Portsmouth City Council News

19 Jun 2019

Free app will give people greater flexibility with their travel options

A free app designed to help people with reduced mobility will help to identify potential obstacles and allow better route planning.

A new app is being launched in Portsmouth to help people with reduced mobility plan their travel routes with ease.

The free Route4U app is a handy pavement navigation app and information system which will benefit wheelchair and pram users, allowing them to identify safer and more accessible routes across the city.

Portsmouth is the first city in the UK to introduce the new technology, which is being launched today following a successful pilot scheme. Route4U, which is available on Apple and Android, was commissioned by Portsmouth City Council. The developers have worked closely with the council to map out the city's pathways.

Users can easily plan their journey using a route map and navigation system. The app also indicates pavement obstacles, surface quality, kerb heights, widths, inclines, and travel distances. It provides route planning and turn-by-turn navigation for wheelchair users, and can be customised to each person's own abilities.

Pam Turton, assistant director of transport at Portsmouth City Council, said: "I'm delighted that we can support people with reduced mobility by introducing Route4U to the city. This new technology will have many benefits for people who visit, work and live here. The app is aimed to give people more confidence to undertake journeys by providing detailed information about the environments that they will encounter."

"I hope that this free app will give people the confidence to travel more independently and enjoy saving money by being less reliant on their cars for short distances."

Volunteers, including members of Portsmouth Disability Forum, have been travelling the city to inform the developers about pavement conditions and potential obstacles. Obstacles can be reported via the app, which includes a handy auto-survey function.

Sharon Smithson, chairperson of Portsmouth Disability Forum, said: "I'm extremely excited about the launch of the new Route4U app. As a wheelchair user, I and other forum members have experienced frustrating barriers, particularly with pavement obstacles and widths. Backtracking and finding alternative routes can take double the time of a normal journey.

"The app should establish a positive way for individuals with disabilities to travel around more accessibly, making the whole journey a better experience."

Tamas Szekely, chief marketing officer of Route4U, said: "The infrastructure in Portsmouth is surprisingly well built compared with other European cities, but temporary obstacles and pavement defects which develop over time are simply unavoidable.

"The app provides a really quick and convenient way to identify potential hazards on the footpath with users being able to upload a report in less than 30 seconds."

The system can also help the council's transport planners to better design, maintain and improve pavement accessibility. Using the analysis and decision support tool, council officers can access information about the most problematic bottlenecks, enabling them to prioritise pavement maintenance work.

Portsmouth City Council also launched a six-month trial in April 2019, to enable people to use their disabled concessionary bus passes at any time of day, removing a restriction on pre 9.30am travel. It is hoped that the extended hours will promote peoples' independence, improve access to work and education, and develop further prospects of finding employment later in life.

 

Contact Information

Kathy Smith
Portsmouth City Council
kathy.smith@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Notes to editors

The Route4U app will be launched on Thursday 20 June