Transport is an essential part of modern-day society. It delivers millions of people to work, music or sporting events, places of worship, and the city centre. Good public transport enables us to access places and opportunities beyond the realms of our day-to-day activities and return home safely. I recently assisted in carrying out audits and inspections for all metro New South Wales train stations to find the current state of accessibility on all state trains.
Finding the same accessibility faults
Our audit results were as to be expected for this type of large-scale review. We found that across the board, a majority of stations showed evidence of the same inadequacies and non-compliance. At the same time, many stations consistently featured similar key accessibility items.
Overall, site-by-site, the same accessibility template was seen – though it was often deployed in varying ways and to differing levels of success. In general, we found a similar suite of accessibility items necessary for a user with a disability to have a safe and seamless journey, including:
- Boarding Assistance Zone (BAZ) locations
- Paths
- Gradients
- Stairs
- Lifts
- Ramps
- Kiss and rides
- Accessible car parking
Despite these features, more needs to be done. Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport (DSAPT) and Building Code of Australia (BCA) standards are ever-developing and thankfully being increasingly enforced. This is to make sure that items are made compliant to ensure those with a disability are safe through their journey and share the same ease of access and experience as other users.
Upgrading trains with accessibility in mind
The current state of mind of Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is to upgrade the stations that exhibit signs of limited accessibility and reduce or replace non-compliant items throughout all NSW trains. In essence, this approach is one of correcting what is currently incorrect. This unprecedented act in NSW transport history is heavily welcomed by our team and the rest of the access community.
Bringing all accessibility items closer to compliance and building standards helps usher in a proactive mindset. This is an important shift from waiting for conditions to improve or changes occurring due to pressure after a fatal accident or negative public relations debacle.
Doing it now rather than when it is too late is overall good policy on the part of the NSW Government. We are hopeful that change can happen swiftly in the face of non-compliance to ensure an equitable and dignified travel experience for all users.
