Dear Satguru, I am happy that you have initiated this so very important yet ignored subject. Most users with disabilities do suffer the inaction on the part of DTC conductors. In fact after the arrival of new low floor buses, the conductors have become relaxed since the route number etc is displayed digitally on the front, rear and the boarding side of the buses in Hindi and English. Therefore, they feel there is no need to shout out the route number and bus stops without realizing the fact that there are many who due to various reasons including visual disabilities, illiteracy, or due to being new in the city and not aware about the geography, can not make sense of written numbers and unknown or not so popular destinations.
We are touching several such related themes in the forthcoming 13th International Conference on the Mobility & Transport for the Elderly and the Disabled Persons in New Delhi for which abstracts have been extended till 15th August for Indian Authors. Theme J: Potential of Technology in Accessibility for All (Information Technology, Accessibility Aids etc.) is the best theme under which articles on all technological innovations including those of web access guidelines etc, screen readers, etc can be discussed. I once again appeal all interested persons to write abstracts on issues of mobility, travel, technology, transport solutions etc and submit online at www.transed2012.in The issue mean while has larger implications for the stakeholders in Delhi. Most pedestrian pathways are not continuous and are full of barriers. Today you can not cross any road safely as there is no accessible and safe pathway/ zebra crossing. At few places where there are crossing, you can not cross them because the vehicles would not stop and you keep risking your life or wait for all vehicles to pass. The whole road culture has degraded and this is no body's area, however, it is leading to chaos on Delhi Roads. I am sure it must be similar with most urban and semi urban cities and town across India. This needs to be questioned so that commuters, pedestrians- the first road users feel safe and comfortable and persons with disabilities feel safe in using pedestrian infrastructure, roads and transport systems. regards Subhash Chandra Vashishth On 27 July 2011 16:49, Satguru <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi all, > Sorry for this lengthy mail but I'd try to make as short as I can. > I would like to draw your attention towards a very important issue. Friends > specially from Delhi may please pitch in and give their inputs. > > I think, everyone must have noticed that In Delhi, the private buses, or > what we used to call them "Blue line busses" are no more on the roads except > few roots in Delhi. > Whatever reason may be to get them off the road, I personally think, those > were quite accessible to us as the conductor used to call the names of the > stops that the bus is going to cover and a visually impaired person standing > on the bus stop could easily find the right bus even without any sighted > assistance. Now, in these low floor busses, be it Green busses, Redline, > Orange busses, AC/nonAC, it is almost impossible for a VI to get the right > bus without asking someone standing next to him as the DTC conductors don't > call the names of the stops. I had once got to know that there is clearly > written on every bus stop that conductor will have to call the stops names > for persons with vision problem but noone cares about that. To cut the story > short, there is no way out by which a visually impaired person can know the > number of the bus or the root of that bus. > > I had once seen some device being developed at IIT Delhi but don't know > much about its current status. > > It was said and written in 1995 that the government shall frame schemes and > allocate funds to make the transport accessible to visually impaired and in > 2010, the government made sure here in Delhi at least that whatever > accessibility is left, just take it away! > > I appeal to one and all to come up with the ideas which could insure that > the transport which is the one of the most important part of our day to day > life becomes accessible to us and necessity of taking help from others is > reduced to minimum. > > Hoping for a healthy discussion on this. > > Satguru > ___,__.___ > "Life's battle do not always go, to the stronger or faster man. But sooner > or later the one who wins, is the one who thinks he can." > > Satguru Rathi. > Mobile: +91-9971231627 > Email: [email protected] > [email protected] > Skype: satgururathi > Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002489756116 > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > -- Warm regards, Subhash Chandra Vashishth Mobile: +91 (11) 9811125521 Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. Consider environment! Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
