Warwick has become blind exclusion zone

Streetscape changes to improve safety have resulted in the removal of pedestrian crossings, and also curbs and traffic lights in some cases, so that pedestrians now have to walk in the road among vehicles in many random places, thereby forcing motorists to drive more carefully.

Many pedestrians - including the old and infirm, the disabled, mothers with toddlers, and especially blind people who cannot see oncoming traffic - are trying to avoid these areas because they consider moving traffic to be dangerous.

Council officers in both Coventry and Warwick say that they will consider re-installing pedestrian crossings at some future time, but it would appear they are hoping that a longer delay will allow the complainants to overcome their problems and to give up and forget, before it becomes necessary to take any remedial action.

It takes a lot of courage for a person with no sight to step into the road in front of approaching vehicles which they cannot see or hear.

Although there are Government regulations which promise them equality with other members of the public, some council officers are aware that if ignored for long enough, such disabled people will often give up complaining and stay at home, thereby allowing the council to claim that their new discriminatory safety plan is successful.

It can of course be argued that persuading disabled and vulnerable people to stay away from busy town centre streets will help to reduce the accident statistics, and make life easier and safer for motorists and other pedestrians, but do we really want our councils to discriminate against disabled and vulnerable people on our behalf? - David M Bates, National Federation of the Blind of the UK.