• CAMDEN Council says it wants to give residents a real say in improving health and wellbeing.

Yet the council and Transport for London seem determined to drive blind and partially sighted people off the streets and back into their homes by implementing road designs and schemes which are inherently dangerous to them.

These include continuous footways at junctions with side roads, “boarder” bus stops, “island” or “floating” bus stops, contra-flow cycle lanes and the removal of controlled crossings and replacement by zebras. For visually impaired people the stress of navigating these schemes has a detrimental impact on confidence.

There is a clear association between visual impairment and increased prevalence of depression: the link is particularly connected with the extent to which someone with sight loss is able to carry out activities of daily living and reduced access to valued activities rather than visual impairment itself.

We need a sea change in the attitude if we are to take seriously Camden’s claim to be a borough where no one gets left behind. At the moment that claim is sounding very hollow indeed.

ROSEMARY NICHOLSON
Visually Impaired in Camden