Who is affected?
- wheelchair users
- people with injuries
- parents with pushchairs
- the elderly
- people with mental issues
- the hard of hearing or deaf
- visually impaired people
- people with language difficulties
The sort of access issues that affect these groups are:
getting there. Accessible towns will be well served by public transport and the road system with good car parking close to the town centre. This is not always the case for every town and village, which may not have a station or be on a bus route. See more detail.
getting in. Accessible shops will have no step entry with wide easily opened doors. Inside there will be wide aisles with no obstructions and clear signage to direct customers. If the shop has several floors there will be accessible lifts. This is not always possible for older and smaller premises.See more detail.
getting to the toilet. Accessible toilets help everyone but some more than most. Anyone can be caught short while away from home and this can cause severe embarassment and worry. Elderly people may have particular and regular needs and wheelchair users need specially adapted toilet facilities. And of course, everyone wants a clean facility. See more detail.
getting around. An accessible town centre will have clear pathways for pedestrians and will separate pedestrian and motor transport as much as possible. It will reduce trip hazards for the partially sighted, provide smooth surfaces for wheelchairs and have clear signage for different services. Town centres will try to be as attractive as possible but this can conflict with the needs of access. See more detail.
