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A leading Liberal Democrat MP has attacked schemes which encourage motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to share urban spaces, saying they are "no good to anybody".
Sandra Gidley, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment, told ePolitix.com that local councils need to think about how shared spaces affect the disabled.
Shared space is a design concept being adopted in town centres and high streets around the country. It involves altering the road and its surroundings, such as removing the kerb, to encourage drivers to be extra cautious on the new road layout.
Pedestrians, cyclists and motorists are expected to make eye contact to establish who will be giving way.
But disability campaigners have cautioned that blind and partially-sighted people cannot achieve this sort of interaction, putting them at risk when crossing the road.
And Gidley (Lib Dem, Romsey) explained that "if somebody cannot have meaningful eye contact then that is a failure at the first hurdle for that group of people".
"Councils really need to find ways of making sure that when they think about disability in relation to these schemes, they do not just think about wheelchairs but they think about the range of disabilities," she said.
"Sadly, this is an accident waiting to happen and I think it is only when there is an accident that they will stand up and take notice."
Gidley highlighted problems of the shared space scheme in Sloane Square, London.
She described the space as a "nightmare" and suggested that authorities return to the design board.
"The scheme is a nightmare for a number of reasons," she told ePolitix.com.
"For example, for people coming out of the Tube who do not know the area, it looks pedestrianised and there is nothing to warn motorists that it is a shared surface area.
"As shared surfaces schemes go, it is badly designed. I think they need to go back to the drawing board and think about what the point is and what they are trying to achieve. This is no good to anybody."
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