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Changes Needed To Rail DesignMore thought needs to be given to the design of rail carriages so that discrimination and discomfort for people with disabilities does not continue, according to Gippsland MP Peter Hall. By Peter Hall - 20th December 2004 - Back to News The Nationals MP called on the Minister for Transport to attend to the issue as a matter of urgency, after telling a tale of a recent harrowing trip to and from Melbourne for a local person and their carer.
He raised the matter in Parliament after receiving a letter from the integration manager at Traralgon Secondary College, Julie McKay, who has been working with children with disabilities for at least the last 10 years.
"Recently Julie took a number of students on a trip to the Melbourne Zoo," Mr Hall told Parliament.
"One of those children is a 13-year-old who is permanently wheelchair bound. Julie notified V/Line in advance of the travel requirements of this particular person and others.
"The wheelchair used by this student is an electronic one; it is a bit longer than a manual wheelchair, so access to a normal carriage on the V/Line service is extremely difficult.
"Consequently the child ended up being put in the guard's van along with the attendant carer. While the carer was able to sit in a nearby carriage on the way down, the train was fully booked for the journey back, so the carer was required to sit on the floor of the guard's van for the 21/2 hour journey from Melbourne to Traralgon."
Mr Hall made it clear that the complaint was not directed at any V/Line staff, who were as helpful as they could be.
Rather, he said, the problem was the design of a modern-day train that does not allow access by all patrons.
"I agree with Julie’s comment that many people in electric wheelchairs need to use the rail system, particularly those in the country and that it is inappropriate and discriminatory, for this group of disabled people to have to travel in the guard's van," Mr Hall said.
"Having people travelling in the guard's van raises a health and safety issue too, particularly given that it was a very warm trip and, at times, dusty in that guard's van."
Mr Hall added that it was obvious that carriages needed to be redesigned or, at least, existing carriages needed to be modified to enable access by people using electric wheelchairs.
"I ask the Minister for Transport to turn his mind to this particular problem and attend to it as soon as possible," Mr Hall said.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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