Episode 35: Mind the gap: Accessibility in urban mobility, feat. Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson

Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast

GUESTS: Sandra Witzel, CMO SkedGo, and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
"Mobility for all" is an oft-used and well-intentioned phrase – but images of urban mobility and new mobility solutions rarely feature people with impaired mobility, or anyone living with a disability, raising questions about the concept of mobility for all.
People living with disabilities face any number of challenges in the quest to get around, whether that’s related to urban planning, physical barriers and obstructions, infrastructure issues, ageing transport networks, poorly designed solutions, untrained transit support staff, or personal safety – to name but a few...
According to UN data, around a billion people worldwide live with disabilities - nearly 15% of the global population, and that rises to nearly 20% in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization says around 75 million people worldwide need a wheelchair, but only 5-15% have access to one.
But accessibility in mobility is about so much more than wheelchairs – it’s about the many more hidden disabilities; it’s about reduced mobility, impaired vision and hearing, provisions for the elderly and infirm - and about planning for inclusive mobility, rather than making it an afterthought.
ABOUT THE GUESTS

Prior to taking up a seat in the House of Lords, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson represented Great Britain as a wheelchair racer at five Paralympic Games, winning a total of 16 medals: 11 gold, four silver and a bronze; at the World Championships, she won six gold, five silver and two bronze; and she won the London Marathon six times.
Connect with Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson on LinkedIn
Sandra Witzel is an advocate for mobility as a service; she’s the co-founder of Women in Mobility UK; and she’s a frustrated public transport user, with impaired mobility caused by life with Musculo-skeletal issues. Chief Marketing Officer and board member at mobility app SkedGo, she’s also a certified and award-winning health coach.
Connect with Sandra Witzel on LinkedIn
SHOW NOTES

Up Down London
Lift status at Transport for London stations
https://www.updownlondon.com/
Step-Free London
Step-free map and future access
https://stepfreelondon.uk/map/
Briometrix Mobility Maps
Effort-based Mobility Maps which display colour-coded footpath networks, indicating the degree of difficulty for a person in a wheelchair to traverse the pathway.
https://briometrix.com/
Handimap
Route planning app that takes into account the accessibility of sidewalks, crossings and paths, as well as obstacles (urban furniture, works...)
https://www.handimap.fr/
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