e-bikes

For many disabled people in Britain, the simple act of getting from A to B is a daily battle against an inaccessible, unreliable, and often indifferent transport system. A new report from the Transport Committee lays bare the shocking reality: people left stranded at airports for hours, taxi drivers refusing to take passengers with assistance dogs, and a fragmented complaints system that leads nowhere.

‍

Imagine walking down the street and spotting a driver scrolling through their phone, barely paying attention to the road. It’s a scene so common in Britain that it barely raises an eyebrow. Despite harsher penalties, using a mobile while driving remains endemic, putting cyclists and pedestrians at daily risk.

‍

For many cyclists, finding a safe place to park is a minor inconvenience. But for users of non-standard cycles - such as tricycles, handcycles, and cargo bikes - poorly designed parking can make everyday journeys frustrating or even impossible. Wheels for Wellbeing, a leading disability cycling charity, has updated its guidance on how to make cycle parking work for as many people as possible.

‍

It is a scandal that 2,500 beauty spots across England are supposedly designated for public enjoyment, yet the only legal way to reach them is if you happen to own a helicopter. For walkers, wheelchair users, and bikepackers alike, Britain’s countryside is not as open as it should be, despite overwhelming public support for greater access to nature.

‍

There is, in our contemporary existence, a distinct horror in finding oneself stranded. It is the horror of the cancelled taxi, the buffering screen, the bank account inaccessible due to a forgotten password. We are no longer permitted to be self-sufficient; every minor inconvenience has been seamlessly rebranded as a service. The puncture, then, is a test. A kind of devotional practice. A small act of resistance against the prevailing notion that a human being should be unable to function without an app and a direct debit.

‍