Transport access 'letting London down' for 2012
Post categories: Accessibility, Transport for London
| 17:18 UK time, Monday, 23 August 2010
With just over two years to the Paralympics I've been looking at how practical it is for wheelchair users to use the Tube.
The answer is - not very - unless you're with people who can lift you out of the Tube carriage.
At Stratford Station, there seem to be a number of problems including gaps between the trains and the platform.
There are also four lifts wheelchair users have to use to get out - one in particular seems to overload when a wheelchair and a carer are in it.
London Underground says it will look at the findings and say 25% of station will be step-free.
A viewer Steve Smith has already emailed me:
Here's the film I made with Sulaiman Khan. Let me know your thoughts..."I have long been interested in accessability for disabled people because my father has been confined to a wheelchair for over 50 years and the inaccessability of London's stations don't only affect my father and other disabled people but also every one who's with them... or any one with young kids, pushchairs, prams, large suitcases, bikes, walking sticks, bad backs, visually impairments, etc. who struggle to get up and down steps, stairs and escalators.
I have written to London Underground before asking why they cannot make their most important underground stations accessable by using large lifts - which may take 10 or 12 people because then they will not only assist disabled people but also all the people mentioned in the above paragraph - as well as many others others not mentioned - but I don't recall receiving a response.
All of London's large train stations i.e. Victoria, Kings Cross, Euston, Liverpool Street, Waterloo, Paddington, Charing Cross, etc. should be easily accessable for any one in a wheelchair or any other disability, or with a large item, i.e. a pram, suitcase from street level to the underground. Maybe also other busy train stations i.e. Clapham Junction, London Bridge, Vauxhall, Lewisham, etc.
The underground stations with "acessable lifts" as you could see in the report are too small and not easily accessable for a disabled person and their luggage and any carers. God knows how they would feel if they suffered from claustrophobia!
If they put proper lifts of a decent size in, they would be acessable to everyone who needs help accessing the underground - not just some of the disabled.
Other underground stations which would really benefit London's residents and its visitors if they were made accessable with decent sized lifts may include Oxford Circus, Baker Street, Earls Court, South Kensington, Embankment, Tower Hill, Camden Town, Bank, Shadwell, Whitechapel & Greeen Park to name a few off the top of my head."
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UPDATE: Tuesday, 10.30am
A viewer emailed this to me last night:
I have just watched on BBC London News about disabled access on the London Underground. This also applies to the main-line trains.
West Ham station serves C2C mainline and Jubilee line Underground but did you know that West Ham has to share a ramp for wheelchair users with Barking station on the C2C line?
What happens if the ramp is needed at both stations at the same time? How pathetic is that and do these ramps cost so much money that it is impossible to buy one for each station?
Having said that the C2C staff at West Ham are extremely helpful when it comes to wheelchair users.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~04~RS~)
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This is an issue that many disabled people have been trying to get coverage since London was awarded the Olympics. I was working closely with the late David Morris to try to make London more accessible in time for 2012. But not only is our transport system very inaccessible, but the whole city is too. I have been campaigning to try to get my home borough of Camden to wake up to how inaccessible it is.
Camden was pinpointed as one of the likely popular visitor attractions for Olympic and Paralympic visitors by the 2012 organisers. Yet since the 2012 announcement, Camden has made no steps towards improving it's accessibility. In fact I would say the area of the markets in central Camden has got worse. Huge areas have been covered in cobble stones, which make almost these areas impossible to visit in a wheelchair, and many shops and restaurants have had their access features removed. Ramps and disabled toilets are being removed through out central Camden with no reaction from the council. I have been told by people at LOCOG that they feel they will not be able to advise Paralympic athletes to visit Camden in case they injure themselves. That is how bad provision is.
Surely London should have taken the same steps as a city like Barcelona took when they held the Olympics/Paralympics. Paths laid over cobbles, ramps, lifts and toilets built through out the city, which is a medieval city too.
