The following complaint to PLUS Expressways Berhad (PLUS) is a long time coming since I risked life and limb going up and then down an exceptionally steep ramp at Ayer Keroh Rest and Service Area (RSA) in January. This mail is also the culmination of the multiples times I had to contend with using ramps that are not safe for wheelchair use at the Tapah RSA. The complaint is addressed to Senior Manager Customer Relationship Management Department of PLUS Encik Husni Md Yusuf. It is my sincere wish that PLUS will take the initiative to rectify the problems for the safety and convenience not only of wheelchair users but everyone who uses these facilities.

Steep ramp at Ayer Keroh RSA.

Dear Encik Husni,

I am a wheelchair user and regular user of the North South Expressways. I also had the privilege of attending a presentation by Puan Khalilah Talha regarding accessible facilities at the rest areas and lay bys of the expressways at the Real Roundtable in 2006. I was heartened by the effort PLUS is putting into making the rest stops inclusive for the comfort of people who need such facilities.

However, the many times that I broke my journey at the rest stops since then, I discovered that many of the supposedly accessible facilities do not comply with MS1184. I would like to bring to your attention specifically the facilities at the rest stops, namely at Tapah RSA north bound, Simpang Pulai lay by south bound and Ayer Keroh RSA south bound.

Photographs of the facilities mentioned below are available at:

http://www.petertan.com/blog/2009/02/07/death-trap-for-wheelchair-users-at-ayer-keroh-rsa/

The ramps to the food court from the car park at Tapah RSA have gradients that are too steep for unassisted ascent and descent. In fact, these ramps are non-functional and are a safety hazard to wheelchair users.

Accessible parking spaces there are usually taken up by vehicles that neither have a disabled driver nor disabled passenger. There is really no point in putting up a sign to indicate that the parking spaces are reserved for disabled people when there is no enforcement and anybody can park there and deprive disabled people from using the facility. Many times, I had to park somewhere else and had difficulty getting in and out of the car as the regular parking spaces were too narrow to accommodate a wheelchair beside the car.

The parking space at the Simpang Pulai lay by with the signboard indicating it is for disabled people serves no purpose at all. The parking space is of the wrong dimension and too narrow for a wheelchair to be placed beside the car. As you may already be aware, MS1184 states that an accessible parking space must have a width of 3.60m.

The Ayer Keroh RSA has a ramp that is so steep that my wife had difficulty pushing me up the first section from the car park. As you may also be aware, the gradient for an outdoor ramp should not be steeper than 1:15. The ramps at the food court also posed a formidable barrier for wheelchair users to traverse due to their steep gradients.

The accessible toilets were located inside the gents and ladies. My wife was embarrassed that she had to accompany me into the gents to get into the toilet as they were some other men using the urinals. It would have been better to place the toilets separately like at Tapah RSA. Disabled people do travel with a companion of the opposite gender and may need their assistance in the toilet.

The gradient of the ramp to the car park was too steep for my wife to help me down. I had to seek the assistance of two Propel staff to assist me. Even then, they had problems holding on to my wheelchair to prevent it from rolling down too fast. I must commend them for their kindness. Unfortunately I did not get the names of these two Good Samaritans.

PLUS needs to look into these accessible facilities to ensure that they are usable by the people they were intended for. I suggest that an access audit be performed on these facilities to ensure that they comply with MS1184 and are safe for use by disabled people. Otherwise, these facilities may endanger the lives of disabled people who have no alternatives but to use it.

I trust PLUS will take the necessary actions to ensure that these facilities are functional and safe to use soonest possible. I hope to be able to use safe and functional accessible facilities the next time I travel on the expressways.

I look forward to a positive reply from you regarding this matter.

Thank you.

Regards,
Peter Tan

Photo by Wuan.

The government has given the greenlight for another Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) to be jointly developed under a private finance initiative between conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia. The proposed airport currently dubbed the KLIA East would be built on a 2,800ha plot of land in Labu which is between Nilai and Bandar Enstek.

The Star reported in AirAsia: We can give better deals with own airport that the airline’s budget fares will go even lower with at least a 15% reduction in prices when the airline’s proposed low-cost terminal opens in Labu, Negri Sembilan, in February 2011. That is good news for travellers who are always on the lookout for the best deals in air fares to stretch their ringgit even further.

