Reports of Local Accessible Transport Issues As Provided by Members of the Forum

Pan-London mobility forum Portcullis House Monday 11th February 2013

Reports of local accessible transport issues as provided by members of the forum

Supported by Barking & Dagenham Barking Station Access: Only one platform is accessible. No ramps to the Underground. Station is staffed by C2C staff, who provide ramps to their trains, but not to Tube.

Bus drivers not stopping when they see wheelchair users Ramps not working Inaccessible bBus bStops

Footbridges crossing the trainlines, steps only. Owned by the Train oOperating Company – residents want them to be made step-free.

Barnet Transport in the borough runs north to south. There is very little east to west transport within Barnet, which makes it really difficult to get to hospital, among other places. D-a-R doesn’t go to hospitals and Taxicard doesn’t get most people there as there is no double swiping and Barnet is a large borough. Local residents have campaigned for more east – west transport links with little success.

The council has contracted out many of its services to Capita. The affect this will have on access is as yet unknown, but as the council did not consult with residents, they are taking the council to Judicial Review.

Bexley Insufficient bus service to the hospitals in the borough. Local campaign to reroute the 96 to help with this issue.

Brent Parking on pavements is a problem. Heavy traffic area, it is difficult to cross the road.

Bromley Bromley mobility forum annual Bus survey produced a generally satisfied outcome, though wheelchair/pushchair spaces and ramps not working still an issue.

Bromley South is now accessible, shortly to be followed by Crystal Palace. The mobility forum developed a good working relationship with Network Southeastern with regard to Bromley South where our input was taken on board as the project developed.

Community transport scheme (BATH) closed last year. No replacement yet.

Success in stopping the council's proposal to charge Blue Badge holders in council car parks.

Bromley Mobility Forum looks at the built environment as well as transport. They try and develop relationships with Council planners, developers etc as there are a number of large projects in the area.,e E.g. Bromley South central - redevelopment to include Hhotel, residential and cinema, Bromley North Village and Beckenham High sStreet.

Are quite a few unavoidable pedestrian crossings without audio or tactile indicators.

Camden Bus issues There are still some old buses in circulation with a tall lip at the top and a very steep ramp, which makes it very hard to board in a wheelchair - buses 46, 27, 55, 214. Bus drivers can have bad attitudes – they don’t always intervene when there is a buggy in the wheelchair space. There is a bar next to the wheelchair bay for health and safety reasons, but this makes it difficult to board the bus going forward, and then have enough space to be able to turn round and park against the backrest.

Suggestions Young People for Inclusion would like to participate in evaluating the current ramps and/or designing the next one. The size of the wheelchair bay varies across different buses, even on the new buses - it would be much better if it was standardised. It would be great to have an emergency button on the bus in case of medical emergency Also, an intercom button in the wheelchair bay to communicate with the driver, to inform the driver when a passenger is secure and it is safe to move off. Would it be possible for drivers to be trained to fix faulty ramps?

Taxicard/Ccomcab issues: Operators don’t always make it clear that you can request updates to come via text message instead of a phone call. The taxi ramps can be too steep and drivers can be reluctant to attach the extra ramp. Drivers don’t always strap in wheelchair users, even when asked to. It’s not easy to drive up the ramp with your head bent to avoid hitting the ceiling and still see where you are going.

Suggestions: Better signage on cabs, e.g. "we accept taxicards" to avoid getting in the wrong cab and being charged the normal fare. It would be good to be able to hail a cab from the street instead of just pre-booking. Being able to book via text message or smartphone app would be helpful It would be good to have a head cushion support when sitting back against the glass, to prevent whiplash and head injuries. It would be good to have an extra step into the taxi when climbing up if walking.

King's Cross and Euston underground stations – lift signage It would be helpful if there were signs indicating which levels each lift serves inside and outside the lift i.e. ground level, ticket office level, platform level. At present the plus and minus signs followed by the number of the level are hard to understand except to those familiar with the station.

Croydon Tramlink – Crystal Palace extension is proposed, but hasn’t been approved yet. Dial-a-Ride – new vehicle depot on the Croydon/Border. Previously the nearest depot was in Wimbledon . Whether this has a positive impact remains to be seen. East Croydon Station – new lifts being built which links the footbridge to all platforms. Southern railways which operate East Croydon Station have an Access Manage, which really helps in sorting out access issues. They have recently ran a ‘Try the train’ day, which encouraged people to take a trip on the train, who wouldn’t usually use it.

Ealing TfL is installing an incline lift at the Greenford Underground station. This will be the first incline lift to be installed in London. The cost is £2 million and the Council is contributing £200,000. The aim is to complete it by the spring 2015.

There is also a current campaign to fine people who use Blue Badges fraudulently. 22 people so far have been taken to court and prosecuted.

TFL’s wheelchair priority poster campaign has been a complete failure in the area.

