I support the following comments and submit my comment regarding
the
proposed exemption to the Olympic Road Traffic
Authority.
1. The DDA has now been in existence since 1992 and Draft Accessible
Transport Standards were first approved by the Australian Transport
Council as 'technically feasible' back in June 1996 - four years
ago.
2. Some State and Territory Governments have used those Standards as
benchmarks and have been purchasing only accessible buses since late
1994 early 95.
3. Why is it, given that NSW Dept of Transport knew in August 1994
that
they would be hosting the Olympics and paralympics, that
they did not
instigate a similar purchasing policy as for example
South Australia.
4. Since late 1994, South Australia has purchased only accessible
buses.
Their total fleet is 750 and they re-stock at
approximately 50 new
buses
per year or 1 every
week.
5. You don't have to be real smart to work out that the total
replacement of the fleet will take about 14 & 1/2 years or that in
4
years they will have approximately 200 accessible buses.
6. NSW has a much bigger fleet I understand, so the number of buses
purchased each year would be greater than a small State like South
Australia. Why is it that they have not purchased more accessible
buses?
How many excuses have you heard about the terrain being
very
difficult
or not being sure about which ramps to
purchase, or calming devices
preventing them from getting accessible
buses??
7. I don't believe they have been genuinely trying to address
accessibility issues in transport and infrastructure to the full
extent
possible. In fact, there has been considerable pressure
from
particular
lobby groups on the NSW Government to
relax from the Transport
Standards.
8. This same lobby has also been the same isolated group which has
opposed the Accessible Transport Standards moving forward even though
all States and territories approved the Standards in April 1999. This
same lobby has been very active in Canberra with Ministers and senior
public servants.
9. 8 years after the DDA, 4 years since the Transport Standards were
approved by the ATC as technically feasible and 12 months down the
track
since they were 'finally' approved by ATC, we do not
Accessible
Transport Standards in Australia.
10. Our understanding is that all Federal government Departments
supported the Accessible Transport Standards moving forward except 1.
Further, that this delay in one government Department is due to 1
individual who is linked back to the lobby group mentioned
above.
11. The disability community is getting more frustrated and angrier
by
the day as these long and discriminatory delays hinder the
long term
development of a fully accessible transport system for
Australia.
12. An accessible transport system is vital for our aging society
where
there continues to be a proportional growth of our
entire population
with mobility disabilities.
13. If we don't plan to cater for this expansion (in the same way we
have done so with superannuation etc to promote self funded
retirees),
transport operators are ignoring their biggest
growth market in
off-peak
travel and at the same time
cause long term isolation and waste of
considerable human
resources.
14. An accessible transport system is essential if this Commonwealth
government is serious about 'Welfare Reform' and enabling the full
participation of people with a disability in employment, education
and
training and recreation.
Summary
If the disability sector is being asked to comment on
this proposed
exemption for the purpose of supporting this exemption,
we believe
there
will be a very negative response. Why
should the disability sector
support this embarrassing situation
where both the ORTA and the NSW
government have demonstrated a lack
of real commitment to
implementing
accessible transport
and infrastructure? Why?
The NSW government have also stated at ATC meetings that they would
only
support the DDA Transport Standards conditional to
Commonwealth
funding.
This is seen yet again as a low
level commitment to accessible
transport. This one opportunity to
showcase to the world via the
Olympics, a fairer, smarter and
equitable transport system is now
going
to be
lost.
The only way that the disability sector could be persuaded to support
the exemption would be for a real commitment by the NSW and
Commonwealth
governments to accessible transport. That
commitment could be
demonstrated by the immediate promulgation of the
Accessible
Transport
Standards in Federal parliament as
they were approved by the
Australian
Transport Council
(ATC) on April 30, 1999.
I therefore, do not support the granting of the exemption.
Erika WEBB
Vice President
Blind Citizens WA
erikaweb@perth.dialix.com.au
WE WILL RIDE - AND WITHOUT COMPROMISE!