News Release issued by
the COI News Distribution Service on 22 September 2009
Directgov, the
nation’s official website, today announces major improvements to
their Blue Badge map to help disabled people travel across the UK
more easily. Disabled football fans can now use the map to find
out about a stadium’s accessibility before going to games by
visiting www.direct.gov.uk/bluebadgemap
And it’s good news for train travellers too, as the new rail map
gives information about more than 2,000 train stations. This means
disabled people can find out about station facilities and can book
direct assistance in advance.
The map already contained a wide range of helpful
information, from the location of disabled parking bays to
accessible beaches. The new additions are:
a rail map containing information on accessibility and disabled
facilities for more than 2,000 train stations in the UKassessments
for more than 500 of these train stations accessibility
information for more than 160 major football stadiumsenhanced
information on London underground stationsenhanced information on
car parking across the UK
The new additions have been created by the Directgov Disabled
People and Carers section, which is based in the Office for
Disability Issues.
Jayne Nickalls, Chief Executive of Directgov, said:
“We’re delighted that this valuable information is now available
on Directgov. We hope that the improved Blue Badge map will help
disabled people and their drivers get out and about across the UK
to enjoy their passions.”
Tim Cooper, Director of the Office for Disability Issues, said:
“We want disabled people to have greater control and independence
in their lives, including how they spend their leisure time. We
hope Blue Badge holders and their drivers will use the map to plan
their travel by road and rail.”
Danny Wallace is an ex-footballer who played for Southampton,
Manchester United and England. He has multiple sclerosis and – as
well as being a Blue Badge holder – he is also an ambassador for
the National Association for Disabled Supporters (NADS). Danny said:
“I know first-hand how important Blue Badge parking is for
disabled people and the knack is to know where to find spaces
especially on match day. I was pleased to hear that NADS and
Directgov have been working together and sharing their information
in this way. The Blue Badge map is an important service and one
that should help disabled fans across the UK.”
Notes to Editors
The Blue Badge scheme provides a national range of parking
concessions for disabled people with severe mobility problems who
have difficulty using public transport. Find more at:
www.direct.gov.uk/bluebadgemapDirectgov, provides user-friendly,
24/7 information on all government services – including education,
transport, tax, crime, the environment, employment – all in one
place and in plain English.As well as being available on the
website www.direct.gov.uk, which now attracts more than 20 million
visits a month it can also be accessed on any internet-enabled
mobile phone, and on TV. www.direct.gov.uk is a Hitwise Top 10
Award winner for the quarter ending October - December 2008.
During this period, www.direct.gov.uk ranked No. 2 based on market
share of visits among all United Kingdom websites in the Hitwise
Government - Central industry category. For more information,
please visit www.hitwise.co.uk/Please note: Directgov is spelt as
one word and with a lower case ‘g’.
For any queries about the Blue Badge map please contact:
Natalie Hobbs - 020 7449 5068
natalie.hobbs@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Contacts:
Helen Beckett.
Phone: 020 7829 3817
helen.beckett2@directgov.gsi.gov.uk