James IDAG member – Q&A

Tell us about yourself

I was born and raised in London, specifically Walthamstow, which is my favourite place in the entire world. Walthamstow Market is a bit like having the whole world on your doorstep. It’s a great example of London’s wonderful diversity that you can see, touch and taste.

I use a wheelchair for my everyday mobility. I work for something called City Bridge Trust, which is an organisation that gives grants to good work happening across London.

What’s your favourite public transport journey and why?

It doesn’t run anymore but back in the day, the 48 bus that ran all the way from Walthamstow Central to London Bridge was my favourite journey. It’s fascinating to see how the city changes as you go from the suburbs towards the centre. Plus, it’s gotten me out of trouble many a time when other accessible options have let me down!

What’s IDAG, how long have you been involved and what do you enjoy about it?

IDAG stands for Independent Disability Advisory Group. All the members of IDAG bring both lived experience of disability, and professional expertise that relates to public transport. I’ve been a member of IDAG for around three years now and have enjoyed every minute of it.

I get great satisfaction from knowing that we are helping to make a difference. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing colleagues at TfL champion access and inclusion in their work without any involvement from IDAG.

What’s your favourite IDAG project that you’ve been involved in?

I’ll say the same thing I say to my children, which is that I don’t have any favourites! Every project, no matter how big or small, will have an impact on the lives of people using TfL’s services and so every project is important to me. That said, I like a project that challenges us; a project that has no easy answers to the problems being posed. Those are the projects where I realise just how many brilliant, creative, innovative people work at TfL.

During the pandemic, like many other people, I didn’t use public transport at all. I have the privilege of working in a role that I can do from home – and so a five-minute walk to my local corner shop was probably the longest, most exciting journey I was making.

However, like many people, I’ve started going back to the office for a day here and there. This means getting back on buses and trains. I was nervous initially, not just for my own health but that of my family. However, the messages I’ve seen about the cleaning regimes and the persistent encouragement to observe social distancing has been reassuring. Most people are observing the guidance, which makes me less nervous about travelling. After not being on public transport and seeing some parts of London for so long, I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting – perhaps scenes from 28 Days Later film? – but in reality, it feels like very little has changed. It’s all been a bit anti-climactic, which is probably a good thing and proof of just how resilient we all are.

I think a lot of the messaging about the procedures that have been put in place, and the guidance for the general public about observing social distancing and mask-wearing have been reassuring not just for disabled people but for everyone who uses public transport. It was frustrating that the turn-up-and-go service of assistance was suspended for so long when other rail operators continued to provide assistance, especially given that the journeys being made that would have needed this service were likely to be important and essential journeys for disabled people.