Another Transport and Disabilty Project by Liz Halton; Project 2 |
As an energetic young person general mobility is very important! As an energetic young person without a car, I must rely on public transport! As an energetic young person who happens to use a wheelchair; in Ireland the equation becomes unnecessarily complex!! The choice of using any and all available public transport is a basic civil right, regardless of any countries constitution. In the following pa ges I will be describing every day life for a disabled Irish person in regards to using the Irish Transport system; the problems encountered by wheelchair users, it’ staff and the fundamental legality as voiced by the controlling government. I’ also highlight my own personal experience in trying to change the train and station in my own home town, and what the results were; how they were achieved, and the positive steps in the whole effort which could prove useful for similar protests. I will also be investigating the concept of wheelchair accessible bus transport, and new technology and automobiles. I hope the information within can be used in conjunction with other similar projects to help designers of international transport systems to accommodate wheelchair accessibility.
The common modes of Irish transport each have the usual complaints thrown against them by the public; like time delays, comfort while travelling etc. etc. but the disabled traveller has these problems as well as the looming shadow of inaccessibility to deal with. As I come from rural Mayo I have had no choice but to regularly use public transport to get to University etc., so I have a fairly complete opinion of it in regard to disability. Firstly, I think it's important to give credit to staff, be they CIE or Ianrod Eireann; they are for the most part quite helpful. OK you get the odd one who doesn't see helping a disabled person in difficulty, as part of their job, but it's actually not!, the job of that conductor, driver etc. is...
*1*To ensure efficiency of that transport system.
*2*To provide the customer with information pertaining to that system.
*3*To be an authority enforcing the States transport regulations..
For instance, if a staff member of a particular transport system throws their back out or if they injure themselves while trying to get a wheelchair on a train or bus, the individual has no claim against the company because it is not part of their job description.
This is where Irish law becomes confused; a 1994 declaration outlines that “all public areas and premises must provide access and facilities for the disabled”. But as with any State legislation this statement rings hollow and is full of loopholes unless surety is met with financial backing.
And who would govern and see the necessary changes are made?.
18 months back in my home town of Ballina in north west Mayo, the local connecting train to the main Western line met considerable opposition by the entire community. The whole town was upset by the trains regular substitution with a bus, business owners were agitated because it affected deliveries and tourism, and the disabled community had many complaints...
*1*For obvious reasons alighting the steps of a standard bus was unsuitable for wheelchair users.
*2*The train was small and old, too small for a wheelchair to enter past the door of the passenger carriage, so every person using a wheelchair had to go into the unheated and unlit freight carriage; were the trains noisy generator is operated.
*3*The platform at the station was so low it took several strong and willing men to bodily hoist a person with a wheelchair into the freight car. “I am "6.2 and over 12 stones!”.
*4*The age old problem of the disabled having no toilet facilities available, firstly on the Ballina train and then on the main western line; which {if going to Dublin} is a total travelling time of five hours (assuming there are no delays!) without access to a toilet.
The idea of having an accessible toilet on board is not one of pure
comfort, in some situations it is a medical necessity. Once while travelling on the main Westport train coming home from Dublin, the train broke down approx. twenty miles outside Athlone. After trying and failing to repair the engine it was decided to bring a replacement engine - carriage down from Dublin to allow us to complete the journey. All of this took over four hours during which irate passengers were pacified with free tea/coffee, I, on the other hand, was left trying to control my need for the bathroom. As we were so late we had missed the connecting train to Ballina so Ianrod Eireann had substituted the train with a bus! at the town of Claremorris. When I explained that I could not and would not use this bus, Ianrod Eireann had to pay for a taxi for the journey from Claremorris to Ballina, a distance of about forty miles.
Usually the journey from Dublin to Ballina takes exactly five hours when I arrived home the complete journey had taken over eleven hours, needless to say I was very glad to see my bathroom that night!.
I accept that a breakdown can be a complete accident and so is a blameless situation, but as anyone must realize, an event like that can and does happen, so it seems negligent to on one hand suggest finance as a limiting factor not to provide access and facilities and then to have to meet the expense of that failure .. hiring that taxi for two hours.
After several "Protest Letters" from towns folk and "Official council meetings" in town, it was decided that if any progress was to be achieved, people should become organized and direct action had to be taken, drawing as much attention from every quarter to the protest.
