The new Bayswater Station will be the first on Perth’s rail network to have an adult change facility, thanks to input from the METRONET Access and Inclusion Reference Group.
The public transport agency said that with around 400,000 Western Australians living with a disability, supporting and recognising the importance of access and inclusion was essential to ensure all passengers are catered for across the 23 new stations being delivered across the city and surroundings.
Drawing on their life experience, members of the Access and Inclusion Reference Group work closely with METRONET to provide input on the design, useability and accessibility of future stations, and matters impacting people with disability or mobility issues.
Change facilities cater for users with high support needs and their carers, where they require additional space, assistance and specialised equipment to allow them to use toilets safely and comfortably.
Group member Erika Webb and special guest and founder of GAM Industries, Greg Madson (and guide dog, Memphis), recently met with the METRONET New Midland Station Project team to share their knowledge. This will be used as access changes in the Midland area during works.
Midland project community and stakeholder manager Ric Gabriel said meeting with the reference group to brief staff through lived experience helped cater for universal access at future stations, as well as ensuring it would be front of mind for the team.
“The information presented about wayfinding for people with a disability and factors to consider during works such as uneven footpaths, footpath width and distance to train replacement services is invaluable,” he said.
In addition to its advisory role on METRONET projects, the group plays a major role in distributing information to key networks and acting as a conduit between government and the community to provide information to groups that may experience barriers to travelling or accessing information.
