Friday March 31, 2006

Lack of facilities crippling the disabled

By LIM SHIE-LYNN

IT IS not the disability that cripples the physically challenged; it is the lack of facilities that causes this group of people to be immobile, said activist and The Star columnist T. Anthony.

Commenting on the condition of the public transportation in the country, Anthony, who is wheelchair-bound, felt that it was the biggest handicap to the disabled, especially those dependent on a wheelchair for mobility.

“The Government has to make sure that physically challenged persons are included in the blueprint of new (public transportation) projects, as most existing projects are not wheel-chair-friendly at all”, he said.

Concurring with Anthony, T. Francis lamented that disabled people were always overlooked when new public transportation projects were introduced.

Many taxi drivers are not helpful to handicapped people in wheelchairs.

“RapidKL was the latest project and once again, the needs of disabled people were not addressed,” bemoaned the fellow wheelchair user .

Francis, who is also the Independent Living and Training Centre president, added that the commuter train to KLIA did not have sufficient areas on it designated for wheelchair commuters.

He also highlighted the fact that most bus stops had high dividers, which were a hindrance that prevented them from taking the bus.

Many taxi drivers are not helpful, said Francis, who is often confronted by drivers who refuseoutright to transport him or who charge exorbitant fares simply because he is on a wheelchair.

“The drivers grumble a lot and some are very rude.

“Many of us are ailing as we are unable to rely on public transportation to get to the clinics for check-ups”, he added.

The scenario is just as bad for those who are not physically challenged.

Documentation clerk Calvin Leow worries that he would be late to work when the KTM Komuter train is delayed. And he worries even more when it rains heavily.

“I travel from Port Klang to Subang Jaya and back every day, so when the Batu Tiga station is affected I have trouble getting home,” he said.

Even in good weather he complained that the train is slow in the mornings, the air-conditioning doesn't work and the seat cushions smell.

A university lecturer who only wanted to be identified as Dr Roy, 44, spends more than three hours commuting to work – by train, bus and taxi – these are her 'staple' modes of public transport most days.

“The Putra LRT should increase the frequency of their trains and they should come at four-minute intervals instead of the seven-minute intervals during peak hours,” she suggested.

“There are more people taking the LRT following the petrol price increase so the train should be properly maintained,” she added.

Sales and marketing executive HY Woon, who shared Dr Roy's sentiments, hopes Putra LRT would expand its services to other places.

Siblings R. Thanuja, 20, and Vidhya, 23, are dependent on taxis to get to college and work, respectively.

“We take cabs almost every day and we've had our fair share of rude taxi drivers and meter terbang (tampered meters),” Thanuja said.

The two claimed that they pay double the usual taxi fare almost every week because the meters have been tampered with.

Vidhya added some drivers are rude when she asks for a receipt.

Every day, security guard G. Venu and his wife M. Manni take four buses from their home in Selayang Baru to Petaling Jaya.

They say they have to have to catch the earliest bus to work simply because the bus drivers laze around mamak stalls and smoke, instead of leaving the bus stand on time.

“People in Selayang are suffering because the RapidKL bus drivers are lazy and we are always late for work,” the 62-year-old said.

He added that he has made numerous complaints to the bus company in the past, but there was no improvement.

“The drivers are still rude. These people should be giving the public transport not, giving the public trouble.”

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