Safe travel for all

08 June 2011

“Everyone should be able to feel safe whilst travelling on London’s transport system."

• improve travel confidence for passengers with disabilities so that they feel safer whilst travelling on public transport.
• provide safety and security advice.
• understand and act upon concerns.
• tackle the perception that the transport network is unsafe by providing reassurance and acting on feedback.
• promote reporting channels for passengers to raise safety concerns;
• raise awareness of the measures all users can take to support and respect fellow passengers on public transport.

To support this initiative members of the Enfield Borough’s Safer Transport Team accompanied the locally based charity ‘One-to-one’ for a walk in Enfield Town Park. ‘One-to-one’ are a group who offer their services to local residents on the borough who suffer with learning difficulties and look to ways of giving them that ‘helping hand’.

Marion Bailey who is a worker for the group said “This event was designed to give people with learning difficulties an insight to some of the lovely local parks that the Borough has to offer. In doing so they can learn where the parks are located and how to get around them safely”.

Sergeant Angela Knight from the Enfield Safer Transport Team said “We were approached by the charity to see if we would be interested in joining their members on a walk around the Town Park. Although this is an area of work that is not entirely within our remit we saw an opportunity to show our support bearing in mind that most of the people joining the walk arrived by bus or train.The sun certainly shone down on the morning’s event and there was great interest from local people out enjoying this splendid facility.”

These engagement activities gave those taking part the chance to talk about any safety concerns they have about their local transport network and meet their local transport policing teams. They also highlighted the vital role that transport staff play in supporting all passengers across the Capital.

The safe travel for all initiative will progress throughout the year with a series of engagement activities designed to improve the travelling confidence for other groups that sometimes feel vulnerable when travelling.

Chief Superintendent Sultan Taylor STC said “Everyone should be able to feel safe whilst travelling on London’s transport system. Travelling independently is something that most of us take for granted, however for those who feel more vulnerable it can be a daunting experience and our Safe travel for all initiative plays a vital role in improving travelling confidence across the capital.”

Steve Burton, Director of Community Safety, Enforcement and Policing at Transport for London, said: “London’s transport network should be used by all Londoners, and by working closely with policing partners, we will continue to ensure that the transport system remains a safe environment for all users.”

Inspector Ian Clark, Safer Transport Enfield Borough: “I’m delighted that my officers were able to play their part. It’s of vital importance to the daily lives of all that we’re able to get around as independently as possible with the confidence that our chosen method of travel is safe and secure. Our responsibility is to keep the parts of the transport network within Enfield as safe as possible and this initiative allowed us to reassure and assist those who may be concerned about using the system.”