Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 8 and Version 7 of Category Step-Free Access

Places which can be accessed and used without having to negotiate steps.

It should be possible to enter the establishment, and use it for its intended purpose, without encountering any steps. The only exception is a single shallow step, no higher than about an inch and a half (4cm); wheelchair users can generally negotiate one such step, so this would count as step-free. Ramps are fine (though do note in the review if they seem to be particularly steep), as are lifts (as long as they're not tiny - a rough gauge is whether you could get a mobility scooter in one).

If any doors or passageways are unusually narrow, or if, for example, the whole place is step-free apart from the beer garden, the place can still go in this category, but these caveats should be noted in the review.

Being able to use the establishment is just as important as being able to enter it. For a pub or restaurant, this means that there should be step-free access to:

• the place where you order your drinks (i.e. the bar, in a pub)
• the place where you order your food (if separate)
• the accessible toilet, if present, or the regular toilets otherwise
• a reasonable proportion of the seating area

For a Tube, rail, or DLR station, there should be step-free access to:

• the ticket hall and/or ticket machines (via at least one street entrance - not necessarily all of them, but at least one which is usually open throughout the hours that the station is open, and it must be possible to both enter and exit the station)
• the platforms and trains of at least one service that stops at the station; and the writeup must specify which services are accessible

See TfL's Step Free Access tube map and guide.

For places that aren't pubs, restaurants, or stations, use your best judgement - for example, a shop need not provide toilet facilities, but there should be step-free access to the stock (even if you need someone to lift something down to you, you should be able to access the aisles to browse). It's also important to note whether there are any obstructions, such as extra stock being stored on the floor, and whether the aisles are particularly narrow. There should also be step-free and obstruction-free access to the till area.

Auto-generated list of things with step-free access (view them on a map):

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