Last week I had a look at tram stops that are triply inaccessible – where the only way to leave the tram stop is a set of stairs. But there is another feature of tram stop platforms that render them inaccessible – inconsistent platform heights. A tale of legacy platform stops Melbourne has a number […]
The inaccessibility of Melbourne’s tram network is well known, thanks to hundreds of high floor trams still making up the fleet and modern low floor trams still using old fashioned street level tram stops. However there is a handful of tram stops that have a third level of inaccessibility – the only way to access […]
You might have noticed something about Melbourne’s railway station footbridges – they are bloody high, with long ramps and stairs leading up to them. So why do they need to be so high above the tracks?
Last week I detailed the accident of history that saw ramps being favoured over stairs on Melbourne’s railway network, despite the absence of any requirement to provide easy access for people with disabilities. So how has the network developed since then, and why have a combination of lifts and ramps become the current standard? Entering […]
In your travels by train around Melbourne, you might have noticed something – the vast majority of stations are accessed via ramps, not stairs. This is reinforced by the current version of the Public Transport Victoria network map, which states – “Step free access at all stations except Heyington”. This sounds like quite a win for accessibility, and the result of years of hard and diligent work – but in reality it is just an accident of history based on the way that Melbourne’s rail network was built.
