Restrictions on Personal Vehicular Transport

1. Introduction

Few would dissent from the view that greater encouragement should be given to people to transfer from the private car to walking, cycling or public transport.

The Government, in its report "Developing an integrated transport policy" (August 1997) has made it clear that the creation of a truly integrated transport system, with much more emphasis on public transport and much less on the car, is one of its priorities.

In a society that relies so heavily on the car it is no easy matter to achieve a significant and worthwhile shift away from private transport without invoking a range of restrictive measures. It can be surmised, although in advance of the White Paper to be published in 1998 it cannot be known, that these measures may include both regulation (reduced car parking space, bans on the use of cars in some places at some times) and financial control. The corollary to restrictions on private car use should be greater investment in, and priority for, public transport as well as more encouragement for people to walk and cycle.

While policies like these are likely to find favour with many people, there is great anxiety among the groups representing disabled people that these policies may be introduced without a clear understanding of the needs of disabled people and without advice being available on ways in which their needs could be met.

In the Government paper on integrated transport policy there is reference (Section 33) to the importance of mobility for disabled people. That section states that, "we do recognise, however, that for some disabled people there will never be an adequate substitute for the private car and for others there will still be circumstances in which it is the only viable option. Those factors will be central to the development of our integrated transport policy".

This recognition of the importance of the car to the mobility of disabled people is very welcome. The following is a contribution from DPTAC to the issues raised in the Government paper. It considers the problems and anxieties of disabled people and suggests sensible and practical measures which would avoid the risk of disabled people suffering a loss of personal mobility while still supporting the overall policies of reducing use of private cars.

Updated: 9 November 2000

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