By CASEY NEILL
COMMUTERS with walkers and wheelchairs might not be able to access the revamped Springvale Railway Station.
This was the fear councillor Roz Blades raised at Monday night’s City of Greater Dandenong council meeting.
She said there was one disabled access ramp planned for the station which is undergoing a makeover during the removal of the Springvale Road railway crossing.
“Not all residents will be able to use the station with this ramp,” she said.
“Several people who used walkers said they couldn’t negotiate the ramp.”
Cr Blades said commuters with a mild disability would be able to us the ramp but those with walkers or wheelchairs would have “real difficulty” because of its length and incline.
The council’s engineering services director Bruce Rendall agreed to write to Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder to express concern.
Cr Blades also urged the municipality’s disability support and advocacy groups to write to the minister.
She said the State Government might be reticent to include a lift in the plan because of problems at other stations, including Dandenong where they are often not working.
Advocate Katrina Newman from the Disability Resources Centre (DRC), which has an office in Dandenong, said “the DRC’s position is that they would prefer that all stations were developed with a lift and ramps that were built to Australian standards”.
Ms Newman said the standards included regular rest areas along ramps if they were quite steep.
“As long as it’s built to Australian standards that’s the most important thing,” she said.
Work on the Springvale Road rail crossing removal project is now underway and is due to be completed by late next year.
The grade separation includes making Springvale a fully-manned premium station with below-ground platforms, better pedestrian access and a shared user path.
The Star contacted the State Government for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.
