A $30-million promise to upgrade Brisbane bus stops is well overdue, according to a Brisbane-based disability consultant
April 10, 2012
A $30-million promise to upgrade Brisbane bus stops is well overdue, according to a
Brisbane-based disability consultant.
Working in the disability sector for more than 25 years, disability consultant and teacher Jeremy Muir says Brisbane Mayor Graham Quirk’s recent election promise to make bus stops more disability-friendly is a move in the right direction.
“I think any move by council to improve access to public transport for people with disabilities is a good thing, as long as it is not just a token effort,” Muir says.
“Anything that increases the participation of people in the community through the use of public transport is good.”
Muir, who uses a wheelchair for mobility, says while many Brisbane buses are now wheelchair-friendly, the bus stops they service can be hard to get to and sometimes completely inaccessible.
“Whether buses are low-floor or not, you still can’t use the buses because the bus stops are not accessible,” he says.
Cr Quirk promised to spend a total of $88 million to make Brisbane’s public transport more accessible over the next four years if he is re-elected to public office on April 28.
He says the funds will also go towards increasing shade cover at bus stops and upgrading safety lighting.
“When I first became Lord Mayor I made it clear that improving disability access in Brisbane was high on my agenda and I believe public transport should be accessible to everybody,” Cr Quirk said yesterday.
Quirk says he will ensure 90 percent of Brisbane’s 6000 bus stops will be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act by 2017.
He says about 600 bus stops have already been upgraded to comply with disability standards, and Brisbane’s bus fleet was 86 percent wheelchair-friendly.