Feature: Reviewing public transport - the good, the bad and what's coming up
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Falling off the platform onto the train tracks at his local station, two minutes before a train was due, remains one of Chris Orr's more memorable public transport experiences.
Now that his local station at Manurewa in Auckland has been redeveloped with white paint strips and yellow tactile pavers along the platform edges, the Foundation's community education and awareness manager is confident that the same problem won't happen to anyone else.
"The tactiles are a psychological barrier," says Chris, "in that everybody stands behind them now and is safer. I always tell the planners, 'if it works for me, it works for everybody'."
Auckland
Auckland's revived train system is being extensively upgraded by ONTRACK and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), with eight stations completed this year and a further eight upgrades planned over the next two years (see box on page 10). All upgrades follow national accessibility guidelines that include tactile pavers, ramps and lifts, and audio announcements on platforms and in trains.
These guidelines are not compulsory, however, and don't include buses.
"There's no obligation for councils and other transport and infrastructure providers to follow the guidelines," says Chris. "We've negotiated, advocated and won good specs in Auckland, but if the planners change their minds tomorrow there's nothing we can do. Also, it's one thing to get the specifications on paper, but another to get them on the platform."
A Disability Working Group has had a strong voice right from the early planning stages of ARTA's upgrades of the stations. The
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group's role is set to be enhanced by the potential creation of a new Disability Advisory Group to have formal input into high-level transport issues.
The growing accessibility of Auckland's public transport for blind, deafblind and vision- impaired people is becoming a model for the rest of the country.
On the buses, real-time scheduling has been operating in Auckland for the past few years. The visual LED displays that indicate how soon the next bus will actually arrive are complemented with audio buttons on the poles of most stops. New ferry terminals will also meet the disability access standards, as will any future upgrades of the remaining terminals.
Auckland train stations - Major upgrades
- 2007 already complete: Papakura, Glen Eden, Sylvia Park, Panmure, Henderson, Sunnyvale, Fruitvale, Mt Eden.
- 2008: Sturges Road, Ranui, Swanson, Ellerslie, Middlemore, Avondale.
- 2009: Newmarket and New Lynn, plus Onehunga line to re-open.
- 2010: real-time available region wide.
Christchurch
Christchurch City Council has accepted in principle a proposed plan to become the world's most accessible city. The 20-year plan has been put forward by HumanWare, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the University of Canterbury. "Environment Canterbury and the City Council have prided themselves on having the best coverage and pricing in the country," says orientation and mobility instructor Carina Duke, "but the information systems are not accessible for everyone."
Carina is based in Christchurch and undertakes bus route familiarisation sessions with Foundation members. There is visual real-time scheduling at many of the bus stops on core routes but the voice systems are only at the bus exchange;
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these are often broken and two require pin access. A goal of the two councils is to install onboard audio and visual display information systems on all high frequency services by 2012. There is cell phone access to real-time information but this requires accessing a website and there is a charge for this.
Carina has also heard from members whose white canes have been broken whilst negotiating the queues around the exchange. Other members have spent several hours waiting for a bus because the buses do not have one position designated on long multi-bus stops, or the driver has failed to stop, even though the person has a cane or guide dog.
Wellington
"Real-time and audio mean better independent travel but the way public transport is structured poses barriers," says Thomas Bryan, RNZFB employment services manager and Foundation member. Wellington doesn't yet have any real-time scheduling although new designs for the capital's transport system are being finalised. Thomas is a regular bus user and co-chair of Wellington City Council's Disability Reference Group. He cites three aspects to accessibility. The first is knowing which bus or train is approaching. The second is knowing what time the next one is due. And thirdly, when you're on the bus, knowing when to get off.
"For many blind people, having to ask someone, getting wrong advice or have a driver not remember to tell you when your stop comes is a constant reminder of their dependency. It's all too hard and many give up," he says. "Even with real-time scheduling, if three buses pull up at once you don't know which one is yours. If that happens to be the last bus in the queue, by the time you've asked the first two drivers, your bus has probably already gone."
Wellington's train network is being upgraded, with new trains being purchased. The first of these is the service to the Wairarapa, which has good colour contrasts, access for those in wheelchairs and audio announcements. The announcements, however, don't indicate which side of the carriage the doors will be opening.
That's where the importance of consumer lobby groups being involved in planning decisions is so vital, says Thomas. He is a member of the national lobby group called Attack. Attack was formed last year and spearheaded by CCS Disability Action, along with the Foundation, Disabled People's Assembly, the Association of Blind Citizens and the Human Rights Commission (HRC). The group came out of a
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2005 HRC review into accessible public transport.
"What we got was, 'good report, we agree it's an issue', but no action," says review author Bruce Coleman. "Some regional councils have recognised the issue, especially those in the main centres, but by and large action needs to come from central Government. We need the Minister to agree to the process of developing national transport rules on accessibility. The lobby group is arguing for the extra cost of providing accessible services. Audio is unfortunately seen as an add-on. We say to the bus companies, you're putting in low floor buses for prams and wheelchairs so why not audio?"
An accessible future
Thomas Bryan sees that Wellington has the opportunity to go even further than Auckland with new technology. Europe, the USA and Japan are already introducing world-wide compatible infrared Talking Sign technology, which links to real-time GPS systems.
"It's a bit like a TV remote and uses an infrared beam to communicate with talking sign transmitters," says Thomas. "The speaker is built into the hand-held control unit."
These, and other talking sign systems such as the Royal National Institute of the Blind's 'RNIB React', can communicate at bus terminals, train stations, airports and in any public buildings. They are vandal resistant and multilingual.
In Norway, a GPS system placed in buses communicates with mobile phones, which give a spoken message when the bus is approaching your stop. The system can also inform the driver when you want to get off.
Total Mobility
Total Mobility (TM) is a scheme that provides a subsidised taxi service to people with serious mobility constraints. Taxi vouchers (or swipe cards if you live in Auckland) are issued by regional councils who participate in the scheme. The fares are subsidised by the Government.
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The scheme is a good one, says Chris Orr, if you live in a big city with plenty of taxi companies to choose from, but rural areas are disadvantaged. Also, each council applies the scheme differently.
The scheme has been reviewed and three stages of changes are being introduced. The second stage has now gone to each of the 15 regional councils around the country. The councils are being given financial incentives to sign up to the 15 points in stage two. These points should help make eligibility more consistent across the country, remove unwieldy town boundary problems and increase the availability and safety of taxi services.
To find out if you are eligible for the Total Mobility scheme, contact your local Foundation office. The Telephone Information Service (TIS) has a list of taxi companies in the TM scheme.
If you live in a rural area or small town without a TM scheme, social service agencies may offer free transport to hospital appointments or shops.
Now is a good time to advocate for improved accessibility of public transport in your area, because new councillors have just been elected to the regional councils. Find out who your local chair of the transport committee is and write to them.
For more information about transport upgrades in your area, phone Chris Orr on 09 355 6883.