Clear Pathways is a university-wide initiative to make our shared spaces safer, more accessible, and dignified for everyone.

Why Clear Pathways matters

  • Stylised graphic of a tiny person in a wheelchair whose path is blocked by a massive electric scooter.

    Blocked or cluttered routes may seem minor, but for many people they create big barriers. Obstructions can:

    • Interrupt independence
    • Increase pain, fatigue or sensory overload
    • Force long or unsafe diversions
    • Create fall or collision risks
    • Reduce dignity, confidence and belonging
    • Prevent access altogether.
  • Stylised graphic of a tiny person with a buggy whose path is blocked by a massive pile of tangled wires.

    Some of the most common barriers identified across campus:

    • E-bikes and scooters blocking pavements
    • Boxes, shredding bags or deliveries left in corridors
    • Bags and chairs narrowing walkways in teaching spaces
    • Items left in front of lifts, ramps or accessible toilets
    • Wires, cables or temporary furniture without safe routing.

What you can do

Everyone can play a part in keeping our shared spaces accessible:

  • Routes featuring two arrows in opposite directions

    Keep walkways, corridors, stairs and doorways free from belongings

  • Location marker

    Park e-bikes and scooters only in designated areas

  • Books

    Ensure deliveries and equipment are not left in circulation routes

  • People

    Be mindful during event set ups, room changes and office moves

  • Heart in hands

    Offer support within your capacity if someone is struggling — without putting yourself at risk

  • Speech bubble

    Report obstructions so they can be cleared

Most disability is hidden, so we cannot assume who may be impacted. Creating clear spaces benefits everyone, including people with temporary mobility challenges, parents and carers with prams, and visitors who are unfamiliar with our campuses.

How to report an obstruction

  • Stylised graphic of a tiny person whose path is blocked by a massive e-bike.

    If you come across an obstruction that creates a safety risk or blocks access, please report it to Estates, Environments and Facilities at eef-servicedesk@city.ac.uk so they can address it promptly.

    Reporting helps us keep our environments safe, inclusive and functional for all.

About the Clear Pathways campaign

Clear Pathways is a university wide initiative to make our shared spaces safer, more accessible and more dignified for everyone.

The campaign was co-created with disabled staff and students, including members of the Inclusive Environments Committee and the Students’ Union, who shared lived experiences of recurring access barriers across our buildings and surrounding streets.

Across higher education and in wider public environments, it’s well recognised that small, everyday obstructions like bins, bags, temporary equipment, e-bikes, parked vehicles or narrow walkways, can significantly impact disabled people’s safety, independence and ease of movement.

Disability organisations and lived experience groups consistently highlight how these barriers particularly affect blind and partially sighted people, wheelchair users, and people with sensory, pain related or cognitive disabilities, including those with hidden or fluctuating conditions.

Access audits and inclusive design reviews across the UK also show that factors such as pavement clutter, poor footway design and blocked pedestrian routes can increase the risk of accidents, reduce independence and make daily journeys more difficult or isolating. Good practice in inclusive planning reinforces that clear, accessible pedestrian environments are essential for equity, safety and everyday dignity.

This makes maintaining clear, unobstructed pathways a core part of creating inclusive and barrier free campuses.

What the campaign aims to do

  • Stylised graphic of a tiny person whose path is blocked by a massive delivery scooter.

    To align with the University’s approach to ensuring an inclusive and accessible environment, Clear Pathways aims to:

    • Raise awareness of how small obstructions create large access barriers
    • Promote shared responsibility among staff, students and visitors
    • Support clear, safe, dignity focused routes across indoor and outdoor environments
    • Reduce safety incidents and near misses
    • Highlight the University’s commitment as a Disability Confident Leader
    • Model sector best practice for other institutions.

The Office for Institutional Equity and Inclusion (OIEI) lead the Clear Pathways campaign in partnership with Estates, Environments and Facilities, the Students’ Union and the Inclusive Environments Committee.

If you would like to learn more or get involved in our wider inclusion work, please contact the Office for Institutional Equity and Inclusion at edi@citystgeorges.ac.uk.”

Together we can make our campuses places where everyone moves through their day with dignity, ease and safety.