Seanm
pfm Member
I see you've looked into this and discovered that disabled people don't work.
Isabel Oakeshott.
- Thread starter maxflinn
- Start date
glancaster
In the silicon vale
I wonder how easy it is for people in a wheelchair to use the train? Particularly at a small station like Oxford Parkway without many staff?
Oxford Parkway has reasonable disabled parking provision, I think we've established. It also has lifts to help you get to the other side of the track. However, I imagine it's a real challenge to actually get on or off the train. I can't see how you could do it without help.
Perhaps we should view lack of use of disabled parking here as a sad indictment of the continued lack of accessibility of our public transport system? (Richard Hammond made a similar point, albeit in a more blokey way, in the current series of The Grand Tour, when he was hobbling about on crutches after his latest crash. As it's not exactly a Guardian-like haven for PC-style banter, you have to give it credence.)
Can any PFMers shed any light?
Oxford Parkway has reasonable disabled parking provision, I think we've established. It also has lifts to help you get to the other side of the track. However, I imagine it's a real challenge to actually get on or off the train. I can't see how you could do it without help.
Perhaps we should view lack of use of disabled parking here as a sad indictment of the continued lack of accessibility of our public transport system? (Richard Hammond made a similar point, albeit in a more blokey way, in the current series of The Grand Tour, when he was hobbling about on crutches after his latest crash. As it's not exactly a Guardian-like haven for PC-style banter, you have to give it credence.)
Can any PFMers shed any light?
Tony L
Administrator
Trains should have a ramp available and staff available to facilitate access. This is normally the case, though there are many stories of folk being let down. As I understand it this is a legal requirement, not some additional option alt-right nutters can get in a hate froth about. Obviously in post-Brexit Tory wilderness anything goes...
droodzilla
pfm Member
It's also worth remembering that someone using disabled parking does not necessarily use a wheelchair, or even have mobility issues.
But yes, provision for wheelchair users is generally poor. Having a partner who relies on a wheelchair to move any distance has been a real eye-opener for me.
But yes, provision for wheelchair users is generally poor. Having a partner who relies on a wheelchair to move any distance has been a real eye-opener for me.
Yes it is a legal requirement. Not sure what law but equal ops etc.
Don't worry, they will anyway. The cost of providing a ramp at the library was £X and there are only Y wheelchair users, for that price you could deliver the books to their door by taxi, etc.
It certainly does. However this is "the will of the people" and they are going to get it. I shall wait until a few pensioners start dying before I start my "told you so" routine. We already have people waiting in ambulances because there are no beds, I'm sure those pips haven't squeaked yet, give that orange and the poor another squeeze. People gotta learn. Nobody wants to pay the fare until they are stuck at the side of the road in the rain. Well, let's leave a few of them in the rain until they get the message.
Enfield boy
pfm Member
The "Great British Sun reader" (other hate rags are available) will know who to blame, foreigners, wrong sort of brexit, Corbyn, the sick etc
glancaster
In the silicon vale
The web site contradicts itself. Google Earth suggests that there is disabled parking there (coordinates: 51.793406, -1.282487). It would be a bit weird if there wasn't really.
richardg
Admonishtrator
As for ****ers on another angle of the same issue, and unsurprising to me for England, a confrontational, self-righteous know-all about rules etc makes a tit of him /herself.
http://metro.co.uk/2018/02/23/disabled-woman-branded-selfish-for-using-a-blue-badge-spot-7337888/
Why is there so much bitterness like this in the UK? What kind of arsehole could get that worked up about stuff like this and be arsed to waste time writing that vile note.
http://metro.co.uk/2018/02/23/disabled-woman-branded-selfish-for-using-a-blue-badge-spot-7337888/
Why is there so much bitterness like this in the UK? What kind of arsehole could get that worked up about stuff like this and be arsed to waste time writing that vile note.
Nick_G
pfm Member
Probably because their head has been turned by the likes of the Daily Mail & Daily Express who are constantly drip-feeding toxic nonsense about the disabled, 'benefit scroungers' and such like. You can tell they weren't thinking straight; the writing was 90 degrees off the lines on the paper.
glancaster
In the silicon vale
I think we should be fair to the Mail, on the occasion they do the right thing. It looks like they are the original source of the Metro's story (they published first, and the Metro links to them):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-Reading-woman-accused-faking-blue-badge.html
The comments underneath the story are not so good.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-Reading-woman-accused-faking-blue-badge.html
The comments underneath the story are not so good.
