Category: Accessible Public Transport

Do be disabled-friendly

The Star – August 25, 2006: Letters To The Editor

Do be disabled-friendly

EVERY time the Government announces a revamp of the public transport system, the disabled community will wait in anticipation for one that truly serves its needs.

Time and again, we were disappointed. No provisions had been made to accommodate wheelchair users in public buses.

Therefore, it was not surprising that I was filled with cynicism after reading the report on yet another revamp of the public bus system in Penang, “KL bus system for Penang, state’s transport system a failure” (The Star, Aug 24).

Public buses must not only serve people who can climb up the steps to board them.

To all intents and purposes, thought must be put into making them accessible by people who have mobility problems.

These include wheelchair users, the elderly, pregnant women and children.

The elderly have problem boarding the newest RapidKL buses that were put on the road recently. Wheelchair users have no way of getting into these buses.

Over the years, the Penang public bus system has gone from bad to worse. Old and dilapidated buses are still being used.

Should the Government decide to phase out these vehicles, I hope it will consider replacing them with no-step buses.

The height of no-step buses can be lowered to make it convenient for those with mobility impairment to get onto them.

Apart from that, they come with ramps for wheelchairs. This is the kind of public transportation that will serve everyone, including the severely disabled.

We seldom see severely disabled persons out and about here in Malaysia. It takes a tremendous amount of manpower to assist them from wheelchair into vehicles and vice versa.

An accessible and affordable bus system would reduce that hassle and allow them to get out more often.

I hope the Penang government will not only adopt the Kuala Lumpur bus system wholesale but also take into consideration the needs of the disabled community.

PETER TAN,
Pro tem president,
Society for Independent Living, Penang.

MoNSTerBlog – August 8, 2006: Public Buses In Tokyo, Perth And Kuala Lumpur

Public Buses In Tokyo, Perth And Kuala Lumpur

Accessible bus in Hino, Tokyo

Travelling broadens the mind. It is an opportunity to see how things can be done differently and better. When I was in Tokyo for training earlier this year, it was not the culture shock that got to me. Rather, the barrier-free environment in public places was so amazing that I had difficulty adjusting when I came back although I was there only for two weeks. I had no problem moving about in Tokyo. Most of the buses had facilities to accommodate wheelchairs. The drivers were very helpful in assisting wheelchair users too.

Accessible bus in Shinjuku, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Japan

After reading the entry titled Please Take Along My Disability, Cynthia Foo of Just Blogging Around messaged me. She is currently studying in Perth and shared with me about the barrier-free environment there and how the Australians are generally considerate when it comes to assisting disabled persons. I asked if she could take some photos that I could use for this entry because I was going to write about accessible public transportation. The next day, she went out with Kian, her boyfriend, and caught some interesting shots and also a video (AVI Format, 8.28 MB – video removed to reduce bandwidth load. Please email me for a copy).

Transperth bus with ramp

“I asked the bus driver,” Cynthia shared with me. “He is really friendly to show me everything. I told him I’m helping a friend doing a blog. He doesn’t know what it is anyway but once he heard it is for people with disabilities he straight away said, “Oh!! I show you everything when I finish smoking.” He allowed me to take pictures before allowing people to go in.”

Transperth bus priority seats for elderly, disabled persons and people carrying children

After going through the photos that Cynthia sent to me, I wondered about the state of the public transportation in Kuala Lumpur, especially buses. Wuan uses the RapidKL network of buses and the Ampang & Sri Petaling Line (formerly Star-LRT) to work everyday. I told her I wanted to see the difference between Tokyo, Perth and Kuala Lumpur.

Transperth bus sticker for priority seats for elderly, disabled persons and people carrying children

She took a load of photos for me. Of the few hundred RapidKL buses plying the road, none were accessible to wheelchairs. It is unfortunate that even the newly delivered buses do not come with features such as ramps and low floors. The Ampang & Sri Petaling Line is even worse. There are no elevators to the platforms. I wonder how the elderly and the pregnant can manage up the numerous flights of steps by themselves.

Senior citizen having difficulty getting down from RapidKL bus

As it is, Malaysia cannot claim to be a fully inclusive society yet. The interests and needs of a sizeable group of citizens have not been fully addressed. To be fair, the government is currently looking into ways to resolve this problem. I attended an informal meeting with representatives from two governmental ministries and several disabled persons last week. They were very keen in making the public environment barrier-free. The effectiveness of this initiative is yet to be seen but for the sake of people who need it, I hope it is followed through to completion.

Senior citizen having difficulty getting down from RapidKL bus

One of the reasons why Tokyo is so accessible is because of the ageing population there. Malaysia, too, is facing a growing trend of ageing population. A barrier-free environment will benefit the elderly in many ways. They have contributed much to the development of the nation. We must at least ensure that their most basic needs are provided for, among others the ability to move around conveniently.