At the minute, disabled Londoners are being let down. Both by the city we live in, the councils who decide what is built here and by the Olympic authorities. All concerned should be working together to ensure that the games become an opportunity to make our capital city a world leader in access. At the minute I cannot see how anyone expects London to cope with the number of disabled people who will be coming here in 2012.
The saddest thing is unless something is done now and quickly it will be too late. Then all London will have to hang it's head in shame.
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In theory it's great to make public transport accessible. There is a problematic question though and it MUST be discussed. Boarding the tube took quite some time, boarding a bus, usually makes the bus stand for far too long at a stop, so it starts to run late. This makes timetabling very difficult and most passengers waiting for a "difficult" boarding (which includes people trying to pay with £20 notes and keep arguing with the driver) do not like a bus or a tube that seemingly does not move.
This is a conflict of ETHICS and BUSINESS : Ethics state: "Help the lesser fortunate". Business state: "Be profitable and don't waste time."
So, until London slows down to a more social / ethical pace, then I can understand the reluctance on opening further stations that are "disabled-friendly".
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It is great that the Olympics and Para-Olympics are turning the spotlight on this problem. For several years I have been mobility impaired (currently I walk with crutches) and the thing that I notice most is the lack of accessibility on London transport.
About one in twenty bus drivers bother to press the button to lower the bust to kerb level... which is because most don't bother to pull up to the kerb.
As for 25% of stations being step free... what to do about the other 75% then? At the moment my destination station (Green Park) is in the middle of a face lift to become step free - not before time as at the moment the steps up and down from street level are very difficult for me to manage.
So next year when Green Park is finished I'll be fine - lucky I use that station really as others aren't going to be so lucky.
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Accessible transport networks, streets and roads not only bring benefits for those with disabilities or mobility problems, or those luggage or baby buggies but improvements for all 'vulnerable' groups usually means everyone benefits.
We want to see London more accessible in the widest sense, and are concerned that any cuts to London's transport budget will affect accessibility projects directly.
Jo deBank, London TravelWatch
www.londontravelwatch.org.uk
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I've been an advocate since 1962 in the US addressing transport, disabled rights, human rights, etc in our city of San Francisco for peoples with disabilities.We have a Federal Law that's called ADA. Its a Federal Rule that allows peoples with disabilities to have full access for transportation, trams, city/state/federal buildings, etc..Unfortunately, it is not always followed through. For instance, for over 30 years, we have a main electric tram line that carries thousands of peoples round the clock w/o disabilities issues. For peoples in manual wheelchairs, for some 20 blocks right in the middle of this transit line, you can neither leave the tram or gain access to the line. For over 30 years our San Francisco MUNI Transportation Company told me, it was not worth fixing the line, though many seniors and disabled need have use of the line. 30 years later or so, the ones who need our transportation system the most, still are left on the street without real 'access and inclusion'. They told me over 30 years ago, they had no monies to fix the system. 30 years later, we are looking at the same message, whilst they fix new by-ways for other of our cities access routes. Neither do we have good signage for our disabled population in our city. (Not that I don't understand these issues personally,[i use a manual wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis and over 8 other health/disabilities issues, including as a dialysis patient]. Peoples across the world forget, we may have one or more disabilities, so effective, direct transport is a must for our lives. I live in a city that has many hills and this makes it that much more formidable. Going up hill is more than a challenge, when one's body,hands, feet are trying to ride and push ones own wheelchair and or guide it with two wooden canes, to get to ones needed destination.
As disabled, we have many challenges to meet on a daily basis. One would think at best our Cities Transportation Companies would take into consideration to make all the transport systems, carriages, stations, fully accessible for ALL lives at any age. I am offended that a city should have 'olmpic' status before any real action is directed and affordability for its citizens and guests to have full access. London, I see your frustration of what you are challenged with daily in terms of access. My heart goes out to all of you with disabilities and being left out of clear access and travel to and in your own city. SHAME. I do hope it gets better and peoples in London as well globally really start to realize that nobody should be left out when it comes to making transportation available for ALL lives.