There is also the fashion for 2 tier buggies and most Mum's pile loads of shopping onto the buggy so it is impossible to fold. Also the E2/E3 buses do not have a large enough luggage space to put a buggy in anyway.

It is a question of having a bus design that is fit for purpose. The space, as in Brighton, should have fold up seats that can accommodate a wheelchair, buggies and shopper trolleys.

The £50 million set aside for retraining drivers is a complete waste of resources. I would say that during only 1 in 5 bus journeys does that the driver use the kneeling device to let me on and I cannot see that changing. They just cannot be bothered.

Crossrail - We are still waiting to see the final designs for the Crossrail stations in West London but as was discovered at the Crossrail presentation at ECIL it is very unlikely that these stations will be fully accessible in that people will probably still have to phone ahead and use a ramp to actually board the train. The question of lifts not working after the booking office closes is still unanswered. Lift size is still being argued about.

Greenwich Situation seems to have improved, no complaints through Greenwich Association of Disabled People. New terminus at Woolwich has had a positive impact.

Hackney Bus drivers continue to ignore the needs of disabled passengers. Hackney Council has responded (on the whole, positively) to Disability Back Up's "Getting There" survey and report by stating that they agree with all the proposals except one (they will continue to promote cycling on the footpaths in parks).

Clear footways: Hackney Council's Regulatory Committee has agreed to our request for zero tolerance on A board signs on the footway and it will go to full Council later this year for implementation. The Council agreed to our request to not place cycle parking stands on the footway wherever possible. Hackney is committed to introducing a 20mph speed limit in all residential areas and will pilot it in all roads that abut Islington. It is committed to having 100% of all bus stops accessible within the year (currently 98%). Tackling pavement parking by working with the Council to introduce more CPZs. Currently only 2 or three audible stand repairs are carried out per year. The Council will ask TfL to increase this number and put pressure on to increase the number of audible stands at crossings. Concern is expressed that crossing times seem to have been shortened with bare minimum green man times for road crossing. Lack of seating in the street. Dalston Kingsland overground station remains inaccessible (without lift or ramp).

Hammersmith & Fulham Bus stop accessibility is still an issue. Some bus stops have a queue of 2 or three buses, which means they cannot all use their ramps Buses pulling off before people are seated. There is a manual boarding ramp at Fulham Broadway station, but the station isn’t always staffed which makes the ramp unusable.

Harrow Harrow Bus station is difficult to get around. The pavements in Harrow are uneven and slightly raised with hedges and branches sticking out which can cause accidents. The hand rail at West Harrow station needs to be replaced and sign posts near inside wall is an obstacle for Visually Impaired People. I think there is an improvement on bus service and also some stops it indicates how long to wait for the next bus which is very useful.

Hounslow Buses. Ramps breaking down resulting in passengers being stranded on board Wheelchair priority is still a problem. Would like more ramps at tTube stations.

Islington The local mobility forum has closed. Bus drivers buggies/luggage/wheelchair space and general lack of awareness Staff levels at Underground/Overground stations Restrictions to fFreedom pPasses/Ttaxicards

Kensington and Chelsea Issues: Eligibility criteria has changed for Blue Badge [pan-London] and Purple Badge [K&C] and Motability schemes under welfare reforms. Lack of ‘joined-up’ strategic planning for public transport and Blue Badge parking in local developments and service planning and change. Proposed changes to adult travel support and reduced provision of community transport [K &C]. Proposed increases to taxi fares and tariffs at approx. rate of inflation and linked to fuel costs when benefits uprating will be frozen at 1% General public attitudes to disabled transport users, personal safety and increased hate crime-type incidents on public transport. Slowing or rejection of major works to provide ‘step-free’ access at all Underground stations. Inaccessible travel related information and increasing customer service reliance on digital media. Excessive replacement charge for lost or stolen Freedom Passes Restrictions on peak Freedom Pass use.

Positive actions TfL’s awareness campaign aimed at buggy users on buses Manual ramps remaining after the Paralympics TfL travel mentor service Roll-out of more talking buses Text alerts and more real-time information at bus stops Improved awareness of disabled transport users’ access requirements at many mainline stations Greater consultation and user engagement in transport service planning [K & C]. Greater awareness of links between planning, access requirements and door-to-door transport provision [K & C]

Kingston Bus driver behaviour – the majority of them are very good but a small few do not provide the support and service that one would expect. People have been told that their wheelchairs are a health and Safety hazard and have been denied access to buses. Not waiting until people are properly settled before driving off is another issue Some of the buses except for the 71 and 65 have quite narrow areas in the isle and so it is very difficult to navigate wheelchairs through them to get on and off. Tolworth and New Malden stations are still without lifts and so do not provide an accessible through route to London or other areas on the South Western railway line. The National Rail enquiries website shows that ‘no part of station Tolworth or New Malden stations are suitable for wheelchair users. Customers are advised to use Surbiton station as an alternative’.

