Key Points
- About a quarter of Melbourne’s 1600+ tram stops support level-access boarding.
- Public transport infrastructure, including trams stops were supposed to be accessible by the end of 2022.
- There is no independent body that monitors compliance with the standards.
Bram Heinrich-McPartlan feels insulted by something in this photograph.
What bothers them about this typical Melbourne street view is something that also affects others who rely on wheelchairs or mobility devices as they do.
This is one of more than a thousand tram stops in Melbourne, Mx Heinrich-McPartlan, and others are unable to use because it has not been made wheelchair accessible.
They said the fact that Australia’s public networks were given 20 years to make their network infrastructure accessible and fell short has not surprised them.
“It’s more insulting than surprising,” they said.
Bram Heinrich-McPartlan says inaccessible public transport means a portion of society is unable to engage with their community in the way they'd like to. Source: Supplied
Mx Heinrich-McPartlan is among those calling on the Victorian government to guarantee the completion of accessible tram stops on Sydney Road before closing train stations to construct the Sky Rail.
Accessibility deadline for public transport not met
The legislated Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport required public transport infrastructure to be accessible by the end of 2022.
While this included tram stops and buses, the actual trains and trams do not have to comply until the end of 2032.
Minister Catherine King, who holds the Infrastructure and Transport portfolios, did not respond to specific questions from SBS News about why the deadline was not met.
A spokeswoman for the minister said some modes in Australia's public transport network were still "making progress towards meeting their final targets under the Standards".
A discussion paper for the 2022 Review of the Transport Standards was released for public consultation at the end of last year, and federal, state and territory transport ministers have agreed to develop plans to implement reforms to the Transport Standards.
While it has been estimated that , the government would not comment on this other than saying there had been "major improvements and investment in accessible public transport".
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth did not respond when asked by SBS News what percentage of public transport networks across Australia were accessible.
Instead, she encouraged people with disability to have their say on the review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 and spoke about Australia's Disability Strategy 2021-2031.
"Under the strategy, all levels of government have a commitment to ensuring that transport systems are accessible for the whole community," she said.
Chair of the National Inclusive Transport Advocacy Network Richard Witbreuk pointed out that there was no independent body that monitors compliance with the standards.
"The issue of compliance is significant," he said.
Mr Witbreuk called for open and transparent reporting of compliance with the standards.
"We require a consistent reporting mechanism that ensures all state jurisdictions are collecting the same data and reporting on the same issues," he said.
Melbourne's tram network
About a quarter of Melbourne's 1600+ tram stops have support level-access boarding.
A spokesperson for the Victorian government said preliminary design work was underway for the Sky Rail project, and the government was looking "to strike a balance between the needs of all transport users, traders and people who live in the community".
"Passengers with accessibility issues are factored into the planning for transport operations during major disruptions such as the closure of the Upfield Line, with accessible replacement buses provided and staff on hand to provide assistance," they said.
Reality for those who rely on wheelchairs or mobility aids
Melbourne may have a network of trains, trams and buses, but Mx Heinrich-McPartlan said they could only use trains because the other modes were inaccessible.
The 31-year-old has relied on a wheelchair for the past five years due to a degenerative illness that affects their mobility.
Community members rallied earlier in the month, calling for the Victorian government to guarantee the completion of accessible tram stops on Sydney Road before construction of the Sky Rail begins. Source: Supplied
"If it's during rush hour, they won't stop for wheelchair users because they don't feel they have time to put down the ramp," they said.
"If you're the only one waiting there, they don't even stop for you."
Tram stops are made accessible through the installation of an elevated part of the road that is flush with the tram when a tram stops and can be accessed smoothly using a wheelchair.
"I tried for the first like year to just continue using public transit as normal, and it was such a nightmare that now I have to get support workers to drive me everywhere, which is not great because it means that everything has to be heavily planned in advance."
They said they spent 95 per cent of their time at home.
"When I do need to go out, I'm getting driven by someone. I know that's not a luxury that a lot of people have, so a lot of people I know are just sort of locked at home," they said.
"If you can't engage in the community, then that isolation just completely ruins the way you think about yourself and about the world, it's a matter of public health and safety."
They pointed out that it wasn't just those with disabilities that were impacted but also people with babies or young children in prams and older people.
"As long as not everyone can use it. It's not proper public transit," they said.
There is no independent body that monitors the accessibility of Australian public transport networks against the standards. Source: Getty / Ratchapon Supprasert
Transport networks that don't comply with accessibility requirements
Public transport networks that contravene the Transport Standards may be open to complaints being made to the Australian Human Right Commission, and depending on the outcome, the matter could be dealt with in court.
But Mx Heinrich-McPartlan does not believe the onus should be on those impacted by a lack of accessibility.
"It's already more work to exist as a disabled person than an abled person, everything you do, takes at least as much effort and about twice as long and relies on other people, so you're just tired all the time," they said.
"And then we're having to put in a huge amount of extra energy that we don't really have to argue for the basic human rights that we are legally entitled to."