So one evening 29 of the towns business owners, heads of the community, ordinary citizens and myself staged a sit-in on the Westport train at the last stop where the remaining passengers were meant to disembark!. The sit-in was peaceful but draw enough attention for Ianrod Eireann's area manager Jerry Glynn to travel to Westport and meet the party. He pledged that if we ceased our action both he and Ianrod Eireann's chief director David Waters would go to Ballina and meet and listen to those who had a problem with the train service. So a week later the two Executives travelled to Ballina to spend the day discussing the situation.
Firstly the two men met the town council where problems and solutions were `Officially' thrown about the table,. Secondly and more constru////active was the subsequent meeting that evening with the dissatisfied users of Ianrod Eireann .. the community.
The meeting was extremely positive and perhaps due to the media attention which the protest had incurred the following `promises’ were made.
*1*The service would be restored to normal and barring genuinely unforeseen events a train would always leave and arrive at Ballina as scheduled.
*2*Ianrod Eireann were due to buy new rolling stock which would mean newer trains already in use could be dispersed around the country, and one of those newer trains would be ear-marked for the Ballina line (it was pointed out that as this was an ongoing situation it would take some time before a result was noticed).
*3*The Ballina station and platform would be totally revamped.
I asked about wheelchair accessibility on the main Intercity line .. bathroom. Mr. Waters agreed to get one of Ianrod Eireann's transport architects to make a report on the possibility of putting such a facility on the train, I did not however press him as to when this report would be done. I see this as my first mistake. However, to date the following has been done...
*1*The train service has been restored and excluding breakdowns and line repairs the train is never replaced with a bus.
*2*Ianrod Eireann have made arrangements to buy new Japanese rolling stock and the national media has reported that the Ballina line has been officially sanctioned for a newer train already in use. Although we are still waiting.
*3*The train station has been totally re designed and rebuilt, it is now completely accessible for anyone using a wheelchair, and the platform has been raised several feet to be nearer to the level of the existing train.
I have since written to Mr. Waters office asking for a copy of the architects report (as his other promises were fulfilled I have no reason to assume he did not honor his word on this matter), so far there has been no reply. And as the majority population of Ballina are satisfied with the results the impetus that was supported by a large protest group, is now lost.
I have learnt a great deal from my actions / mistakes and the methods which were used in this situation to achieve certain goals. I feel these points should be implemented to attain a positive result
in other similar projects.
Attract as many people with a similar passion, to the protesting group as possible, a larger group commands more validity.
In order for demands to be taken seriously as much attention as possible must be drawn on the project in question, getting media attention is the best way of doing this; newspapers and radio are often the medium most readily available, but if possible television; is a very powerful format.
Be realistic, when meeting with Mr. Waters some people were demanding unrealistic changes to the Ballina line to which he was totally unresponsive, but when it was suggested that those changes be made to the larger Westport line were more people could benefit, he become more constructive and attentive.
As I learnt with David Water's promise of an architect's report; when a promise has been made, enforce a deadline or press the importance of maintaining a communication.
As the town of Ballina is relatively small, there is no internal public transport .. public buses for the town, and so private taxis are the only available mode of transport, which as far as most wheelchair users are concerned is much the same as Dublin except for the limited and unreliable Vantastic.
Who are Vantastic
Vantastic is a very small private company set up by the Irish Center for Independent Living, to provide wheelchair users in Dublin with accessible and affordable transport. Vantastic is understandably unreliable because of...
Its size; there are only a small number of Vans for the entire population of wheelchair users in Dublin.
The staffs undeniable devotion and attention given to the well being of their passengers mean regular tardiness as far as collecting times, but, any efficiency drive (short of increasing the actual number of vans) within the Vantastic transport system would lead to a lower standard of care for customers.
Vantastic rates are £2.00 per call out and .20p per mile thereafter (although fares are far from stringent). Taxis in Ballina charge £3.00 for anywhere within town and £1 per mile thereafter. and every one knows taxi cabs in Dublin are much more expensive.
The mobility allowance for a disabled person in Ireland is £39 a month, while in Britain it is a similar amount but it is allocated per week!. The very existence of a mobility allowance is the Irish governments argument against definitive refurbishment of the transport system to accommodate the needs of the disabled.
Wheelchair accessible buses are being made and are widely used in other countries throughout Europe. The irony for Irish disabled people is that there are two companies here in Ireland which produce such buses solely for export; Wrights of Co. Antrim are the market leaders.
