Thursday, December 10, 2009

No public transport to major hospitals

A person in a wheelchair or a person with a medium-sized pram is not able to catch public transport to The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Women's Hospital or the Children's Hospital in central Melbourne!

I even rang up Metlink who initially thought that this could not be correct but then had to agree that is impossible to get directly to these major hospitals in public transport. You can go to Fed Square, catch a tram up Swanston St to the University and then go back to Grattan St and catch another bus and then walk to the hospitals.

There are tram superstops outside each of these hospitals but no low-floor trams on these lines!

I spoke to a mother who has had to take her child repeatedly to the Children's Hospital and has found it a long walk with her pram. Apparently, it was suggested that she buy a small pram so that she can get on the tram - that is a compassionate approach from our society for someone with a sick child and without the money to buy a new pram!

Bus woes

Had to wait for 4 buses before a low floor bus with a working ramp came along. The first 2 were not low floor, the third bus was but the ramp was not working! Therefore, took almost 2 hours to get home - a distance of about 10 km. I could have made it home just in the wheelchair in that time.

Amazingly, a young guy waited with me the whole time (45 minutes) as he couldn't believe that it could be so difficult for a person in a wheelchair to catch a bus. Welcome to my world!