RapidKL bus

In fact, the inclusion of barrier-free facilities does not deprive anyone of anything. Everybody can use it. It truly baffles me that this standard of universal accessibility is not being practiced widely in this country. What are we waiting for? And finally, how do the public buses in Kuala Lumpur score when it comes to accessibility? We failed wholly and entirely. None could accommodate a person on a wheelchair. As a world class city, Kuala Lumpur has a lot of catching up to do as compared to cities that have laid claim to less.

Make Penang monorail system barrier-free

The Star – August 5, 2006: Letters To The Editor

Make Penang monorail system barrier-free

AS a Penangite, I am elated by your front-page report, “Projects for Penang given the green light” (The Star, Aug 3) that a monorail system is to be built in Penang.

As a wheelchair user, I see this as a potentially convenient and affordable option to move around.

The public bus system is in a pathetic state and does not cater to the needs of people like me. Let’s not even talk about the taxis that are now on strike.

It is imperative that the Penang monorail is barrier-free for the disabled persons, senior citizens and pregnant women who constitute a substantial segment of our society.

There is a real need for ramps and elevators for our convenience.

There should be no excuse not to make the monorail system accessible to all. The Kelana Jaya Line is a fine example of a barrier-free rail system.

Likewise, the KLIA Express is fully accessible and has foldable seats to accommodate wheelchair users.

In January, the Social Welfare Department and the Japan International Cooperation Agency sent me and two other wheelchair users to Tokyo for training on independent living.

What impressed me most was that I could go anywhere around Tokyo by using the monorail, trains, subways and buses with little or no difficulty.

It was very common to see the severely disabled using electric wheelchairs around train stations in Tokyo.

I enjoyed the liberation of being able to move freely in a foreign city. When I returned, I experienced a reverse culture shock.

Public transportation in Malaysia is mostly inaccessible to wheelchair users. It is ironic that I felt very confined in my own country.

Our neighbouring countries, Singapore and Thailand, are adding elevators to their city rail systems in stages.

They have recognised the need for such facilities. It would have cost a lot less had the elevators been incorporated into the initial structure.

We should not make the same mistake in Penang.

Apart from making the monorail system accessible, the authorities need to look into making the area around the stations and other support services barrier-free too.

Walkways, pedestrian crossings and ramps must be free from obstacles that may endanger users and prevent them from reaching the stations.

A system of non-step and low-floor feeder buses should be put in service to complement the monorail.

PETER TAN,

Pro tem president,

Society for Independent Living Penang.

Below is the original text of the letter that I sent:

RE: BARRIER-FREE PENANG MONORAIL

As a Penangite, I am elated by your front page news (Projects for Penang given the green light – The Star, Aug 3) that a monorail system is to be built in Penang. As a wheelchair user, I see this as a convenient and affordable option to move around. The public bus system is in a pathetic state and does not cater to the needs of people like me. Lets not even talk about the taxis that are currently on strike.

As I have stated in my blog (http://www.petertan.com/blog/2006/08/03/training-my-sights-on-the-penang-monorail/), it is imperative that the Penang Monorail is barrier-free from Day One. Accessible facilities should not be added as an afterthought or included as a special feature. Disabled persons, senior citizens and pregnant women constitute a substantial portion of our society. There is a real need for ramps and elevators for our convenience.

There should be no excuse not to make the monorail system accessible to all. The Kelana Jaya Line, formerly known as Putra-LRT, is a fine example of a barrier-free rail system. Likewise, the KLIA Express is fully accessible and has foldable seats to accommodate wheelchair users.

In January this year, the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat and the Japan International Cooperation Agency sent me and two other wheelchair users to Tokyo for training on Independent Living. What impressed me most was that I could go anywhere around Tokyo by using the monorails, trains, subways and buses with little difficulty.

It was very common to see the severely disabled using electric wheelchairs around train stations in Tokyo. Personally, I enjoyed the liberation of being able to move freely in a foreign city. When I returned, I experienced a reverse culture shock. Public transportation in Malaysia is mostly inaccessible to wheelchair users. I felt very confined.

Our neighbouring countries, Singapore and Thailand, are adding elevators to their city rail systems in stages. They have recognised the need for such facilities. It would have cost a lot less had the elevators been incorporated into the initial structure. We should not make the same mistakes in Penang.

Apart from just making the monorail system accessible, the authorities need to look into making the vicinity around the stations and other support services barrier-free too. It would be ironic that walkways and pedestrian crossings leading the stations are full of obstacles that may endanger users.

A system of non-step and low-floor feeder buses should be put in service to complement the monorail. This will make it a complete transportation system that everyone can use. This is what my disabled friends and I would like to see in the Penang Monorail.