From what has been said about place making, one of the underlying principles is social inclusion. However, when it comes to public transport there are some socio demographics that are often forgotten. On such group are the disabled. A two and half year inquiry into Accessible Public Land Transport has been undertaken by the Human Rights Commission. This report found a number of criticisms of the current public transport infrastructure.
Overwhelmingly, disabled people feel disempowered in terms of participation in public land transport planning, funding and implementation as their needs are not considered to be a core requirement of the current statutory processes.
It was reported that public transport agencies are making isolated pieces of public transport infrastructure that were compliant with disability laws; but ignoring how these pieces fit together. It points to a number of glaring examples of these failures, including tram platform stops (”superstops”) built on routes where no low-floor trams run, and railway stations built without ramps and lifts that frequently broke down, stranding people in wheelchairs.
The report believed comprehensive disability awareness training and disability competence training needs to be implemented for all personnel involved in public land transport planning, funding and provision. Such training aims to result in a more accessible ride for all passengers including disabled people. Furthermore, mandatory national accessibility design performance standards for service information, conveyances, premises and infrastructure are necessary to ensure that public land transport services are made accessible in a consistent and compatible way that provides certainty for all involved. On a local level, authorities should review the number and location of set down and pick up places for disabled passengers using taxis and rigorously enforce clear bus stops.
All of these recommendations seem relatively achievable. And when the bigger picture is considered, not only would the disabled benefit from such reviews and implementations, but so too would the growing elderly community or parents with prams.
This seems like an opportunity for place makers to step in and really make a difference to an often forgotten part of the community that are also the most vulnerable and in need of good public transport infrastructure.
