Canning Bridge Rail Station is a significant hazard for disabled passengers. Just getting to the station is difficult enough for the rest of us. Disabled people find it almost impossible. One must brave the traffic to get in from the Fremantle side or climb a steep path and negotiate a number of steps and kerbs on the western approach.
There is no suitable drop- off point so drivers just block the left- hand lane while delivering or collecting their disabled passengers on the Canning Highway level. This creates yet more hazard for other road users.
Having got to the top of the station it then gets worse! There is a lift to the south- bound platform but for people heading to Perth City, there is just the set of stairs. The lift- well for north- bound travellers has no equipment in it at all. This makes wheelchair access for City workers impossible and other means of ascent and descent just plain painful.
Oh, there is a lift to the Perth platform, but to get to that facility one must cross the traffic to the centre island; this is only for those who enjoy sweat and adrenaline.
Surely we can do better.
3 comments:
I totally agree with your observationns Pete. And they apply to not just disabled people, but access by prams, and anyone with mobility difficulties, such as elderly. What worries me most is when a lift is not working, stranding people who need it on the platform, which is a safety concern! Imagine being reliant upon wheelchair for mobility, arriving at the station by train mid evening and discovering the lift is not working.
Further, pedestrian access to this station is very poor. Pedestrian must wait for pedestrian signals too many times. There also needs to be a better barrier at the west end of the central bus platform to preventing people crissung traffic where there are no pedestrian signals.
With Climate Change clearly an issue that needs addressing, this station does not encourage use of the train and in my opinion is not a welcoming environment ofr pedestrians.
What are we going to do about it? Can the City's Canning Bridge Station Precinct Planning Study address tese issues?
This is not a new problem and has been an issue since the opening of the Canning Bridge rail station. The issues have been brought to the attention of the City of South Perth, Main Roads, and the DPI, on numerous occasions, and also to the Consultants doing the current Canning Bridge Study (which is now overdue by three months). The only way any action will be taken is when someone is unfortunately maimed or killed. Until then, we run the gauntlet! It's a pity that we can't get Canning Bridge Rail Station fixed before the South Perth Rail Station is even considered!
I agree with everything you have said about the Canning Bridge train station. For months now constituents have complained to me about poor access from the Como side, especially for elderly people who feel threatened trying to cross the busy roads, even with the aid of traffic lights. I have raised the matter with the Minister for Transport and will be urging the Government for some urgent action.
John McGrath
MLA
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