Submissions

To: Environment Canterbury
Date: October 2024

Purpose

This submission’s primary purpose is to provide feedback that ensures the plan promotes a safe, frequent, seamless, low-emission, and accessible public transport option for all Cantabrians, with particular attention to the needs of disabled people. DPA commends ECan’s engagement and initiatives while recommending enhancements in areas like accessibility features, safety on electric buses, and further scrutiny of the proposal to bring pets on buses.

Summary of DPA submission

DPA positively acknowledges ECan's proactive engagement with DPA and disabled people on public transport accessibility issues, particularly regarding Total Mobility and buses, through its Accessibility Reference Group.

DPA welcomes initiatives undertaken since the last plan, including the introduction of low flat fares, and Timaru's on-demand MyWay by Metro service.

DPA highlights concerns regarding accessibility and safety on electric buses, noting they often stop and restart suddenly, posing a potential safety risk for all passengers. Regarding the proposal to introduce pets on buses, DPA acknowledges the legal right of disabled people to bring guide dogs and disability assistance animals on public transport. However, DPA notes that untrained pets could affect the ability of trained assistance animals to safely support their owners.

DPA supports the plan's vision for public transport as a safe, frequent, seamless, and low-emission mode of choice, but recommends adding "accessible" to this vision statement in its broadest sense, to ensure full and easy access for all Cantabrians, including disabled people.

To further improve accessibility and safety, DPA offers specific recommendations regarding bus features including, for example, bus screens displaying real-time announcements being made audible so that blind and vision impaired people can listen to them.

Key recommendation:

DPA recommends that ECan review safety measures to mitigate these risks. Furthermore, DPA stresses the need for all buses contracted by ECan to be able to kneel upon customer request to facilitate easier boarding and alighting.

Regarding the proposal to introduce pets on buses, DPA expresses concerns that this move could negatively impact the ability of guide/assistance animals to safely support their owners. To address this, DPA recommends that if personal pets are allowed on buses (excluding legally entitled guide/assistance animals), they must be muzzled or contained in carriers to ensure the safety and well-being of all passengers.

That accessibility is explicitly added to the vision statement for public transport.

Supporting Statement 1:

This amendment ensures that the overarching goal of the plan is to prioritise full and easy access for all Cantabrians, recognizing the diverse needs of disabled individuals alongside other commuters.

Supporting Statement 2:

Explicitly integrating accessibility into the vision reinforces the importance of designing all public transport networks and associated technologies to meet universal design standards, thereby benefiting everyone and fostering truly inclusive communities.