anti-bullying Group and Salford Council. TfGM hosted a workshop
where young people learned about and discussed hate crime on public
16
transport, within the context of producing communications on the subject
as an output.
3.20
The workshop concluded with students designing posters that have been
printed and displayed on the Greater Manchester bus and tram network,
in addition to a webpage gallery showing all the designs. The intention
was to promote hate crime issues to a younger generation and also send
the message that marketing/communications campaigns are an
important mechanism to raising awareness, and hopefully decreasing the
number of incidents.
3.21
Furthermore, a range of campaign solutions including hard hitting visuals
and social media elements has been developed for a further campaign
aimed at encouraging victims and witnesses to report hate crime, whilst
also raising awareness of the different forms of discrimination which
constitute hate crime.
3.22
Unfortunately, due to stakeholder opposition the campaign could not go
live within the revised timeframe of the current financial year. However
the valuable creative assets generated from this work will be made
available for potential future use by TfGM and other interested
organisations by May 2015.
Hate Crime Action Plan
3.23
3.24
The progress report on the government’s hate crime action plan sets out
the achievements since the plan was published in March 2012. It
highlights the progress made, including delivering on key commitments
as part of our three core principles. For example:

built a better evidence base on hate crime - by publishing, for the first
time, analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales that
illustrates the extent of hate crime;

delivered the coalition commitment to improve the recording of hate
crimes - by ensuring that police forces in England and Wales formally
record hate crimes under all five monitored strands (race, religion,
sexual orientation, disability and transgender);

brought crimes, including murder motivated by hostility towards
transgender and disabled people, into line with other hate crimes - by
amending legislation under the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
However, the report also highlights that there is still more to be done to
stop hate crime happening, and to protect and support victims, their
families and communities.
17
Door to Door safety
3.25
The Department published the Door to Door Strategy in March 2013. The
strategy focussed on four core areas that, if improved, should make
traveling by sustainable transport a more seamless and straightforward
experience. Two of these areas are about improving connections at
every stage of the journey, enhancing transport facilities and addressing
concerns around safety.
3.26
Perceptions around personal safety have emerged as important in travel
choice. There are particular concerns around cycle safety, but fears
about personal safety and the risk of being attacked, even if statistically
unfounded, can deter people from walking and using public transport.
The Department has in place a number of initiatives that help address
this. These include a £20m Cycle Safety Fund, further funding to
upgrade junctions, and significant investment in cycling and walking
routes which focus on improving safety. We also sponsor the Secure
Stations Scheme run in partnership with British Transport Police, which is
designed to improve security at stations and provide reassurance to
travellers and staff.
Road safety
3.27
THINK! campaign continues to work with children and young people to
educate them about road safety. In March 2014 we partnered up with the
Royal Automobile Club (RAC) to launch a road safety competition for
schools and youth groups. The campaign encourages young people
aged 4-16 years to enter a national competition to create and develop an
animated road safety video or a talking poster (a drawing of a road safety
message with a recorded commentary from the young people and their
teacher or leader). The competition closed on 19th December 2014.
3.28
In addition, the THINK! Resource Centre was launched in May 2013 as a
one-stop shop for teachers and others with responsibility for children to
access THINK! resources to educate children and teenagers on road
safety. The Resource Centre continues to be well used and received
over 67,000 unique views in the financial year 2013/14. The THINK!
team received almost 15,000 orders and distributed nearly 1.2 million
child and teen road safety marketing materials over the last 12 months.
All these items are provided free of charge and the team are able to
provide translations if required. The Think! Resource Centre continue to
work closely with over 800 local Road Safety Officers to encourage them
to teach road safety in local schools.
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4. Monitoring & Engagement
The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee
(DPTAC)
4.1
DPTAC is an advisory, non-departmental public body that advises the
Department for Transport on transport legislation, regulations and
guidance and on the transport needs of disabled people.
4.2
Following a review of public bodies, on 12 June 2013, it was decided to
retain DPTAC to advise the Department on accessibility issues relating to
disabled people and transport. Following this decision, two recruitment
exercises were held, one to appoint a new committee from 1 April 2014,
and the other to appoint a new Chair, Keith Richards, who took up his
position on 1 November 2014. Both the members and the chair have
been appointed for 3-year terms.
4.3
DPTAC members, have recently been involved in advising the policy
team on a revised version of the Code of Practice on Accessible Train
Station Design.
4.4
Members are now working on a research proposal for driver training
guidance that will initially be aimed at bus drivers, with the possibility of
further work to expand this guidance to cover other modes.
4.5
Web: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disabled-personstransport-advisory-committee
4.6
Email: dptac.enquiries@dft.gsi.gov.uk
Building our Evidence Base
Understanding travel expectations of protected groups
4.7
In 2013, the Department commissioned research to assess the impact of
transport policies on people who share the newly protected
characteristics (age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy
and maternity, religion or belief). The findings of the research raise
awareness of the barriers that many people face when considering using
public transport, and informs of what works to overcome those barriers.
The research is now complete and will be published early 2015.
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Mobility Scooters Market Research
4.8
The Department commissioned the Research Institute for Consumer
Affairs (RICA) in 2013/14 to update an online database providing
information on the latest models of mobility scooters and powered
wheelchairs available on the market, latest policies held by public
transport operators as of March 2014 compared to April 2013, and
publicising the data as wide as possible. The database is available at:
http://www.rica.org.uk/content/scooter-powered-wheelchair-search
4.9
Furthermore, RICA carried out a review of the size and make-up of the
mobility scooter market, and the benefits of registering Class 3 mobility
vehicles. Commissioned by DfT, the aim of the research was to fill an
evidence gap and inform future transport policies on the needs of people
with mobility impairments. The research report was published on 13th
October 2014 and can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobility-scooters-a-marketstudy
4.10
This study reports on three specific aspects of the mobility scooter
market:

