Inclusive Mobility Challenge: Safe Urban Navigation for People with Access Needs
Working with Cadent and Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), this challenge call aims to develop digital technologies that help pedestrians with access needs, such as vision or mobility impairments, navigate safely around temporary obstacles and hazards caused by essential street works. Supporting pedestrian journeys by offering greater awareness and alternatives for potentially hazardous routes, the selected solution can significantly expand independence of choice, reduce isolation and loneliness, and improve equality and mobility for people across a range of disabilities. Selected solutions may receive up to £500,000 to develop and scale further. Solutions will be piloted in a chosen urban environment, with potential adoption by other utilities carrying out works that impact pedestrian routes.
Opportunity
Challenge opens
15/02/2026
Challenge closes
27/03/2026
Benefit
Cadent supported by RNIB are looking for innovative tools that give people with vision or mobility restrictions reliable, advance information about temporary obstacles, such as pavement diversions, street works, and other hazards that may impact their pedestrian journeys. The challenge seeks solutions that enable users to plan routes with confidence by receiving prior notifications of disruptions. Solutions will offer safe alternative paths to users before they begin and whilst on their journey. The goal is to improve independence, inclusion, and overall quality of life for those with access needs.
Background
Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network, responsible for maintaining 82,000 miles of underground pipes that safely deliver gas to 11 million homes and businesses.
While Cadent and other utility companies currently use channels such as letter drops, emails and social media to communicate planned works, there is no provision of joining up all disruption points which are happening across their journey especially for blind & partially sighted or those with restricted mobility.
As a result, these individuals are often unaware of temporary obstacles, such as roadworks, pavement diversions or other hazards, placing them at a significant disadvantage when navigating streets affected by essential works.
Information about temporary roadworks and their associated data sources typically sits with local authorities, in line with the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA).
Key elements of the Act include:
- Approval and Notification: If a footway (pavement) is to be closed or restricted, the council must be informed, and, in many cases, prior approval must be obtained. This often involves submitting detailed schedules, including how pedestrian access will be managed, at least 10 days to 3 months in advance depending on the duration and location of the works.
- Safety Requirements: Works promoters are required to maintain a safe, alternative route for pedestrians, particularly for vulnerable users (children, elderly, disabled).
- Barriers and Access: A continuous system of barriers must be used to separate pedestrians from the works. Pedestrian access to properties and businesses must be maintained at all times, and where necessary, temporary ramps or boards must be installed for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
- Emergency Works: For emergency repairs, the council must be informed as soon as possible, often within 24 hours of the work commencing.
NRSWA also sets out how information about temporary roadworks affecting pavements and footpaths must be stored and made publicly available.
(Reference: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/22/contents)
However, despite this framework, there are inconsistencies in how local authorities share this information publicly. Approaches vary from maintaining physical public registers to hosting online registers on council websites, through to contributions to the National Street Gazetteer (NSG) - the dataset of all streets in England and Wales. The NSG is compiled by GeoPlace using monthly updates from 175 local highway authorities and serves as a key platform for street and works-related data. Inconsistencies also exist in how utilities share forward planning information about upcoming works.
Applicants responding to this challenge will need to take these variations into account when designing their solutions.
Furthermore, the proposed solution must accommodate users with varying levels of digital literacy and differing access to technology. To remain inclusive, it should not require users to purchase or access additional hardware; instead, it should operate using devices they would reasonably already have. Solutions that rely solely on detecting hazards in real time fall outside the core scope of this challenge, which is focused on advance notification and route planning.
This challenge is brought to you by:
