Moray SNP News

MORAY MSP HELPS OPEN THE WORLD FOR PEOPLE WITH VISION IMPAIRMENT

Richard Lochhead MSP for Moray met the charity Guide Dogs at SNP Conference to discuss the problems pavement parking and inaccessible streets pose for people with sight loss. 

Cars blocking pavements are one of the main barriers preventing people with sight loss from walking the streets safely and in some cases can force people onto the road. 

Street clutter and inaccessible streets are also major challenges which prevent people with sight loss from getting out and about independently.

Richard Lochhead MSP, who is supporting Guide Dogs’ campaign, said:

“Pavement parking is an issue that is often raised with me by people with sight loss and other disabilities and I’ve long been a supporter of action to tackle this issue.

“Whilst for most of us, pavement parking is an annoyance, for people with sight loss it can be incredibly dangerous and all drivers who do park on the pavement must be more considerate of the impact on people living with disabilities.

“I was pleased to meet with Guide Dogs to support their campaign to make Scotland’s streets safer for people with sight loss. Scotland has led the way by legislating to ban pavement parking and I hope by raising awareness drivers will pause for thought before parking on pavements going forward.”

Niall Foley, External Affairs Manager at Guide Dogs Scotland, said: 

“The way our streets are designed and used directly affects the confidence of people with sight loss to live independent lives.

“Parking on pavements is a nuisance for everyone but is potentially dangerous if you have sight loss and are forced into the road.

“Scotland is leading the way in bringing forwards pavement parking legislation and we look forward to working with local authorities and MSPs to tackle this problem."