Disability access audits are an important part of our work at Visits Unlimited. They help us identify barriers, listen to the experiences of disabled people and make practical recommendations to improve accessibility.

Exploring Calderdale through disability access audits

We really do enjoy getting out and about, and the variety of places we get to explore whilst completing our access audits. Our close working relationship with our local Council has taken us across Calderdale to a wide range of places, from:

• Playgrounds
• Local small greenspaces
• Car parks
• Heritage sites
• Cultural venues
• Cafes
• Museums and art galleries
• Streets
• Leisure Centres
• Train and bus stations
• Bus stops
• Roadworks and regeneration projects
• Nature reserves and more recently the canals

Our audits are done alongside hearing the views of local disabled people who are often the experts in the area with deep insight and knowledge of the physical and environmental barriers.

Why accessible canal towpaths matter

A lot of our canal towpaths are inaccessible for people with mobility impairments, elderly people and families with buggies. This means that local disabled people miss out on the many positive attributes of what local canals can offer.

They give people a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature, to see local wildlife, boat life, and offer a peaceful place to unwind, stay calm whilst keeping active and fit.

Our access audit from Todmorden to Walsden

We have been involved in several canal audits over recent years and more recently were asked to visit the canal between Todmorden and Walsden, which is why I found myself on the train travelling to Todmorden to meet our new auditor Sam.

Our walk to Walsden alongside the canal was interesting from a historical sense as well as taking in the surrounding hills, life along the canal, dodging the rain showers, and sharing our thoughts on cobbles, narrow bridge paths, and access from roads down to the canal.

Sam wrote up the final audit over the following few days, compiled feedback from the helpful Accessible Todmorden Forum (ATF), and used his skills and previous experience to put together a report and recommendations that we shared with Calderdale Council.

We look forward to this making a difference to the accessibility in the future.

Calderdale Council’s response to the access audit

Ella King, Project Manager, Strategic Infrastructure at Calderdale Council, had this to say:

The canal network is one of Calderdale’s greatest assets, and we want as many people as possible to be able to access and enjoy it. The accessibility audit has provided valuable insight from disabled residents and access professionals, and we are working through the recommendations to see how they can be incorporated into the proposed towpath improvements.

Accessibility and shared spaces: Views from Accessible Todmorden Forum (ATF)

The following perspectives have been shared by members of Accessible Todmorden Forum:

We are a small group of people with different needs and abilities, alongside carers of people with various physical or sensory needs. Each of us deeply appreciates the heritage of our local canal towpath. We want it to be a relaxing, safe place to exercise and appreciate nature.

However, the reality of “shared space” looks very different depending on your needs:

The barrier of geography

One of our members lives close to the canal yet can no longer walk along the towpath right outside her door because the gradient is simply too steep.

The loss of tranquillity

Another member can no longer relax when she walks on the narrow towpath, filled with anxiety because she cannot physically move out of the way of a cyclist approaching at speed.

Differing perspectives

Yet another member finds that the cyclists are polite and friendly. For her, it is the dogs running loose that cause fear.

The challenges of the physical terrain

The physical terrain presents its own challenges. Cobbled, narrow paths under bridges or slippery mud and puddles on wider paths are equally difficult to walk or wheel on.

Even the areas where the geese roost become slippery with their droppings. Yet, this is their home. Walking along the canal is equally about appreciating the wild fowl and wild animals we might glimpse as we go by.

During the summer, goslings on the towpath, unseen by cyclists, were run over, injured, and killed. This was incredibly distressing for those who came upon them later.

The thought of a highly accessible, “superfast” towpath doesn’t really bear thinking about with regard to this kind of wild fowl carnage.

Balancing accessibility, safety and wildlife

In theory, we appreciate surfaces being improved and the towpath being widened as much as possible to allow cyclists and walkers to coexist side by side.

Some of our members want to be accommodating to cyclists. After all, we too could be those people now and in the future.

But we have to ask: How will this truly be accommodated? And how will the birds co-exist in this shared space?

The cost of maintenance must be factored in. Preference needs to be given in some areas to pedestrians over cyclists; in others, we need to be realistic and advise that it is simply not safe for both.

Sam’s perspective: Practical recommendations for better canal accessibility

This towpath audit was also my first opportunity to meet Katie and learn more about the work she and Visits Unlimited are doing to improve access to places and spaces across Calderdale.

Walking the route highlighted how uneven surfaces, steep gradients, crossfalls, low bridges and pinch points present significant potential barriers along the Todmorden–Walsden stretch.

Yet even where physical, heritage and ecological constraints limit what can be achieved, there are always opportunities for improvements.

This project allowed us to gather and advocate for concerns raised by disabled residents, particularly around the safe use of shared spaces and the importance of clear, accurate pre-visit information so people can make informed decisions about trips and visits that might include sections of the canal towpath.

Practical enhancements such as better benches, clearer pedestrian-priority signage and targeted step-free access have the potential to offer some immediate benefits.

Hopefully, some of these (and other practical recommendations for improved accessibility and inclusion) can be integrated into the works that are being considered.

Watch this space!

Find out more about Sam Yates, our new access auditor and Inclusive Design and Access Consultant at Visits Unlimited.

Find out more about disability access audits

Visits Unlimited works with organisations to identify accessibility barriers and recommend practical improvements. Find out more about our disability access audit services.

You can also contact Visits Unlimited to discuss accessibility audits for your organisation, venue or outdoor space.

For further information about the UK’s canals and waterways, visit the Canal & River Trust website.