A ban on street advertising boards in Edinburgh has been praised by RNIB Scotland
A charity for the blind has welcomed plans to ban advertising boards from the streets of a Scottish city.
Edinburgh City Council passed plans this week to outlaw all on street advertising after concerns were raised by those with sight difficulties.
RNIB Scotland has highlighted that street clutter can deter blind and partially sighted people from walking outside.
Bollards, bins, cars parked on pavements and shared space schemes were among the other most common obstacles encountered by the people the charity works with.
The charity’s chair Sandra Wilson, said: "We very much welcome this move to make the capital's streets safer and more inclusive for all residents and visitors with disabilities. It's something our RNIB Street Charter has been pressing for throughout the country. While we want businesses to prosper, our streets should not be an obstacle course to be negotiated.
"A third of blind and partially sighted people surveyed by RNIB said they had been injured by pavement clutter when walking outside. Some felt so intimidated they ended up staying isolated in their homes. This is surely unacceptable.”
Wilson, who is blind, said that she had been put off from walking round Edinburgh due to the amount of street clutter.
She said: “I lived in Edinburgh for many years and found it an easy city to get around, despite having no sight. Today it’s a different story. I visit frequently but don’t walk around much because of street clutter.
“A-boards are a particular hazard. They appear without warning, there’s no consistency on where they’re placed, then you walk into them, either hurting or injuring yourself or ending up with a bill for the dry cleaner or the garment repairer. Not a very good recommendation for whatever’s being advertised.
"Personally, I have had frequent encounters with obstacles on the street and three years ago almost broke a couple of teeth on what appeared to be a jutting out railing."
Jimmy Milhench is a white-cane user who lives in Causewayside. “There are obstacles that I negotiate every day,” he said. “Three big bins on a street next to a bike that is permanently chained to a lamppost are particularly difficult to get around.
“I think they should take all A-boards away. It's not just an issue for blind people. Prams, wheelchair users, parents holding their kids hands as they walk down the street - anyone who won't be walking single file has difficulty getting past, especially as Edinburgh's pavements are so narrow.
“I normally walk on the same bit of street. When someone puts something new in your way you're not ready for it. A-boards jump out at you.”
RNIB Scotland is also calling on the Scottish Government to strengthen and reinforce existing legislation to prevent obstructions on the road and ensure disabled people are not disadvantaged.
Council enforcement officers have been instructed to ensure that the ban is upheld, with fixed penalties a possibility for those that flout the ban.
