I've not wanted to wade into this.....
Everyone has their own opinions on this, everyone can view things with their own unique perspective that they have, the life experiences they have experienced etc.
You can view that video on so many levels-
The simple oh they didn't put the ramp down for the disabled man.
Some see these lazy, arrogant, racist, unhelpful, ill mannered, union militants- who are drivers, guards, second guard, station staff- whatever they don't know the grades and the roles all they see is the railway- and all the negative conations that the railway have confirmed for them.
Yep- both parties haven't come across well- you can defend both their actions- from your own personal view point. That view point maybe as a disabled person- it maybe as staff. If I was disabled I would see it from the disabled angle. That this is shocking, that this is typical, that everyone is so unhelpful to the disabled etc. That would be the life I know. That I see finger pointing, that I see I'm scared I'm going to be assaulted.
Or from the staff point of view- I can't take this wheelchair- I've explained why but the punter won't accept my reason, I've got a camera pointed in my face. This guy is a proper charlie.
I won't go on but my experiences of the railway and the disabled is very positive. The training is excellent- there is a really good video produced by one of the disabled charities that is shown and discussed. A disabled person comes in and talks about their life. The whole legal aspect is gone through in length but most people don't even think about DDA, they don't go and spew off about stuff- they just do it. Not because someone has so many rights but because they want to help. Ramps and wheelchairs the blind the elderly the infirm it is all covered. You also get stuff about hidden disabilities. Why is this spotter behaving like this- ah I see now- but its not obvious at first. We even get to role play at being a difficult disabled passenger. On most briefs or rides if there is time you demonstrate ramp usage.
We have to remember so much when it comes to DPPP. How can you expect disabled joe public to understand? All they want is to get from A to B. They don't know that, well actually to get to B you have to go to C and come back on same train to B but on the opposite side.
The railways are victorian- not all stations are suitable. The investment will never get every station up to DDA standards. The "Access for All" fund however is making a great difference. Where before you had to ring ahead, get the booking office to close, get them across a barrow crossing, wait until it's safe to cross- now they can just go down in the lift.
142s are horrible trains for everyone and not just the disabled. There are issues with the bump ramp, Northern in the last few months have put up notices about them. The ramps themselves are heavy, cumbersome and to be honest quite a faff. To get to the ramp you may have to close the leaf doors to get in. What a good idea put a ramp behind the door so when the door is open the ramp is now trapped behind this door. You then have to unlock the ramp- the metal restraining holder then usually comes loose from the fixing crashing to the floor. The bump ramp then falls over. Try and get the ramp onto the stepwell with out whacking anyone. Usually at this stage you get impatient passengers trying to barge on past you.
The ramp is quite long and on most platforms there isn't much leeway to fit the ramp and for the wheelchair to roll off. At some stops you can't actually get a ramp down on the platform because it is too narrow. Others you have to buzz the driver up and work together to stop the train right on the dot so that the door lines up with a wider part of the platform. Passenger gets off- we can't do anything beyond the platform for them. Then have to put the ramp away- other passengers will be walking up the ramp now. Close the door so you can secure it on the bulkhead. Trying to get the ramp and bump ramp to slot back in again can be like trying to get a square through a circle. Carry out your station working duties, 2 and away and your about 5 down.
Then you have a situation that will hopefully never happen! 2x142s- call at a station that only takes 1 set. So as laid down in sectional appendix- local door only. Wheelchair wants on. Only open a single leaf door- how is a wheelchair going to get through that? Do you arm all doors and hope for the best- what about an OTMR download? Ok sorry mate can't take your wheelchair. Can you get the ramp for me please. Sorry can't get a wheelchair on at this stop. Ok ring for a taxi- no reception, no nrn, station has no or limited road access. What happens to the fella in the wheelchair now.
Then you have the eddie the eagle factor- some of the platforms are so low the ramp wouldn't reach the platform from the stepwell. Or the angle is so steep the forces of the gravity prevent a wheelchair being able to board or alight safely, even with the strength of the incredible hulk.
So it is not always a black and white case- of why couldn't you put the ramp down for me?
Well because it is physically impossible to do so, sorry. It's not my fault, getting aggressive and saying I'm assaulting you, bringing up a recent media incident where someone got the sack, pointing a camera in my face, not taking no for answer isn't going to get you on this train. If you wait another 12 minutes there will be a train you can get on.
All the staff on this board, will have dealt with many disabled passengers with no problems whatsoever. You get to know the regular disabled passengers, they know the score- you'd have thought "Mr K" would too since he uses the trains so often....
It is a BIG help if you can use DPRS- first thing I ask is do you have booked assistance? Most of the time the answer is no, so you ring ahead or don't ring ahead as you know that no one will come out and assist, easier sometimes to do it on your own, used to it after all. Answer yes ,no harm in doing a double check, help your mate out on the platform by telling them where about they are sat. Not as easy as you think- oh the disabled space? Well if you have mixed fleet or a mixed formation they could be stood with the ramp at the wrong end of the platform. Mate of mine told me they used to page out which RIO sets were running around on which services as the disabled space on the RIO sets was in A rather than E. Some guards he says would stick them in H if it was quiet (that's first class!).
Once I even had a phone call asking if I had an assist sheet attached to my diagram? The bloke responsible for DDA / DPPP had made a ghost booking and was wanting to know if it had been attached to my diagram- sadly not. The situation for mainline guards is different as they get a list of all the reservations, all the booked bikes and all the booked assistance which is great! It will never happen to us poor souls who work Pacers. This sheet goes into some detail- for example you see someone in a wheelchair- oh they want the ramp down- but no when they booked with DPRS they just want a helping hand with luggage.
We do what we can but guards are the ones in at the deep end. Lot of unstaffed stations, lot of turn up and go disabled passengers, even at major mainline staffed stations we are the ones who sort them out. Take Man Picc they must have a dedicated Network Rail assistance team, the blue vests and the nice bit of kit buggies. Yet it is the guard that had to deal with "Mr K" or rather didn't. Most major mainline stations have a special disabled assistance meet and greet point or an information kiosk and a booking office, maybe some barriers, gateline staff, platform staff yet they manage to get through all of them and get to me who puts them on. Then you have all the differing TOCs- at this mainline station, the bus company decided in 1997 to get rid off all the RO2 staff to save money, the other TOC still have platform staff but won't deal with our silly small unimportant trains even they are meant to deal with all disabled passengers not just the ones going on their TOCs trains. Some TOCs provide a dedicated team to assist disabled passengers- shame others don't see how much easier it is to have these but try and cover it with existing staff who maybe busying going about other duties.
Anyway things are only going to get worse with trial by youtube and the media feeding frenzy fueled by false claims and publicity. How many more photos of police parked on double yellow lines, or bus drivers supposedly turfing people off for breast feeding are we going to read or see? The railways and thousands of staff do a good job most of the time when it comes to the disabled. I remember watching a BBC show where they sent out disabled people undercover using public transport and they encountered no problems. We don't charge the disabled for using wheelchairs!
Right time to have some nice Swiss Cheese and watch Rashomon.
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