Tag: mobility aids

Disability Action Group – community based advocacy for people with a disability

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The Disability Action Group Eastern Region is a community based advocacy group for people with disabilities. The group meets on a monthly basis to discuss accessibility issues and focuses on the needs of Maroondah and the outer eastern suburbs.

Today’s meeting provided further discussion around Council’s Disability Policy and Action Plan, with the group supporting the development of a Disability Advisory Committee.

A Disability Advisory Committee would provide strategic advice to council on matters relating to accessibility and would complement the quarterly forum for people with disabilities.

At the last council meeting of last year, I successfully passed a resolution calling on council to investigate the establishment of a Disability Advisory Committee. Council is currently discussing this proposal with the community to gain further insights into the needs of people with disabilities.

The next meeting of the Disability Action Group Eastern Region will be held on Monday the 6th of April from 1pm at Room Four in Federation Estate. This meeting will include a formal discussion on the proposed Disability Advisory Committee with the feedback being considered by council.

Submission – Maroondah bus service reviews

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The State Government is currently reviewing bus services across Maroondah, Knox and the Shire of Yarra Ranges and has called for submissions into the bus network within these municipalities.

The initial deadline for submissions was Friday the 27th of February but this has now been extended until Friday the 3rd of April, since several workshops within the Yarra Ranges have needed to be rescheduled due to the bushfires.

I have completed a submission in regard to bus services within Maroondah, focusing on the need to rectify gaps in coverage, as well as increased frequencies and operating spans.

The City of Maroondah, with a residential population of approximately 100,000 residents, is located in Melbourne’s outer east, 25 kilometres east of the Melbourne CBD.

The City of Maroondah includes the activity centres of Ringwood and Croydon, with Ringwood identified as a Transit City and Central Activity District. State Government planning and transport policies have acknowledged the need for public transport to underpin the designated Central Activity Districts.

Accessibility is of critical importance within Maroondah, since the municipality has one of the highest proportions of people with a disability. As such infrastructure, in the form of bus stops and vehicles need to be accessible so that they can be used by people with a range of mobility aids and disabilities.

Likewise service levels need to be of a standard that does not restrict the mobility of people that are reliant on public transport services and takes into account the urban revitalisation that is being encouraged within Ringwood and Croydon.

Specially, the submission calls for a new bus route along Canterbury Road from Ringwood to Box Hill, and a new route along Mount Dandenong Road providing a direct connection between Ringwood, the Karralyka Centre, Maroondah Hospital and the associated medical precinct.

In addition there is a need for localised services through Warranwood, where houses reside beyond reasonable walking distance to bus services.

The success of the Ringwood to Frankston SmartBus, where patronage has increased by up to 80% due to increased frequencies and service spans, demonstrates that public transport will be utilised if services are direct, frequent, readily available and accessible.

Bus services that travel along Maroondah’s main roads, should have a level of service comparable to the SmartBus network to deliver a comprehensive public transport system within Maroondah.

Lastly there is need for comprehensive bus route reform to ensure that Maroondah’s main thoroughfares are serviced by frequent public transport routes. Localised services could operate in residential areas and connect to these main routes. Such reform will provide efficiency savings on the bus network and will also lessen confusion over bus routes and minimise travel times.

To view the full report, please read my submission made to the bus services review for Maroondah.

Maroondah Forum for People with Disabilities and Carers – first forum for 2009

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The first Maroondah Forum for People with Carers of this year was held this morning at Maroondah Federation Estate.

The forum enables council to hear first-hand about accessibility issues within Maroondah and includes regular guest speakers to provide information to participants.

Today’s forum included an update on Maroondah’s new electronic request system, which will enable easier identification and tracking of resident queries and hence improve the responsiveness of council.

The main presentation was in regard to State Trustees, which is a government owned entity that provides will preparation, trusteeships and financial administration. The service can provide assistance for people with disabilities in managing finances and arranging for appropriate care if it is required.

The forum aims to provide ongoing communication and dialogue with participants to assist in creating an accessible municipality.

Maroondah Disability Action Group meeting

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The Maroondah Disability Action Group also known as the Disability Action Group Eastern Region, aims to provide a voice for people with disabilities across Maroondah and Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

The group includes people with disabilities who desire to improve the accessibility of Maroondah and the outer east. Specific aims include:

  • To provide systemic advocacy to influence policies at a local, state or federal level;
  • To campaign for accessible transport improvements;
  • To cooperate with other like minded groups at a local and state level, and
  • To push for greater, accessible and inclusive health services.

The Maroondah Disability Action Group meets at 10 am on the second Monday of each month at the Ringwood Church of Christ at 13 Bedford Road in Ringwood.

The venue is fully accessible and in close proximity to Ringwood Station and bus routes 367 (Ringwood to Croydon via East Ringwood) and 679 (Chirnside Park Shopping Centre to Ringwood via Mount Evelyn, Montrose and Canterbury Road).

Scoot Wheel n Move October 2008 meeting

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This morning I attended the October meeting of Scoot Wheel n Move, a group that aims to improve mobility and accessibility for people with mobility aids.

Eastern Access Community Health (EACH) is now the auspice for the Scoot Wheel n Move so that the group can operate with some autonomy to council. This enables Scoot Wheel n Move to openly discuss council’s priorities and to advocate for accessibility improvements.

The group’s priority continues to be the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into an accessible and safe transit interchange, as well as ensuring an accessible town centre. Work on the redevelopment of Ringwood will commence next year and it is imperative that we create an accessible and sustainable urban centre to ensure an inclusive society.

Groups like Scoot Wheel n Move have the expertise and first-hand experience to appraise proposals to ensure that they do achieve a vision of accessibility and inclusiveness.