Seanm
pfm Member
Essence of British conservatism I’m afraid. The right need an imaginative, reasonable, compassionate voice real bad, they’ve become animals.
Paul R
pfm Member
Your inability to read seldom disappoints.
Paul R
pfm Member
There are bays reserved for the disabled (as I stated from memory of using it), but there are no disabled concessions.
Water Eaton, which is close by, is a better choice for casual disabled travellers to Oxford city centre, because there is no need to enter registration numbers into recalcitrant machines. Perhaps Pear Tree for the regular disabled commuter with a season ticket. Not much to do with apparently unbalanced parking provision at the new station though. Or anywhere else for that matter.
Does this mean disabled people in Fred Perry T-shirts and chinos looking for a bit of aggro on the way to the football?
MikeMA
pfm Member
I know next to nothing about Isabel Oakshott or disabled parking at this particular station, but I'm convinced that public parking for disabled people could be better organised, particularly from the point of view of people with disabilities. For instance, in public car parks, why aren't disabled drivers with a blue badge allowed to park free in any space if the designated bays are full? Not all disabled drivers or passenger need the extra width bays.
Mike Hughes
pfm Member
Hmm. Let’s start with addressing the fact that the spaces are clearly not disabled. These are accessible parking spaces.
Then let’s look at what we actually have, which is no more than a snap shot of one location at one time. Evidence it over 24 hours and 7 days and there’s maybe a conversation to be had about proportionality but generally this is unevidenced trolling at best.
I haven’t bothered to read the Twitter thread as I can imagine the arguments and I know the various ratios inside out. What I’m not seeing here though is any recognition that a car park with say 6 accessible spaces out of 100 but most of the 100 empty would simply not attract comment. I’m also not seeing any recognition that these spaces are not just for visitors but also employees and people using nearby public transport. Then there’s the small matter that if you want to convince potential employees that people with impairments are welcome then you don’t do that by not having enough spaces in the first place. The very slow move to blanket border coverage of a building is an excellent thing but largely misunderstood as is the fact that blue badges are increasingly used by/for people to act on the behalf of people with limited mobility.
The only actual issue here is that the spaces themselves are poorly designed and that will have contributed significantly to their under use. Not one person here has picked up on that. Anyone on Twitter? I’m guessing not! There should be drop kerbs behind each space, or, level access. Anyone parking there with a chair in the passenger seat would be okay getting it out but where do you then go? No nearby safe route to a pavement anywhere in sight. If you have to get the chair out of the boot you usually want to do that away from the road (to avoid the risk of it or you rolling into the road) so you’d reverse into the space. After you’ve done that here you’re stuffed. Nowhere to go. Comically but overwhelmingly prevalent bad design. No more. No less.
Oh and let’s not forget to factor in that if the move from DLA to PIP removes peoples Motability vehicles then funnily enough that might just be another contributory factor to alleged under use.
Then let’s look at what we actually have, which is no more than a snap shot of one location at one time. Evidence it over 24 hours and 7 days and there’s maybe a conversation to be had about proportionality but generally this is unevidenced trolling at best.
I haven’t bothered to read the Twitter thread as I can imagine the arguments and I know the various ratios inside out. What I’m not seeing here though is any recognition that a car park with say 6 accessible spaces out of 100 but most of the 100 empty would simply not attract comment. I’m also not seeing any recognition that these spaces are not just for visitors but also employees and people using nearby public transport. Then there’s the small matter that if you want to convince potential employees that people with impairments are welcome then you don’t do that by not having enough spaces in the first place. The very slow move to blanket border coverage of a building is an excellent thing but largely misunderstood as is the fact that blue badges are increasingly used by/for people to act on the behalf of people with limited mobility.
The only actual issue here is that the spaces themselves are poorly designed and that will have contributed significantly to their under use. Not one person here has picked up on that. Anyone on Twitter? I’m guessing not! There should be drop kerbs behind each space, or, level access. Anyone parking there with a chair in the passenger seat would be okay getting it out but where do you then go? No nearby safe route to a pavement anywhere in sight. If you have to get the chair out of the boot you usually want to do that away from the road (to avoid the risk of it or you rolling into the road) so you’d reverse into the space. After you’ve done that here you’re stuffed. Nowhere to go. Comically but overwhelmingly prevalent bad design. No more. No less.
Oh and let’s not forget to factor in that if the move from DLA to PIP removes peoples Motability vehicles then funnily enough that might just be another contributory factor to alleged under use.
droodzilla
pfm Member
Excellent post Mike.