"Bruce" wrote in message ...

George wrote:

On Nov 19, 11:02 am, MaxB wrote:
says Valerie Shawcross

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11792421

I think!

MaxB

Does anybody really think wheelchair users are ever going to be able
to use the tube? Val Shawcross and the like just can't grasp the fact
that many disabled people don't want to use public transport, it just
isn't a viable option for them and it never will be.


It obviously hasn't occurred to you that the main reason that disabled
people don't use public transport is that it is mostly inaccessible.

It is quite wrong to say many disabled people don't *want* to use
public transport. They just don't want to use a system that offers
difficult and/or restricted access. Hardly a surprise.

People like you seem to forget that the vast majority of disabled
people used to be able-bodied but have become incapacitated through
illness, accident or military service. They aren't a different
species. They are just like you and me, except for impaired mobility.

People like you seem to forget that accessibility issues also affect
parents with young children and people who are mobility impaired but
not in a wheelchair. Just try taking a small child on the Tube with a
pushchair. Or more than one child. It's a nightmare.

You make it sound as though you would like public transport to be made
inaccessible to all but able-bodied people so you can be spared the
sight of freaks in wheelchairs, and small children. ;-)
-----------------

I am always surprised that people equate disability = wheelchair. Disability
comes in many shapes and sizes, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
(I believe) I am disabled. But I don't need a wheelchair, a seeing or
hearing dog, a carer or anyone else to look after me. Just how many people
are we really talking about here i.e. those who actually can't walk, live
somewhere near a tube and actually want to use it. Not a huge number I
suspect. Public transport is by definition a mass transit system and,
equally, by definition, cannot be all things to all people.

MaxB