Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support visually impaired people through reducing street furniture.

The Department is working to address the problems street clutter can create for vulnerable pedestrians, in particular those with visual impairments.

Local authorities are responsible for managing their roads, including the provision of street furniture. The Department provides good practice guidance in 'Inclusive Mobility' on access to pedestrian and transport infrastructure. Section 3 relates to access to footways, footpaths and pedestrian areas. ‘Inclusive Mobility’ is available at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mobility

The Department is in the process of updating ‘Inclusive Mobility’, and has research underway to inform this. The research is due to conclude by the end of this year, and the updates to the guidance will follow at a later date.

The control of advertising, including the use of A-boards, is a matter for my colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.