As an athlete, I particularly value the health benefits of active travel. For other disabled people too, being active has positive impacts on physical and mental well-being. But often, despite good intentions, London’s active travel routes and public spaces are not very accessible. 

While every city is different, we can learn a lot by observing what other places do. Rotterdam, for example, is one of my favourite destinations because it’s very accessible for a wheelchair user. That’s partly due to the flat terrain, but equally important are the wide footways, well-designed crossings and accessible trams. I can wheel around the city with relative ease ‒ with little or no pre-planning. If I need to jump on a tram, I can do that independently. And it feels good to be doing my bit for a cleaner environment too. 

In London, such a joined up, functional approach to accessible active and public transport is rare. Of course, the city’s hills and historic narrow streets create challenges. But many barriers to active travel for disabled people in London are the result of accessibility being treated as a bolt-on rather than an integral aspect of the design. 

The result? Dropped kerbs with too steep a gradient, or no dropped kerbs at all, resulting in long detours for wheelchair users. Public spaces that may be uncomfortable for neurodiverse people. Poorly laid out street furniture that creates inaccessible pinch points. Cycle routes that are not wide enough for adapted cycles. 

These are just some of the many ways in which the public realm can be inaccessible to disabled people. So how can we move beyond a tokenistic, fragmented approach to accessible design to create places that are genuinely inclusive in the way they function? 

There’s no simple formula, but real improvements can result from changing how we approach accessible design in five key ways. 

Sometimes site and project constraints will make it impossible to meet everyone’s needs. But planning and designing for accessibility in a holistic, joined-up and practical way should ensure everyone has genuine and attractive choices about how they travel and use the public realm. No-one should feel a sense of dread about what they may encounter.