Ms June Tinsley:

I thank Deputy Crowe for the questions. The Deputy is correct. There are clear standards for accessibility on the built environment. Many of them probably need to be updated and reviewed. Some of them are now out of date given the different modes of micro-mobility that are quite common on our streets. NCBI is very engaged with many local authorities in providing submissions to them on ways that they can improve the streetscape. If they are doing a revised townscape or development plan, we will definitely be contributing to that discussion to ensure adherence to these standards. We find that in many instances they are not being fully abided by and as a result there are routes that are becoming inaccessible for people who are blind or have impaired vision. Likewise, if there are changes to routes, for example if routes now have vehicles on them when they previously had pedestrians on them, that can be very disorientating. As the Deputy can imagine, someone who is blind or vision-impaired becomes set in his or her ways with the route that he or she knows because that is where he or she feels confident. When the routes change, it can knock their confidence and limit their ability to get out and about.

The reality is there has to be a footpath in a situation, even if it is of a narrow width. The other side of the coin is, if there is no footpath and we always give way to cars and vehicle access, you are forcing individuals who are not only blind and impaired but also disabled, and also individuals with buggies, or any pedestrian, out on the road which increases the risk of accident or injury or collision with cars and other vehicles. Footpaths have to be provided.

I appreciate that some of our towns are over 1,000 years old and the streetscapes can be challenging in that regard. However, if we want to make Ireland as inclusive as possible, we need to bear in mind the needs of different members of the community and to be cognisant of the challenges that getting out and about poses to them.