However, my concerns are more than cheaper air fares. Will the new terminal be built according to the principles of universal design? Will disabled people have unimpeded access to all public areas in the terminal? Will wheelchair users still need to board the aircraft via an ambulift? If we have to and when one is unavailable will there be a safer and more convenient method of boarding other than to physically carry us up to the aircraft? Will this better deal include a waiver of the RM12 fee for using wheelchairs provided by the airline? Really, can AirAsia give a better deal to all its passengers irrespective of whether they are disabled people or otherwise with its own airport?

The Star Online
Sunday December 21, 2008
AirAsia: We can give better deals with own airport
By LESTER KONG

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia’s budget fares will go even lower with at least a 15% reduction in prices when the airline’s proposed low-cost terminal opens in Labu, Negri Sembilan, in February 2011.

A senior AirAsia official said the airline’s plan was always to look for a cheaper venue to lower costs as it was paying about RM100mil in airport fees yearly to Malaysia Airports Bhd.

“We have been looking for another place for a long time, whether it was to buy or build a new airport,” he told The Star yesterday.

The official said the current terminal in Sepang was only a temporary measure as it could comfortably handle only 10 million passengers yearly.

“By March next year, it would reach 15 million. AirAsia needs an airport that can handle more than 15 million by 2011,” he said.

The Cabinet on Friday gave the greenlight for the new RM1.6bil airport to be developed under a private finance initiative between conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd and AirAsia on a 2,800ha plot in Labu, which is between Nilai and Bandar Enstek.

The new terminal will be large enough to handle some 15 million passengers yearly and will feature a wider array of shops as part of an integrated city in Labu, comprising five townships and facilities for education, health, sports, high technology and entertainment.

Closer to the nation’s capital than the current low-cost carrier terminal, a 7km link to the North-South Expressway was also slated to be built, along with an Express Rail Link to KL International Airport.

“We will provide shuttles between the main terminal and LCCT. The road and rail links between KLIA and the new LCCT would also be privately financed,” he said.

The AirAsia official said the cost of operating the new airport would be lowered by incorporating advanced technology and it being run privately.

“The airport will be built entirely by us. The latest technology and better retail facilities will mean more money. More money will mean lower airport tax and fares.”

Asked if MAB would be involved in the deal, the official said MAB was not involved in the project but did not discount the possibility that it would be made a shareholder.

According to him, the proposal was brought up by Sime Darby in the first place as they wanted an airport in the centre of a large development project – to turn the area into an Asean community hub.

The Star Metro
Thursday November 13, 2008
Getting in and out of buses a breeze for the disabled
Story and photos by CHARLES FERNANDEZ

FIFTEEN new Nadi Putra buses fitted with special lifters for the disabled or orang kurang upaya (OKU) were recently added to the current fleet of 55 buses servicing Putrajaya.

The newly-introduced buses will display the OKU sticker for easy identification and they come in four colours.

Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique received the buses on behalf of the Putrajaya Corporation (PJC), witnessed by PJC president Tan Sri Samsuddin Osman, FT Deputy Minister Datuk M. Saravanan and FT Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib.

Boost for disabled: A passenger is being lifted onto the bus.

The lifter is placed at the back door and is controlled by the driver and the whole proceeding is viewed via a CCTV network fitted in the bus.

“Before the delivery of the new buses, Nadi Putra had 55 buses with 51 powered by NGV and four diesel-driven ones. Since June 2006 we use NGV for all buses operating here,’’ said Zulhasnan.

He said the 15 buses would service new housing areas in Precincts 5, 6, 15 and 18 to complement the current fleet of buses running the routes in Precincts 9 and 14.

“However, the numbers are still not enough to satisfy the needs of the residents and working community here who are encouraged to use the ‘Park and Ride’ system already in place,’’ added Zulhasnan.

As for long-term plans, Zulhasnan said the government had approved RM70mil for the purchase of another 104 buses which would be introduced in stages within the next two years.

When asked if the disabled community could use the services for free, Samsuddin said for the moment it was free.

“The fare is already subsided. It is only 50 sen,’’ he said.

Samsuddin added that the number of passengers using the Nadi Putra services had also increased from 100,000 in May last year to 230,000 until the end of October this year.