Chennai lags in accessibility, CAG report highlights mobility barriers for disabled

CHENNAI: Chennai is far behind in accessibility race, finds a report by the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG), titled, 'Moving Without Barriers: Documenting Mobility Barriers Encountered by Individuals with Disabilities in Chennai', issued on Thursday.

Key points

• The report discovered that while 66% of respondents live within 1 km of public transportation means, poor pedestrian infrastructure limits their ability to actually reach them.
• They do not want to support wheelchair users secure on to the bus.
• The report recommended the employ of inclusive technologies including accessible information systems, navigation tools and app-based services to close these gaps.

Prepared after a year-long study involving surveys, focus group discussions and secondary research with 270 participants, the report documents accessibility challenges faced by the disabled and senior citizens throughout the city.

Claiming that plenty of accessibility ramps in the city are unsafe, Dr Anusuya, a wheelchair user and special educator stated, "Many bus conductors are not trained to use ramps properly, and sometimes buses don't even stop at the right place."

She alleged she is mistreated by bus staff. "They do not want to support wheelchair users secure on to the bus. Even fellow passengers treat us badly, " she continued in her account that features in the report.

Notably, the report discovered that while 66% of respondents live within 1 km of public transportation means, poor pedestrian infrastructure limits their ability to actually reach them.

On buses and trains, which remain the primary modes of travel for most respondents, high steps, platform gaps, missing ramps and the absence of audio-visual announcements continue to limit independent travel.

Chennai Metro fared better, and has been praised for its accessible design and trained staff though respondents still discovered slippery flooring, locked toilets, inconsistent signage and the lack of fare concessions for disabled residents.

For context, the report recommended the employ of inclusive technologies including accessible information systems, navigation tools and app-based services to close these gaps.

In short, chennai lags in accessibility, CAG report highlights mobility barriers for disabled is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.