Sunday 26 November 2017

Transport or no transport?

I have just been reading about someone else's transport worries. Her local station is under thread of imminent closure. She uses a wheelchair and the train service is essential.
Some time back our line was closed for a long period. The interstate gauge and the local gauge are different and the government decided to "put this right". What it meant was making one line a dedicated interstate line and leaving the other line as the local line. It made the local line a "single track working". They used it as an excuse to close several stations. 
When I was a kitten the train went a lot further up into the hills. It was, among other things, a fun day out for us. There was a lot to see on the trip. The line was well used. I suppose fewer people had cars and the "freeway" did not exist. Now people can belt up and down the freeway and prefer to travel in their cars.
That's all very well but for those of us who rely on public transport in any form it can be a disaster. The only form of local public transport I can use are the trains. I need to take my trike with me and I am not permitted to take it on the buses. It is classed as a "bike" rather than a "mobility aid". 
It means I don't go far unless Middle Cat acts as a sort of taxi service or someone is willing to pick me up. I am not comfortable about asking people to do that unless I can do something in return. No,  they shouldn't have to do it.
I fall between the cracks when it comes to eligibility for taxi vouchers too.
And, if they close a station, then I either have to ride further - or I just can't get there. I'm one of the lucky ones in that respect. For my friend it will be even more of a problem. Pushing herself to the next station along the line  just isn't an option.
There is very little sympathy around for this sort of thing. It's "well get a taxi then". Hold it right there. Taxis are expensive and "access" cabs are particularly unreliable because there simply aren't enough of them - especially at the times they are most likely to be needed. 
Tell people that and there is a shrug of the shoulders and they say, "Well, don't go anywhere then."
When someone points out that they need to get to a medical appointment there is, "Well, I suppose you do need to do that."
But if you want to go to a social event then forget it. "Look it's too bad you can't go but you can't expect to get help for something like that."
And the other day Middle Cat had to take me somewhere so that I could provide some communication assistance for someone at a medical appointment. She happened to mention this to a doctor and say that taxi vouchers for that sort of thing might help. The response was, "Perhaps she just needs to cut back on her charitable work."
But it wasn't charitable work. It was an essential service for the other person. Someone had to provide it. It allowed a doctor to provide a service in almost the same amount of time as he would to any other patient. There would have been no question about a profoundly deaf person taking an interpreter along so why should the needs of a person who uses another means of communication be ignored? And why should transport be such an issue? 
Transport issues can severely restrict a person's capacity to be employed but they can also impact on every other aspect of their lives. And yes, your resident cat is feeling grouchy and growling again. Am I being unreasonable?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am often surprised by people’s inability to consider others’ needs and wants. And the consequences of their decisions!

Here in Melbourne, the tram system is (slowly) undergoing reform. To make journey times faster, some stops are going to be eliminated. The spokesman for the Public Transport Users’ Association pointed out that making the nearest stop a further 500 metres away was like expecting someone to park his/her car 500 metres away from the destination. (No responses to that, as far as I am aware.)

I think planners and rule makers should try living in others’ shoes/wheelchairs for a while - a week, say! Nothing like experience as a teacher.

LMcC

Momkatz said...

What a rude, thoughtless thing for the doctor to say. Surely, like in our country, not everyone owns a car. We have the same problems here, Cat. A desperate need for decent, reliable funded transportation for those that need it and a snowball's chance in the Hot Place of receiving any help. Growl all you want, I am growling with you.
USA Big Sister