Highways Agency asks disabled road users: how can we improve your journey?

With more and more services available to help people before and during their journeys along motorways and major A roads in England, the Highways Agency wants to make sure that it is improving the advice and experience for all road users on its network.

That is why the Agency will be at the national Mobility Show at Stoneleigh Park, near Coventry from 12-14 June; attended by 20,000 visitors, many of whom have a disability, or are carers or from an organisation that supports people with disabilities.

Nicky Ensert, Highways Agency Diversity Manager, said: "It's important that we engage with our customers and understand the different needs of different groups.

"We are already taking forward actions from our disability equality action plan. For example, in 2007 we ran an event in partnership with the Disabled People's Network - Solihull. This helped us better understand the issues disabled customers face when they break down on the motorways. The feedback from the event went towards reshaping the guidance for the 1,500 Traffic Officers who monitor and patrol our network."

Martin Wright, Chief Officer of Disabled People's Network - Solihull, said: "The event held last year enabled disabled road users to talk about the issues that are important to them and their safety. We welcomed this serious action by the Highways Agency to Ask, Listen and Involve disabled people in finding solutions to their needs."

Nicky Ensert added: "Our next step is to build on the diversity training our traffic officers have already received to ensure they better understand the needs of our disabled customers and provide a service that takes account of those needs.

"Feedback from the 2007 event also made it clear that the Agency's disabled customers would really like guidance on how they can best assure their own safety on the roads. In response to this request, the Highways Agency is now looking to develop road safety driver information targeted at disabled drivers.

"At the Mobility Show we hope to ask those attending for their thoughts on what should go into this, as well as promoting the array of journey planning tools and information that we make available to road users, such as the real-time traffic information on our DAB digital radio station "Traffic Radio", and Traffic England which is online at highways.gov.uk/trafficinfo."

Anyone who would like to help the Agency tailor the information it provides to assist disabled people on its network of motorways and major A roads in England can visit the stand at the Mobility Show between 12-14 June, or email: education@highways.gsi.gov.uk

People can get up-to-date information on traffic conditions, roadworks and details about the Highways Agency by visiting highways.gov.uk, calling the Highways Agency Information Line on 08457 50 40 30 or tuning into the Highways Agency's Traffic Radio, available on DAB digital radio and at trafficradio.org.uk.

Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, deafblind and speech-impaired people can contact the Highways Agency Information Line by using RNID Typetalk by using a textphone and dialing 18001 followed by 08457 50 40 30 (calls are charged at standard telephone rates - depending on the service provider). The call will be diverted to another textphone or if the call is answered by a hearing person a Typetalk Relay Assistant will join the line.