The Access Chain
Journey and arrival
How easy it is for people to get to a site is a major factor in determining
whether they will visit or not. This sounds obvious, but this factor is
often neglected in access planning. It is easy to dismiss many of these
issues as outside the scope of access improvements to a site. However,
the visitor experience relies on this link of the access chain being as
strong as the rest.
The more choices people have in ways to reach your site, the more accessible
it will be. Talk to your local public transport providers to look at ways
of improving their services that connect to your site. Involve disability
and access groups in these discussions. Things that may be improved include:
- Making vehicles more accessible
- Changing routes or timetables to make access more convenient, for
instance running busses when most people want to visit the park, and
ensuring there are busses when most people want to return home
- Making timetables and route information available to potential visitors
in accessible formats
- Creating new bus stops at site entrances
Many disabled people rely on their cars to get about. Improvements in
provision for disabled car users include:
- Accessible car parking close to entrance
- Drop off and pick up points close to the entrance
- On large sites, consider allowing car access to parts of the site
There are other things that can be done to improve the arrival experience
for visitors, such as:
- Staff and volunteers on hand at entrances
- Staff and volunteers trained in disability awareness
- Staff and volunteers with extra skills such as Sign Language
- Free entry for essential support workers, carers and companions
- Wheelchairs available for loan
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