New low floor, wheelchair accessible buses appeared on the streets of North Tyneside on 22 October 1994, replacing conventional double-decked buses. This was the start of a demonstration project mounted jointly by the British Department of Transport , the Tyne and Weir Passenger Transport Authority and Executive, North Tyneside Council and Coastline.
Bus layout
These wheelchair accessible buses each has a single entrance and exit door located at the front.<> Two-thirds of the internal floor space Is flat, providing space for wheelchairs and push chairs.<> The floor height at the door is normally 320mm above the ground, when the bus kneels at designated stops, this height is reduced to 240mm, or only 140mm above a standard 100mm kerb.<> For wheelchairs and push chairs, this gap can be bridged by a ramp can be extended automatically by the driver.<> The drivers on the route have been specially trained to operate the new equipment and given additional training in disability awareness.<> Bus Stops <>Where necessary kerbs have been raised to 100mm.<> Shelters have been re-sited and access to them by wheelchair users has been improved.<> Parking<> New traffic orders; which had been well publicized, discourage motorists from parking at stops and preventing buses from parking too close to the kerb.<> Traffic wardens patrol the route (often riding on the buses) ticketing offenders.<> After a six month evaluation, the trial has attracted praise from all sections of the bus-using public, and the number of travellers per week has doubled. So far in the UK, 25 operating fleets have bought, tested and approved low floor buses;. Reports of these operations suggest that a fleet of 50 low floor accessible buses can generate an extra 240k to 400k per annum; an increase of 10 to 15% extra revenue is the norm.<>
Bus companies want to offer everyone in the community a <>convenient, easily accessible service, the perceived high cost of modern low floor buses is discouraging many operators from investing in precisely the type of vehicle that will do the job most effectively - even though government policies unequivocally favour their use. What’ needed is an accessible bus that is not only competitively priced, but also offers revenue opportunities with a full complement of seats.<> What makes the new Access-Ultralow so attractive? 1. Significantly lower cost. 2. Plenty of seats. 3. Economical to run.<> Lower competitive cost, because the construction is less complex than other low-floor designs, the technology is uncomplicated, the components have been well proven. Initial investment in the new Access-Ultralow bus will be little different from the acquisition of buses with the traditional-style entrance steps.<> The Access-Ultralow has a choice of seating plans with areas for wheelchairs and buggies. The maximum number of seats is 49, this still leaves easy access for push chairs and shopping carts, other seating plans allow space for wheelchairs. ®And economical to run?, the Access-Ultralow is built using Scania engines; Scania buses have are well known reputation for low overall cost of operation and excellent fuel economy.
The very low floor of the Access-Ultralow means passengers simply walk in, rather than step up. The normal entrance height is only 320mm. In the kneeling position, it drops to just 200mm - about pavement height. From a wide, no-step entrance, the floor extends Two-thirds of the bus without further steps. Passengers with push chairs (often with other children to look after as well, and invariably laden with shopping) will find boarding and alighting very quick and free from hassle. Wheelchair passengers will find the Access-Ultralow (when fitted with the optional ramp) is fully accessible to them. The wide entrance and gangway mean minimum assistance, if any, will be needed.<> Which passengers will value from these changes? Easy access means fast entry and exit for all travellers. Journey times will be reduced. Time spent at bus stops will be reduced, something that will be appreciated by passengers and other road users. Directly benefiting from easy access will be parents with young families who rely on buses every day. There are over two million children under the age of three years in the UK. There are 6.5 million people in the UK who are known to have mobility problems. Many find great difficulty using buses. It is estimated that by the year 2004 (when the first Access-Ultralow buses to be sold will still be in service), the proportion of the population over 65 years of age will have increased to 40%. The need for accessible, convenient-to-use buses is growing fast. The government is actively promoting them. The wisdom and foresight in an Access-Ultralow bus now will pay even greater dividends in future years.<>
There was a wheelchair accessible public Bus operating in Dublin city, the Omni-Link had a standard low floor design with wheelchair entrance to the rear. The problem was, as the routes covered were only in the city itself there was no means by which a wheelchair user could get to the bus in the first place!. And so because there weren’'t many wheelchair users using that particular bus, the idea was scrapped.. Europe, particularly Sweden, Belgium etc. seem to have made a genuine effort with transport and disability, perhaps the answers lie with them?.
Written by
Transport and Disability: by Andrew Hunt: Rep. of Ireland
First posted-up: December 9th, 1997