Staff previously were unhelpful with ramps to alight from trains at Kingston Station but that situation may have been resolved as there haven’t been any instances recently.

Some people feel unsafe at Kingston bus station when they have to travel late evening and in the night as it is quite exposed. It has been reported that the station doesn’t have an accessible toilet.

Lambeth The reduction in Taxicard trips (maximum 8 per month) is hugely restrictive. Staff numbers at Underground stations is becoming more of an issue. Walk up assistance not always available. Buses – Inaccessible bus stops, drivers not stopping, wheelchair space priority issues. Quite a few unavoidable pedestrian crossings without audio or tactile indicators

Merton Redevelopment of Wimbledon Station is a big problem. No drop off/pick up point (the disabled bay is always covered by the taxi rank) To get in a pre-booked taxi card cab, you have to wait until they are at the front of the taxi rank to get in, which can take 30 mins – with the metre running! Nearest drop off is too far for anyone who finds it difficult to walk.

Rail stations inaccessible and unstaffed

Merton station has got a manual boarding ramp and will be getting a platform hump which is even better!

Buses: Buses not pulling right into cukerb. Not enough time for people to sit down before bus pulls away. People feeling they need to be up from their seats before bus stops. Doesn't seem that wheelchairs get priority over buggies. No signs. Signage about seating does not actually state older people. Driver apathy re wheel chair ramp How to complain, driver identification not very evident.

Merton Seniors forum: Are meeting with TFL FOLLOWED by meeting at Merton Bus Garage Linking with Age UK Merton on this issue and Sutton Seniors

Have interested Sutton and Merton NHS Falls co-ordinator who is joining our initiatives

Newham Taxicard Double swiping was cut, Local DPO Action & Rights are working on trying to get it re- instated. Street Clutter has improved. Crossrail – there is a dialogue between Action and Rights and Crossrail. There are due to be several Crossrail stations across the borough. D-a-R - Difficulty getting trips. Patient Transport (Newham General). Very difficult to get approved, long waiting times.

Redbridge Buses not stopping/ramp not working/buggies in wheelchair space. Taxicard is just too expensive Underground – the manual boarding ramps has meant the tube is much more accessible.

Richmond Bus stop accessibility could be improved. Twickenham station is inaccessible but likely to be rebuilt by 2015. Bus drivers need more disability equality training.

Southwark All the buses are running smoothly and no issues with bus stops.

Recently refurbished the East London Line (ELL)Extension, neither of the 2 stations in Southwark (Rotherhithe & Surrey Quays) were made accessible, despite extensive campaigning locally. This was put down to the cost. The main reason given was that Canada Water was nearby and close to both stations (1/2 mile) is accessible. As well as being on the Jubilee line it is also on the ELL. The problem is it has only one lift and when that breaks down (which it recently did), accessible public transport by London Overground and Underground in the whole Borough of Southwark halts.

Southwark is one of the first boroughs to re-introduce the double swiping back on Taxicard, thanks to local campaigners. Sutton Buses not stopping/ramp not working/buggies in wheelchair space

Tower Hamlets One of the main issues has been maintaining the accessible transport forum in light of the councils attempting to make changes. It now runs every two months. A recent success has been the fact that the Taxicard scheme in Tower Hamlets was not subject to any cuts and fair increases. Members are still paying £1.50 and the subsidy is £11.80 The mobility forum has been looking at has been around accessible buses stops - In particular how is accessibility maintained? Are they checked annually to spot whether any road works etc have happened?

Waltham Forest No accessible Uunderground station in the borough; the Overground at Blackhorse Road is being made accessible but the tTube isn't. There was a suggestion that Leyton could be made accessible with a long sloped path. That may not be viable. In April the council are withdrawing the funding for the Door to Store service operated by Community Transport Waltham Forest.

Wandsworth Buses not stopping/ramp not working/buggies in wheelchair space Taxicard – residents would really benefit from double swiping. D-a-R - Difficulty getting trips

National Federation of the Blind On the whole there has been an improvement in the use of the spoken announcements on buses. There are still instances where these are not evident or are at a very low volume.

It is still quite common for bus drivers not to draw up to the kerb when at stops, so that it is more difficult to board. Communication between drivers and passengers could also be improved. Many drivers do not speak when asked which bus it is and a number do not wait to set off until after disabled people have found their seats.

On the tTubes there are still instances where the announcements are not in evidence, but these are few and far between. Communication between station staff could still be improved. There are occasions when assistance is booked for journeys, but then on arrival at the destination there is a denial that this was the case. Fortunately when the help does not materialise at the destination or point of change the drivers are excellent in alerting the station staff. It would be good if engineering works on the tube and Overground could be notified on the website further in advance. Currently they appear a month beforehand.