Page 3710 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 21 November 2006
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While territory and municipal services, which is the department responsible for ensuring Canberrans are able to access our city, endeavours to respond to and address access-related complaints as they are received, it also has an access action plan in place to provide a strategic framework to address systemic access issues. Implementation of the access action plan aims to improve the accessibility of our services through addressing physical access to transport vehicles and infrastructure as well as issues of policy and planning, information and communication.
To improve accessibility around Canberra, particularly for people with disabilities and limited mobility, the ACT government continues to install audible signals at traffic intersections, upgrade bus stops and taxi ranks for accessibility and install tactile indicator paving. The Department of Territory and Municipal Services also seeks community feedback on its accessibility through its community advisory group and has an internal disability reference group to monitor how access issues are being addressed across different areas.
In relation to accessible transport, ACTION’s fleet replacement program is a major component in providing accessible transport to the Canberra community, including the elderly and the infirm. ACTION is committed to complying with the commonwealth government’s Disability Discrimination Act 1992 targets. The government allocated $17.2 million over five years for the acquisition of 42 compressed natural gas, low-floor, accessible buses. In 2005-06 the remaining nine buses of the 2001-02 funding were delivered. In the 2005-06 budget the government allocated a further $4.84 million to purchase 11 more CNG buses.
Targets set under the Disability Discrimination Act require that a specified percentage of buses meet the standards by specified target dates. The first of these target dates is 31 December 2007, by which time 25 per cent of ACTION’S fleet must be fully accessible, 55 per cent compliance is required by 2012, 90 per cent by 2017 and by the end of 2022 full compliance is required. ACTION will meet the 2007 DDA compliance target by the end of December 2006 with the addition of 11 more CNG DDA-compliant wheelchair-accessible buses. This will take DDA compliance of ACTION’s fleet to 25.8 per cent.
Presently, accessible buses are used on the intertown 300 series routes and selected local routes, including those that travel to the hospitals. In Network 06 all weekend services on the south side will be scheduled with wheelchair-accessible buses. On the north side there will be 85 per cent coverage. As the percentage of the fleet that is accessible increases it will be possible to increase the number of fully accessible services available to persons with a disability. Some of the Network 06 initiatives that will benefit older members of the community include improved connections between intertown and evening and weekend services and morning services to Canberra railway station.
ACTION will also provide services to the following locations: the Canberra Eye Hospital, the National Zoo and Aquarium, the botanic gardens, Telstra Tower, and the CSIRO Discovery Centre for weekends and school holidays. The Australian War Memorial will also be included. There will be new services to Harrison. Currently there are 10 weekday services passing through Harrison in each direction, from the city and Gungahlin marketplace. This will increase to 22 services in each direction with the
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