Imagine this: New tram stops are being built, but they're specifically designed in a way that excludes wheelchair users. This is the reality for some residents of North Melbourne, and it's raising some serious questions.
Disability advocates are up in arms over the state government's plans to revamp tram stops on Victoria, Errol, and Queensberry streets. The issue? The new designs won't include the raised platforms needed for wheelchair users and those with prams to easily access the trams, despite legal requirements.
The Department of Transport has proposed these changes to accommodate the larger G-class trams on Route 57. But here's where it gets controversial: the plans omit the crucial level-access platforms. While a department spokesperson has stated that these platforms are planned for the future, no specific timeline was provided.
Andrew Bretherton, a wheelchair user, isn't mincing words. He believes the government should simply build accessible platforms now. He points out that Victoria has already missed a 2022 deadline set by federal law to make all tram stops accessible.
"They see us as a cost-benefit analysis," Bretherton stated, "and I think they’ve determined that we are not worth the cost of making it accessible, which is frustrating.”
The proposed changes, released for public consultation, include merging some stops and removing 40 car parks to make way for the 25-meter long G-class trams. These new trams are nearly 50% longer than the oldest trams on the route. The plans also consider changes to the heritage bluestone kerbing to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.
But the absence of accessible platforms is a major sticking point. Bretherton argues that this exclusion forces people with mobility issues, elderly passengers, and parents with prams to rely on other, often less reliable, transport options like cars and taxis.
"When people can’t come into these spaces, it only leaves one option, which is a car," he said. "It’s just putting more pressure onto other stressed transport systems like taxis.”
And this is the part most people miss: Accessible taxis are often hard to find, making the lack of accessible tram platforms an even bigger problem.
An auditor-general report released last month revealed "little improvement in tram network accessibility" over the last five years, and the government is on track to miss another deadline to make the entire tram fleet accessible by 2032.
The planned changes involve merging stops on Victoria Street and Queensberry Street, with two options proposed for Errol Street. A Transport Department spokesperson said that the new stop locations would "set the foundation to build level-access stops in the future." While new platforms have recently been built on La Trobe Street and are under construction on Droop Street, Footscray, the spokesperson acknowledged that “there is more to do.”
What do you think? Is the government doing enough to ensure accessibility for all? Should accessible infrastructure be prioritized, even if it means additional costs or delays? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
