[sustran] [sustran] access for the dis(differently) abled

[SUSTRAN Resource Centre]

Some good news from Monday's demonstration in Bangkok. Also more
suggestions for follow-up.
Paul


Subject: BOUNCE sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org:    Non-member submission
from [san.unescap at un.org]   
...
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 22:13:26 -0400
To: .....long recipient list suppressed
Subject: sustran access for dis(differently) abled persons
...

     Dear Mr John Whitelegg,
     
     I am grateful to Paul Barter for linking us up and generating so 
     quickly support for Topong and other Thai disabled persons today.    
     
     Thank you for your response and the information on the two new MPs.
     
     I have just spoken with Topong who informed me that the Royal Thai 
     Government has agreed to share with the Bangkok Metropolitan 
     Administration (BMA) the cost of introducing access in five new 
     stations by 5 December 1999 so that Thai persons with disabilities 
     will be able to join in the inauguration of the new mass transit 
     system on that day.  I am sure that Topong will send more details 
     himself when he has recovered.
     
     I have further encouraged Topong to write up his experiences since the 
     very beginning.  This would be one contribution to the proposed WTPP 
     edition.  Topong has a video tape of today's demo.  There is also an 
     earlier video of a demo for the same purpose held in 1994.
     
     There are altogether 23 new stations in the Bangkok system. Today's 
     government agreement on cost sharing (to enable the BMA to honour an 
     earlier agreement concerning the introduction of access in five 
     stations) is only a beginning.  We need to find various ways of 
     encouraging timely government decisions on access provisions at the 
     planning stage.  For those already building new or renovating existing 
     mass transit systems, somewhat different strategies may be needed.  
     
     What are the arguments for and against, the options and the strategies 
     that have worked?  Under what circumstances were those strategies 
     effective?  What are the experiences of failure and success in 
     promoting transport access?  For those engaged in advocacy on this 
     issue, this type of information is vital. 
     
     We also need to introduce transport access as a key issue in forums on 
     infrastructure development attended by hard-nosed decision-makers, 
     especially to influence both public and private sector decisions in 
     the developing countries.  I recall the Kuala Lumpur (KL) experience 
     in which the private sector entity  refused to introduce access to the 
     system it was building, while the government officials were supportive 
     of the transport access issue and the efforts made by disabled persons 
     to convince the private sector to change.  Paul Barter has access to a 
     key disabled person, Christine Lee Soon Kup, who had been involved in  
     the KL experience.  So another possibility of a paper from KL.
     
     Concerning more information from this part of the world, you might 
     approach Mr. Mike J. Legge, Section Engineering Manager (Building 
     Design), MTR Corporation, Hong Kong SAR, China, for a case-study on 
     the Hong Kong SAR experience, which has some very useful lessons for 
     transport decision-makers in the Asia-Pacific region.  Mr Legge has an 
     interesting story to share; his email is: mike at mtrcorp.com 
     
     The Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development 
     Division of ESCAP had taken a first step on this in 1997 when it 
     agreed to a proposal from the Social Development Division (also in 
     ESCAP) to introduce the issue of public transport access for the first 
     time at ESCAP's intergovernmental legislative committee forum on 
     transport matters.  However, far more needs to be done to mainstream 
     this issue into infrastructure development policy, planning and 
     programming assistance by inter-governmental bodies.
     
     Yes, the attention of the World Bank, as also that of the regional 
     banks, should indeed be drawn to the issue of transport access and the 
     needs of transport disadvantaged persons.  With Kalle Konkkola of the 
     National Council on Disability, Helsinki, I hope to be able to make an 
     attempt with the Asian Development Bank in the very near future. 
     
     Yes, I agree with Eric Britton, there is an urgent need for a special 
     millennium WTPP edition - on the right to accessible public transport!
     
     Looking forward to the edition,
     
     Best wishes,
     
     San Yuenwah (ms, family name: san)
     Disability programme/Disadvantaged Groups Section
     Social Development Division
     United Nations
     Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
     Rajdamnern Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand 
     san.unescap at un.org
     http://www.unescap.org/decade (ESCAP homepage on the Asian and Pacific 
     Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002: Full Participation and 
     Equality)          

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