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Accessibility and Equality Action Plan:

Progress Update

January 2015

This document is out of date and has been withdrawn. A consultation was launched on a new draft accessibility action plan in August 2017.

The Department for Transport has actively considered the needs of blind and partially sighted people in accessing this document. The text will be made available in full on the Department’s website. The text may be freely downloaded and translated by individuals or organisations for conversion into other accessible formats. If you have other needs in this regard please contact the Department.

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Contents

Foreword.............................................................................................................4

1. Improving physical accessibility...................................................................5Buses & Coaches............................................................................................5Community Transport......................................................................................5Local transport in rural and isolated communities............................................6Wheels to Work (W2W)...................................................................................6Rail Vehicles....................................................................................................7Access for All Programme...............................................................................7Crossrail...........................................................................................................8Train Station Design for Disabled People: Code of Practice............................8Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles.......................................................................8Mobility scooters..............................................................................................9Tactile Paving Guidance review.....................................................................10Inclusive Mobility Guidance review................................................................10Cycling Delivery Plan.....................................................................................10

2. Information & Communication....................................................................12Transport Direct.............................................................................................12Audio-Visual (AV) Technical Solutions for Buses..........................................12Smart ticketing...............................................................................................13Mobility Centres Review................................................................................13Travel training................................................................................................13

3. Improving Attitudes & Behaviour toward vulnerable categories of passengers........................................................................................................14

Reducing conflict in the shared space area on public transport.....................14Disability Equality Awareness Training..........................................................14Code of Conduct on treatment of passengers/staff on buses........................15Passenger Assist Evaluation research..........................................................16Improving the tools for reporting, recording and analysis of crime and anti-social behaviour incidents on public transport...............................................16Door to Door safety........................................................................................18Road safety....................................................................................................18

4. Monitoring & Engagement..........................................................................19The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC)...................19Building our Evidence Base...........................................................................19Working with Young People...........................................................................20Equality information.......................................................................................21Transport and Disability Statistics..................................................................21New Guidance on Consultation.....................................................................21Working with Civil Society..............................................................................22Family Tests..................................................................................................22Cross Government working:..........................................................................23

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

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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

conventional local bus services. It is aimed primarily at existing voluntary and third sector organisations that already have a permit to run not-for-profit 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:

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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.

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

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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 scootersThe Use of Invalid Carriage Regulations 19881.26 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 pilot1.27 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.

Insurance1.29 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:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobility-scooters-and-powered-wheelchairs-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

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government, we are asking local authorities to demonstrate, amongst other things:

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.

1.35 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.

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-accessibility-data.  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 on-board 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/

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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.

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

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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.

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/passenger-assist-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 Police3.15 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 re-classified 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 Campaign3.17 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

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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 Plan3.23 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.

3.24 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.

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-persons-transport-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.

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-market-study

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.

Equality information

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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 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 co-design 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.

Cross Government working:

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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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