It’s a criminal offence to interfere with the comfort or convenience of any person on the railway – these people should get a lawyer
Agreeable_Falcon1044 on
As someone who has had a wheelchair, it’s laughable. Travelling from Edinburgh to Peterborough. Got some really good help at Waverley where they allowed my driver to drive down to the platform via a service ramp, was assisted to my seat etc.
However, train had an issue and so was stopping longer at each stop. By the time I got to Peterborough, the assistance I requested has gone home as the train is 25 mins late. They also locked up the ramp and nobody working seemed to know where to get it.
I’m then told to jump down and someone would catch me! All the while I’m holding up an already late train full of pissed off people. Luckily (but not too dignified) some polish guys saw it and literally carried me and my chair down.
At best, you get a tolerant service. At worse you are treated sub human like you are the problem for boarding a train
Thetonn on
The underlying problem is not that disabled people are being ignored.
The problem is that users are not being listened to, and the customer experience is peripheral to corporate ownership, state apathy and short term decision-making.
This means the experience for pretty much everyone is dehumanising as the goal is to pack as many people in like sardines and focus almost exclusively on numbers on spreadsheets rather than actually trying to make a service that people enjoy and want to experience.
Treating disabled people like shit is just a symptom of this. Counterintuitively, they are being treated equally, just with the same contempt as everyone else.
True-Horse353 on
Good! Improving disabled access is ridiculous, they should be improving enabled access so we can all use the bloody trains. Especially people with disabilities, imagine working to improve on disabling access for people who most need it.
SDLRob on
Improving disabled access to Public Transport is only ‘almost impossible’ if you don’t bother trying.
But, of course, trying means spending more money…. which then impacts profits… which is what people care about more than helping disabled people get around.
Statically on
I live in London, I am fully abled, I struggle to use public transport especially during rush hour.
My mother is disabled, she would never ever be able to use public transport.
If it’s not working for abled people then why is it even a discussion it won’t work for disabled.
salamanderwolf on
It’s not just public transport that’s the problem.
Its shops still not having ramps or isles big enough to go down. It’s pavements blocked by cars parked up on them/overgrown hedges/people refusing to move when they’re walking two abreast. Its houses being small and lifts in blocks of flats frequently being broken. It’s looking vulnerable so standing out as a target and the DWP going, “Nah your breathing so you’re fine. Disability benefits denied.”
There are so many problems facing disabled people because we still don’t see them as valued members of society. It’s no wonder the suicide rate for disabled people is triple the normal rates.
xyclic on
“Improving disabled access to UK’s public transport ‘almost impossible’ *while we continue allow foreign companies to loot our rail network*.” ftfy
lizardk101 on
We wonder why disabled people have such a low participation rate on the economy, but then refuse to invest in stuff that would actually enable them to participate, and to be active.
Realistic-River-1941 on
It’s not impossible, just very very expensive. Stuff like “cut train drivers’ pay” would barely scratch the surface.
jimthewanderer on
Bullshit.
This is just lazy dumbass speak from the sorts of idiots who inexplicably end up in positions of management.
Ramps, lifts, and keeping station staff employed to provide assistance when needed is not beyond the ken of Man.
ablettg on
It’s not impossible, it’s expensive. If all the trains, buses and transport networks were publicly owned and the government was run by and for the people of our country, instead of being run for profit-making businesses, then accessibility for wheelchair users or anyone else for that matter, wouldn’t be an issue.
The “nearly impossible” part would be getting such a a government in place
StephenHunterUK on
There has been *some* improvements. A number of types have been withdrawn precisely as they are not accessible and cannot be made so.
Also, the repainting of train doors so they stand out from the rest of the train has helped those with poor eyesight.
Bananasonfire on
Pay me money and I’ll sit at the platform all day every day just incase someone with a disability shows up and needs help. I’ll learn every sign language, I’ll do whatever’s needed, just pay me a living wage for it.
14 Comments
It’s a criminal offence to interfere with the comfort or convenience of any person on the railway – these people should get a lawyer
As someone who has had a wheelchair, it’s laughable. Travelling from Edinburgh to Peterborough. Got some really good help at Waverley where they allowed my driver to drive down to the platform via a service ramp, was assisted to my seat etc.
However, train had an issue and so was stopping longer at each stop. By the time I got to Peterborough, the assistance I requested has gone home as the train is 25 mins late. They also locked up the ramp and nobody working seemed to know where to get it.
I’m then told to jump down and someone would catch me! All the while I’m holding up an already late train full of pissed off people. Luckily (but not too dignified) some polish guys saw it and literally carried me and my chair down.
At best, you get a tolerant service. At worse you are treated sub human like you are the problem for boarding a train
The underlying problem is not that disabled people are being ignored.
The problem is that users are not being listened to, and the customer experience is peripheral to corporate ownership, state apathy and short term decision-making.
This means the experience for pretty much everyone is dehumanising as the goal is to pack as many people in like sardines and focus almost exclusively on numbers on spreadsheets rather than actually trying to make a service that people enjoy and want to experience.
Treating disabled people like shit is just a symptom of this. Counterintuitively, they are being treated equally, just with the same contempt as everyone else.
Good! Improving disabled access is ridiculous, they should be improving enabled access so we can all use the bloody trains. Especially people with disabilities, imagine working to improve on disabling access for people who most need it.
Improving disabled access to Public Transport is only ‘almost impossible’ if you don’t bother trying.
But, of course, trying means spending more money…. which then impacts profits… which is what people care about more than helping disabled people get around.
I live in London, I am fully abled, I struggle to use public transport especially during rush hour.
My mother is disabled, she would never ever be able to use public transport.
If it’s not working for abled people then why is it even a discussion it won’t work for disabled.
It’s not just public transport that’s the problem.
Its shops still not having ramps or isles big enough to go down. It’s pavements blocked by cars parked up on them/overgrown hedges/people refusing to move when they’re walking two abreast. Its houses being small and lifts in blocks of flats frequently being broken. It’s looking vulnerable so standing out as a target and the DWP going, “Nah your breathing so you’re fine. Disability benefits denied.”
There are so many problems facing disabled people because we still don’t see them as valued members of society. It’s no wonder the suicide rate for disabled people is triple the normal rates.
“Improving disabled access to UK’s public transport ‘almost impossible’ *while we continue allow foreign companies to loot our rail network*.” ftfy
We wonder why disabled people have such a low participation rate on the economy, but then refuse to invest in stuff that would actually enable them to participate, and to be active.
It’s not impossible, just very very expensive. Stuff like “cut train drivers’ pay” would barely scratch the surface.
Bullshit.
This is just lazy dumbass speak from the sorts of idiots who inexplicably end up in positions of management.
Ramps, lifts, and keeping station staff employed to provide assistance when needed is not beyond the ken of Man.
It’s not impossible, it’s expensive. If all the trains, buses and transport networks were publicly owned and the government was run by and for the people of our country, instead of being run for profit-making businesses, then accessibility for wheelchair users or anyone else for that matter, wouldn’t be an issue.
The “nearly impossible” part would be getting such a a government in place
There has been *some* improvements. A number of types have been withdrawn precisely as they are not accessible and cannot be made so.
Also, the repainting of train doors so they stand out from the rest of the train has helped those with poor eyesight.
Pay me money and I’ll sit at the platform all day every day just incase someone with a disability shows up and needs help. I’ll learn every sign language, I’ll do whatever’s needed, just pay me a living wage for it.