Access–Ability

New Delhi: New bus shelters fail audit test

An access audit of the new bus shelters of the Delhi Transport Corporation has revealed that certain flaws exist in them which need to be rectified in new designs to match international standards and guidelines. After conducting a thorough study in Delhi, non–government organisation “Swayam” has made certain recommendations to the DTC in order to make these shelters user friendly.

The organization, which has been working towards making India accessible to all and initiated activities to kick off a chain of events that would also make it barrier free, has noted that most of the bus shelters are currently being developed and this is the stage when the changes can be incorporated.

The study, conducted by the organization under its director Abha Negi, has found that in most of the shelters the kerb ramp constructed on both sides of the bus shelter to help the elderly and passengers with disabilities reach the bus bay from the road is right in the path of the bus which is dangerous and highly unsafe for use.

Also, it said there is a danger of the wheelchair slipping backwards on to the path of the oncoming bus due to the high gradient and slippery surface of the kerb ramp. The ramp does not allow independent access to the bus shelter for wheelchair users and persons with reduced mobility due to the steep gradient, it said.

Further, Swayam has stated that the hand rails though resent are incorrectly placed and do not really serve the purpose of assisting the people with reduced mobility.

The organization has said it is also unsafe to have the kerb ramps so close to the bus bays because the drivers park the buses randomly to pick up passengers. Finally, Swayam has also spoken against the use of slippery tiles or material in the flooring of the bus shelters.
It has suggested that there should be flared kerbed ramps at a minimum distance of three metres before and after the bus boarding bays for safe access to the bus boarding bay and out of the pathway of approaching buses.

Then the slope leading up to the bus shelter from the flared kerb ramp should be as per the required international standard specification of 1:12. Once the correct gradient of 1:12 would be maintained the placement of the flared kerb ramp would move out of harms way of the buses.

In some places, it was also observed that the kerbed ramps were so placed that when a bus stopped at the designated bus bay, it completely blocked access to the kerbed ramps.
Therefore, Swayam has stated that is imperative to have the flared kerbed ramps placed at least three metres away from the path of the on coming bus to make the bus shelters more accessible and non hazardous

Source: New DTC bus shelters not safe for disabled: Study, The Hindu, New Delhi, 26 November 2007.