mobility scooter market trends

profile of mobility scooter users

consultation on class 3 mobility scooters
Working with Young People
4.11
DfT is committed to actively engage with young people to address gaps
in provision affecting rural communities in England. The Young Persons
Working group convened by DfT and Defra is involved in preparing a
report on rural transport for young people. It will explore the options
available to address the issues of high cost and low availability of public
and other forms of transport in rural areas.
4.12
This is a significant challenge for young people because it acts as a
barrier to their post-16 choices and progression into employment. Initial
recommendations include enhanced collaboration between transport
service providers to improve delivery and availability of travel
opportunities for young people in rural areas. The final report of this
group is due to be published early in 2015.
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Equality information
4.13
The Department aims to be transparent in its decision making and
accountable to service users and interested parties. We publish
information annually that demonstrates our commitment to promoting
equality and diversity in our policy making, service delivery and in our
role as an employer, in compliance with the public sector equality duty.
Our equality objectives are available on the Gov.UK website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-objectives.
4.14
The Civil Service has now published the Talent Action Plan (September
2014) which focusses on levelling the playing field in employment for
underrepresented groups.
4.15
The Department for Transport is playing an active role in its
implementation e.g. in ensuring diverse interview panels and promoting
development opportunities such as the Civil Service’s positive action
pathways for under-represented groups.
Transport and Disability Statistics
4.16
In order to monitor the specific measures in the action plans, the
Department produces a chapter on ‘Transport and Disability’ in its annual
‘Transport Statistics Great Britain’ publication.
4.17
Transport Statistics Great Britain’ is released every December via the
GOV.UK website. The first edition of the ‘Transport and Disability’
chapter was published on the website in December 2013. The
information has been updated in December 2014 and includes a
summary of relevant data from the National Travel Survey data on the
personal travel patterns of people with mobility difficulties, the number of
disabled concessionary travel pass holders, and the proportion of buses,
taxis and trains that are accessible to disabled people.
4.18
Annex A provides provide an infographic snapshot from the latest edition
on ‘Transport and Disability’ published in December 2014.
New Guidance on Consultation
4.19
The Consultation Principles replaced the criteria in the previous Code of
Practice on Consultation in July 2012. The new overriding theme is that
the type and scale of consultation should be proportionate to the
potential impacts of the proposal or decision being taken, and that
thought should be given to achieving real engagement rather than merely
following bureaucratic process; consultation should be thoughtfully
tailored to the relevant issue. The spirit of the Principles is echoed in the
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Civil Service Reform Plan, which emphasises the need for more open
policy making. The Plan points to consultation being an integral part of
the policy lifecycle as a whole, supporting genuine collaboration and codesign of policy.
Working with Civil Society
4.20
DfT has committed to establishing the Compact (the agreement between
Government and civil society organisations) principles in policy making
and service delivery, working with the Office for Civil Society and
Compact Voice to continue to raise awareness for staff. We also
continue to encourage local authorities to work with civil society
organisations when delivering Local Sustainable Transport Fund
projects. The Department are developing a questionnaire for completion
in 2015 to seek feedback from our partners on the effectiveness of our
work with the voluntary and community sector.
Family Tests
4.21
Whether intended or not, a wide range of government activity has a
direct or indirect impact on families, and families in turn shape how
individuals engage with policy initiatives and use public services. While
supporting families is an explicit goal in some areas of public policy, and
is implicit in others, across government as a whole we do not always
think systematically about how policy can support strong and stable
family relationships or how we might inadvertently impact on families.
4.22
The introduction of a Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister
in August 2014. The objective of the Test is to introduce an explicit family
perspective to the policy making process, and ensure that potential
impacts on family relationships and functioning are made explicit and
recognised in the process of developing new policy.
4.23
The Department for Work and Pensions’ Family Test guidance sets out
when and how government Departments should apply the Test and has
been produced in collaboration with the Relationships Alliance (a
coalition of organisations dedicated to developing strong and stable
couple and family and social relationships). Using this guidance to apply
the Family Test should be thought of as part of the process of good
policymaking, not a discrete step in the process. Policy makers need to
make their own judgements about how they apply the test in a sensible
and proportionate way at each stage of the policy making process.
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Cross Government working:
4.24
In March 2014, DfT joined the new Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group
on Disability (IMG), chaired by the Minister for Disabled People. The
IMG has been set up to encourage and stimulate progress during this
Parliament on ensuring disabled people are included and have
opportunities to realise their aspirations.
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A.1
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