The Minister for Transport is in the sights of a protest group from Woodford who have grown tired of waiting for disabled access, while watching Wentworth Falls and Leura gain significant “extra works” at their train stations.
Erzsi Gimes and Melinda Kelsey from the Woodford Railway Access Action Group [WRAAG] are anxiously awaiting a personal response from NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance who to date has fielded off their requests through a “customer relations manager”.
In a letter to Mr Constance sent this week, Mrs Kelsey said they were disappointed the government is spending money on “non-vital extras ... instead of making our station wheelchair accessible”.
“We are very happy about Wentworth Falls and Leura becoming wheelchair accessible but we are disillusioned that after two years of hard work, collecting 14,000 signatures, our predicament has fallen on deaf ears,” Mrs Kelsey said.
“Why did Leura and Wentworth Falls receive the ‘open cheque’ treatment to have their stations upgraded, including extra amenities, without doing all the hard work that our group WRAAG has done?” said Mrs Gimes, whose husband Peter's multiple sclerosis has left him wheelchair bound.
“It’s rubbing salt in the wounds to add upgraded toilets, kiss and ride zones, improved forecourts and a carpark extension when all stations should get access first,” she added.
As of August this year 154 stations out of 307 on the Sydney Trains and NSW networks were wheelchair accessible as part of a four year 890 million plan to improve disability access at train stations across the state.
A recent Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport stated the wheelchair accessibility of stations had improved from 98 stations (31.8 per cent) in 2007 to 146 stations (47.4 per cent) in 2013.
Woodford is not listed in the 24 current and upcoming works in the program but Wentworth Falls and Leura will be wheelchair accessible before 2018.
A spokesman for the minister said improving access to public transport was one of the government’s “key priorities”.
“Since 2011, 33 stations have become wheelchair accessible across NSW and we’re currently working on 20 stations to improve wheelchair accessibility. These include Wentworth Falls and Leura.”
“We know there’s plenty more to do and we want to assure customers at Woodford Station that an accessibility upgrade will continue to be considered as part of our Transport Access Program.”
Earlier this year Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle handed over a petition with more than 10,000 signatures in Parliament asking the NSW government for disability access to Woodford station. She said the Mid Mountains needed “urgent public transport infrastructure investment [as] communities like Woodford have waited long enough”.
