The case of the Leeds Transport Strategy

While the transport problems of disabled people figure prominently in some transport strategies, the reality of what disabled people experience can be far removed from what most strategies aim to achieve. The main reason for this mismatch is an inappropriate, even erroneous, conceptualisation of disability. This is compounded by an inadequate articulation of the needs of disabled people and their lack of meaningful involvement in the development of transport strategy. These issues arise in many strategies and this paper will look at their occurrence in one of the more well-known strategies, the Leeds Transport Strategy (as currently expressed within the West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan). The paper analyses the treatment of disabled access issues in the strategy and relates these issues to the results of empirical research. The experiences of a wide range of disabled respondents are considered in parallel with the attitudes and actions of transport providers and policy makers. The paper concludes that the gap between intentions of policy makers and the real needs of disabled transport users, can be reduced by the involvement of disabled people in the decision-making process.