May 4, 2014
Everyone needs to get from A to B.
Going to work, picking up the kids, getting to the doctor’s, stopping off for groceries, visiting a friend. If you haven’t got a car, it can be pretty complicated trying to do all that by public transport in Guernsey.
But imagine how isolated you would feel if you couldn’t use public transport either…
Yes, the buses are accessible for people in wheelchairs. But what if you can’t get to the bus stop in the first place because of the high kerbs? What if you have a visual impairment and you don’t feel safe waiting at a bus stop where there’s no pavement? What is you have a learning disability and you find it hard to adapt if something about your regular journey changes suddenly?
Happily, the new Transport Strategy that was passed by the States at the end of April take into consideration all the barriers involved in a disabled person getting around Guernsey. Not just whether buses take wheelchairs.
What’s being considered to make transport more inclusive?
• Free buses
• A mixed bus fleet where both large and small buses are accessible.
• ‘Taxi buses’ and dial a ride service
• Greater number of accessible taxis, by issuing up to eight new taxi plates
• Improved routes to key bus stops, and from stops/parking to shopping
• Seating at bus stops.
• Improving bus timetables and other visual and audio information
• A wheelchair and scooter hire scheme (Shopmobility)
• Exemption from paid parking charges for Blue Badge holders.
• Ringfenced budget for disability-related projects (£150,000)