BRITAIN’S first evidence centre for accessible and inclusive transport, which aims to improve travel for people with disabilities, was launched in Coventry on Wednesday (February 15).
A launch event for the ground-breaking scheme was held on Wednesday at the National Transport Design Centre (NTDC) at Coventry University’s Technology Park, where the new evidence centre will be based.
The grant has been made by disability transport charity Motability, whose research shows that disabled people in the UK currently make 38 per cent fewer journeys than able-bodied people.
This figure hasn’t changed in the last decade, impacting disabled people’s access to healthcare, employment, education and other social activities.
The new accessible transport centre will aim to change this by delivering projects to influence policy and transport providers by showing that accessible transport can be achieved.
The research and agenda will be led by people with disabilities and will look to build on the user-centred approach the universities NTDC developed.
The university will lead a consortium representing several organisations including RiDC and Designability, Connected Places Catapult, Policy Connect and WSP UK.
The professor of transport design at the centre for future transport and cities at the university, Paul Herriotts, said they need to better understand people who have disabilities’ lived experiences, needs, and wants concerning transport.
