On the 15th of July, Dr. Emmanuel Matsika, a senior researcher at the Future Mobility Group (FMG), Newcastle University, gave an open lecture on “Accessible Rail Station Platform Independent Gap Filler for of Persons with Reduced Mobility”. In the lecture, Dr. Matsika highlighted that we must design transport systems that are inclusive because persons with reduced mobility are not necessarily a small group of people. People with reduced mobility can be classified as elderly people, unaccompanied and accompanied children, people with heavy/bulky luggage, people with temporary difficulties and persons with disabilities such as physical, visual, hearing, communication impairments. Expanding the definition of persons with reduced mobility can include 50% of public transport users and non-users.

image from google

Dr. Matsika referred to a local elderly man who used a wheelchair and he had not used the passenger railway system in 30 years because it was inaccessible. The horizontal and vertical gap between the carriage and the platform prevent or impair various users from accessing the carriages. The gaps can be reduced using platform based and vehicle-based solutions. A good example of a vehicle-based solution is MyCiti’s ramp systems that is operated by the driver of the bus. These depend on the manufacturer of the vehicles. Platform based solutions such as automatic ramps are advantageous because they allow any platform to be retrofitted.

SAICE WC would again like to thank Dr. Matsika for taking the time to present and Prof. Vanderschuren for organising and hosting the event.

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