Councillors have been shown the “obstacle course” that people with sight loss need to navigate in the city centre.

RNIB Scotland took a group of councillors on a short walk from the City Chambers to Buchanan Street to highlight the ‘street clutter’ and dangers that are put in their way.

On the way, councillors wore sim specs that replicate the loss of vision that people with various degrees of visual impairment encounter.

RNIB Scotland said wide-ranging concerns have been expressed by disability groups as Glasgow, along with towns and cities across the country, moves to redesign urban streetscapes, part of a post-lockdown bid to encourage more active travel like cycling.

But, the changes have led to potentially dangerous routes for people who are blind or with sight loss.

Glasgow Times:

RNIB said they want more consideration given to people with sight loss when streets are being redesigned.

Ian Brown, of RNIB, said: “We want councillors to experience for themselves navigating streets with all the clutter. We support the active travel agenda but it has to consider other people.

“There are 180,000 people in Scotland with sight loss.

“Obstacles like bollards, advertising boards, street parking on kerbs, cafe tables, even plant pots, are things people bump into.

“People with sight loss need to be considered.”

As well as street clutter, cyclists riding on the pavements are a big problem for people with sight loss.

Alan Stewart, a Glasgow man who is registered blind, walks in the city centre regularly.

Glasgow Times:

He said: “Every day is an obstacle course, and when it changes it is worse.

“Cafe culture is great but when the tables take up most of the pavement it is a problem.

“If I walk from Central Station to Merchant City I can have as many as five encounters with cyclists, and I will hit bollards and advertising boards every day.”

Bus stops on the new cycle lanes referred to as ‘floating bus stops’ are also considered a danger as they have to navigate the cycle lane to get to and from the bus stop.

Councillors Robert Mooney, Labour, who is registered blind, Ruairi Kelly, SNP, Jon Molyneux and Martha Wardrop, Greens, and Thomas Kerr and John Daly, Conservatives, joined the group on the walk.

The special spectacles they wore simulated blotchy (retinopathy), cloudy (cataract) and tunnel (glaucoma) vision.

Kelly, the council’s convenor for neighbourhood services, said after trying the sim specs, it shows the level of impediment people with sight loss experience.

He said: “We need to consider the competing priorities of road and path users.”