Posted 1 month ago
Sat 30 Nov, 2024 12:11 AM
I am an MSc Criminal Justice Policy student living in Lilian Knowles House and I have a chronic illness and neurological visual impairment. Here are some of my tips for navigating public transit in London with a disability:
Getting around the city
To bus or to tube? That is the question.
Where you are trying to get, how much time you have to get there, and your specific needs may change the answer to that question. But these are my general rules of thumb for getting around the city.
I try to minimize the amount of walking that I do each day, to manage my energy expenditure (or spending my “spoons”). This means taking the bus, or multiple buses. For me, it’s worth getting up a little earlier if it means taking the bus and walking less. The view of the city or time to catch up on readings on my way to campus are added bonuses. But if I am running late and need to get somewhere faster, I take tube.
Not all tube stations are wheelchair accessible. And even if they are, that doesn’t mean that they are easy to navigate. It took me four separate lifts (and a complicated lift map that doesn’t even label the floor levels) to get from the platform to the street in Victoria station when I first arrived in London. If you are looking to avoid stairs entirely, I would recommend taking the bus. If you need to avoid steps but want to take the tube, search the tube map in advance to see which tube stationed are labeled with an accessibility symbol. Once you’ve mapped out your journey, take a minute to search the lift map for those stations if you have the time. It could save you some trouble.
Going somewhere on a regular basis? Explore different routes! When I first started traveling from Lilian Knowles House to campus, I had to try all of the available routes before I figured out which ones worked best for me. For example, I can take the 26 or the 8 bus to campus. Most of my classes this term are in the central building, so taking the 26 means a shorter walk from the Aldwich bus stop to the classroom. But when I am on my way to the CKK building, the 8 bus to the Holborn Station stop is a shorter walk away.
I also have some choice between tube lines from Lilian Knowles and LSE. The central line is much more crowded than the circle line, which means I’m less likely to get a seat. I get easily overwhelmed and overstimulated by the central line. It’s a slightly longer walk, and uphill, from the Temple station if I take the circle line, than from the Holborn station if I take the central line. But a slightly longer walk on an incline is easier for me to manage than not having the space to sit and take off my backpack on the tube. If I don’t have enough energy to walk up the hill on a certain day, I’ll pack light and take the central line. Or if I’m going late, like around 10:00 pm, I know the central line will be a short walk + no incline + not crowded + likely to get a seat = great ride home. But in general, I try to avoid all of these issues by taking the bus.
Long story short, if your journey to campus (or anywhere else you are routinely traveling) is giving you trouble, try all the alternatives. There may be other options that fit your needs better than the ones whatever app your are using is listing as the top search results. I had to kiss a lot of frogs to find my prince(s).
[Fun fact: you can tap onto the Uber Boat with your Oyster card just like when you get on a bus. Just make sure to wait for the boat to dock before you tap so the attendants see you pay for your ride.]
Navigating the apps
I plan my routes around the city on Citymapper. It has accurate estimations of when the next bus or train will arrive. It has bike, bus, train, walking, scooter, and taxi options, as well as options to filter by: step free, walk less, simple, turbo, and price. Once I’ve plotted by route, I continue to use Citymapper while I am on a bus or train to track how many stops I am away from my destination. It has a useful, easy to read list of stops and tracks your progress. It is a user friendly and not-so-busy user interface that works well for my needs with my visual impairment.
However, once I know where I am going and start a walking leg of my journey, I switch to Apple Maps for walking directions. I find other apps too busy and crowded with features, busy satellite imagery of the street, or constantly reorienting the view to an angle that isn’t the direction I’m walking in. With my visual impairment, simple is best.
Apple Maps also has an “Avoid” option that allows you to select avoid busy roads, hills, or stairs. (It is below the destination, but above the walking route.)
If you don’t have access to Apple Maps, I would suggest staying in Citymapper for walking directions. It has the second best simple display, and staying in one app will simplify your journey.
I have the same advice for apps that I do for routes: try out different options. You never know what might be out there that works for you. And based on your needs, you might need to mix and match like I did.
Wishing you easy travels!