Voi and Merseyside Sight Loss Council join forces to encourage responsible e-scooter and e-bike parking in Liverpool
Pictures produced by Liverpool’s e-scooter and e-bike operator, Voi, and Merseyside Sight Loss Council show the impact of bad parking on blind and sight-impaired people.
Voi is committed to ensuring that its e-scooter and e-bikes do not inconvenience other street users, including disabled people, and has teamed up with Merseyside Sight Loss Council to encourage e-scooter and e-bike riders to think about others when they park.
Sight Loss Councils, funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust, are regional groups led by blind and partially sighted volunteers. Together, they work with organisations to ensure what they do is accessible and inclusive.
Voi and Merseyside Sight Loss Council visited popular parking bays across Liverpool and took photos of different parking scenarios. They ran them through the special software to show in picture form what people with different sight loss conditions see when walking past e-scooter parking.
In one scenario, e-scooters are photographed toppled over and blocking the pavement at the University of Liverpool. [See photo below.]
This is then shown through the eyes of someone with central vision loss, which can be caused by age-related macular degeneration. The toppled scooters are mainly not visible. [See photo below.]
A further photo shows the toppled scooters neatly parked leaving the path clear of any hazard for someone with sight loss. [See photo below.]
In another scenario, a row of scooters are photographed parked at the Royal Albert Docks, with two toppled scooters and another upright but blocking the path. [See photo below.]
This is then shown as it would appear to someone with peripheral sight loss, with the toppled scooters barely visible. [See photo below.]
Once again it is photographed when the scooters are parked correctly the hazards are removed. [See photo below.]
Jim Hubbard, senior public policy manager at Voi UK, said: “The majority of Voi riders in Liverpool park responsibly - and in fact good parking is well over 90%.
“However, there is always more to do to promote safer, more courteous riding behaviour that does not unfairly burden other road users - including disabled pedestrians.
“We are grateful to Merseyside Sight Loss Council for working with us on this project, which we hope will lead to even better parking in the city.”
Kelly Barton, engagement manager for Thomas Pocklington Trust’s Sight Loss Council, said: “E-scooters in Liverpool can, and often do, pose a real problem for blind and partially sighted people.
"The main issue seems to be the way that they are just left on pavements and become trip hazards for cane and guide dog users.
“Merseyside Sight Loss Council is really keen to work with Voi to bring about change. We are really keen to share our lived experience and personal stories of how these e-scooters have impacted our daily lives and want to get behind the campaign to encourage riders to park more responsibly.
“We are very keen for Voi to get this message out and we hope that riders will start to think about how dumping an e-scooter on a walkway will affect someone who can’t see.”
Voi has been operating in Liverpool since October 2020. In the last four years, Voi’s rental e-scooters and e-bikes have been used over six million times by almost 300,000 people - with 35% of regular riders relying on Voi for commuting to work or university.
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Notes to editors
Sight Loss Councils (SLC), led by blind and partially sighted volunteers, advocate the needs of blind and partially sighted people, and influence positive change.
There are currently around 25 SLCs across the country. Each SLC is made up of blind and partially sighted members who meet monthly to discuss accessibility issues and plan projects in their regions under priority themes. National themes addressed by all SLCs are accessible public transport and street safety so everyone can travel independently and safely. We also work to increase the accessibility of healthcare, shopping, museums and galleries, and sports and leisure facilities, depending on local area needs.
We are funded by national sight loss charity Thomas Pocklington Trust. Over the next year Thomas Pocklington Trust will extend our groups of SLCs further across the country.
To find out more visit: www.sightlosscouncils.org.uk/become-a-member
For further information, please contact:
Juliette Maxam, Senior PR manager, Voi UK, Ireland and Belgium
juliette.maxam@voiapp.io
About Voi
Founded in 2018, Voi is a Swedish micromobility company offering e-scooter and e-bike sharing in partnership with towns, cities and local communities. We believe e-scooters can play a central role in changing how people move in our towns and cities in the future. We want to ensure that the micromobility transformation happens the right way - through real innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with towns, cities and governments and by adapting our products to local needs. Voi’s holistic Environmental Action Plan tackles emissions and promotes renewable energy use and circularity along its supply chain.
Voi operates in over 100 towns and cities across 12 countries. It is headquartered in Stockholm and employs 1,000 people. To date, Voi boasts more than seven million riders and has served more than 150+ million rides.