Keep up the good fight and let me know how many non-disabled lives help to change and make 'access and inclusion' in your city a dedicated must! I'm a member of our cities Mayors Disability council as well on a board addressing in home services for our disabled and elderly. Still our fight is ongoing to making sure no citizen is left out. What is so very important no matter where we live, is to make sure we ALL come together supportive in every way and offer a system we all feel a part of. Nobody is impervious to being disabled at any age. Don't be a gawkier when you see us waiting for a tram, etc, but get involved and make your cities transport system is and will be available for each and every life. Together we can make a system that is truly looked after and cared about.
One never knows when you or a loved one might have to use a wheelchair, etc. Is your transport system fully available for you or your loved ones?
I would love to know how your city is doing in terms of 'accessibility and access'? Let me know.
Do you know what is/is not available for you in your city? Don't wait till later.
Later comes to soon and when one is not prepared, your life really can be at a standstill.
Watch out for your city's needs, especially when it comes to 'access and inclusion' for your disabled population.
Don't be left behind. Demand your cities transport systems includes everyone. ; )
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And Stratford station, featured in this report, is supposed to be an 'accessible' station! If it's this bad in a so-called accessible tube stop...
Here at Transport for All, every day we hear from disabled transport users who face problems with transport in London, and take up their complaints with Transport for London (TfL) and local councils. From people who have been told they cannot board a bus in their wheelchair, to people who find their tube station has been left unstaffed and there are no station staff to help them on a train, to people facing unacceptable delays to their Dial-A-Ride service.
TfL is spending thousands on a new Routemaster bus - but has cancelled plans to create step free access for London's tube network. At the same time, there are plans to cut 800 of London Underground's staff, so disabled people will find it even harder to find someone to help them. Our members are campaigning against this.
Nearly one in six Londoners is disabled. We all deserve the independence of being able to travel....so why is Transport for London limiting our freedom?
www.transportforall.org.uk
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I completely agree that LOndon's transport network is unaccessible but if we are to improve this we need to ensure that the investment into the tube continues because there would be nothing worse than the next generation being in an even more unaccessible position than ours.
And a point on the job cuts - these are in management and ticket office staff. Ticket office staff sit in the ticket office and are not allowed to leave, therefore can not help disbelled visitors, that help is done by gateline staff where the ticketoffice staff are being moved too. So realistically these changes should (I say should not will) mean more assistance for those less able to move about the stations.
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Hi Tom. I represent a disability rights group called The Sensationalist Hacks. We campaign in favour of journalists who will post articles that, how do you say, hit the right notes, practicalities be damned. The more emotive the better is our motto.
There are bloggers out there who might give a balanced outlook, perhaps discussing what actions are being taken to make transport more accessible, and what difficulties there are to making it so, as well as those infernal cost implications. These people won't even repost our personal opinions as if they are fact. Won't even. Some of them even think anonymous anecdotes might be worthy of following up with the accused parties before posting. Can you imagine?
Anyway, after seeing this post, it seems like you'd be a great addition to our team. As it seems you're happy to post emotive articles on a daily basis about whatever gets you hits, perhaps you'd be willing to post a weekly article that we draft you. To say no would be practically like stealing a disabled persons wheelchair and leaving them scrabbling in the dirt.
Suffice to say, I look forward to your weekly articles about this topic. No, scratch that, daily.
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John Parry of "Parry People Movers" has always tried to make sure that gaps between his railcars and the platform is as narrow and level as can be.
Why don't you call at Stourbridge Junction/Town stations and see for yourself?
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Might the pragmatic solution be to say wheelchair users (esp. those with small wheels) will be provided with surface transport - using the special "Olympic Lanes" - using whatever vehicles necessary to provide level boarding, and at fares identical to the Tube?
Not sure whether we should be sending these people underrground at all.
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