Maroondah Journal: Advocates want certainty over disability-friendly station upgrade

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While the Ringwood station forecourt and bus interchange has received funding, The Maroondah Journal has reported on the growing concern over the omission of funding for accessibility improvements as part of this project.

Cr Alex Makin last week expressed concern over the failure to fund accessibility improvements. “Their commitment is only half complete and further funding is required.”

While $39 million has been allocated to works associated with the forecourt of Ringwood Station and the bus interchange, no funding has been announced to upgrade the station itself and details over walkability improvements remain vague.

“This announcement will provide improvements to the station forecourt and bus interchange but it must be accompanied by pedestrian improvements across Maroondah Highway and upgrades to the station itself, so that it meets accessibility standards.”

Ringwood Station currently fails accessibility standards as defined under the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination (DDA) Act of 1992. It is critical that the State Government augments their recent announcement with further funding to ensure that accessibility improvements proceed simultaneously with the other works.

Media Release: Ringwood Station announcement only half-complete

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MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Thursday, 25 September 2008

Station Announcement only half-complete

Alex Makin, Councillor for Loughnan’s Hill Ward and public transport advocate, has welcomed the $39 million State Government announcement for Ringwood Station but expressed concern over the failure to fund accessibility improvements

“After years of public pressure and campaigning the State Government has finally delivered $39 million to begin the redevelopment of Ringwood Station”, Cr. Makin said. “While the State Government deserves congratulations for this belated announcement, their commitment is only half complete and further funding is required.”

Ringwood has been identified as a Transit City under the State Government’s Melbourne 2030 planning framework. The transit city policy aims to create urban centres with diverse housing and employment opportunities, interlinked by frequent and efficient public transport services.

“This announcement will provide improvements to the station forecourt and bus interchange and it must be accompanied by pedestrian improvements across Maroondah Highway”, Cr. Makin said. “It is extremely disappointing that the current funding will not provide accessibility implements for Ringwood Station itself.”

“The steep gradient of the ramps at Ringwood Station means it fails disability compliance standards. It is critical that further funding is announced so that people of all ages and abilities can partake in our community. I will continue to campaign for an accessible Ringwood Station to ensure that we can create an inclusive and sustainable community”, Cr. Makin concluded.

About Alex Makin:
Alex Makin was elected in November 2005 as the Councillor for Loughnan’s Hill ward in the City of Maroondah. Alex is focused on accessibility, sustainability, public transport, planning and community engagement.

ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES: CR. ALEX MAKIN ON 0408 311 645

– ENDS –

Scoot Wheel n Move meeting – Introduction to Eastern Access Community Health

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Scoot Wheel n Move was a council initiated group that aims to improve accessibility for people with mobility aids.

Since it’s inception two years ago, the group has organised a number of successful initiatives, including the recharge program where local businesses provide recharge facilities for people with motorised mobility aids, a booklet on mobility aids as well as an expo and public forum on accessibility.

Today’s meeting focused on the future direction of Scoot Wheel n Move so that it continues to be an effective advocate for accessibility improvements within Maroondah. In this regard Eastern Access Community Health (EACH) has expressed an interest in providing administrative support so that Scoot Wheel n Move can operate with greater autonomy from council.

Greater autonomy will enable the group to strengthen its advocacy efforts particularly in regard to securing accessibility improvements to Eastland and the redevelopment of Ringwood Station. The meeting today provided an opportunity to meet Eastern Access Community Health (EACH) and to discuss the future priorities for the group. It was encouraging to see Scoot Wheel n Move members support the transition to EACH and this will be further developed at the next group meeting.

In addition, the group expressed its interest in the State Government’s bus service reviews for Maroondah and it is important that Scoot Wheel n Move is provided with an opportunity to participate in this process. This will enable members to raise their concerns with bus services, including the need for more low floor buses and improvements to frequencies and service spans.

Similarly, I was able to discuss with the group a proposal put forward by 13 CABS via the Eastern Transport Coalition. 13 CABS wishes to establish an outer eastern taxi zone covering Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and would provide a more responsive taxi service for people beginning or completing their journey within the zone.

This means that there should be an increase in taxis readily available for shorter journeys within the region, as well as at least 60 maxi taxis available for use within Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

13 CABS are currently developing the plan with assistance from Maroondah, Whitehorse, Manningham, Knox and Yarra Ranges Councils. It is hoped that the State Government will agree to the proposal and allow the creation of the outer eastern taxi zone.

The lack of readily available transport is continually raised as a major issue for people with disabilities. It is critical that advocacy for transport improvements, such as the redevelopment of Ringwood Station and better bus services, continues so that we can improve the mobility of Maroondah residents and people with disabilities.

Maroondah Leader: Out to give access a push-along

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The Maroondah Disability Action Group aims to provide a community led voice for people with disabilities and will advocate for greater inclusion and accessibility to all levels of government.

The recent formation of the group has been covered by the Maroondah Leader, where group spokesperson Margaret Stevens stated that one of the immediate priorities is to comment on Maroondah’s Disability Policy and Action Plan.

Cr Alex Makin said the group’s formation showed how important accessibility was in Maroondah. He said he looked forward to working with members to improve bus routes and Ringwood railway station.

The Maroondah Disability Policy and Action Plan is currently in draft status and was released for public exhibition at Monday’s council meeting. This provides an opportunity for community feedback to ensure that the document achieves its vision of an inclusion municipality.

Maroondah has one of the highest proportions of people with disabilities within the state of Victoria and it is therefore important that council is at the forefront of creating an accessible and inclusive municipality. The Maroondah Disability Action Group as a community based advocacy group will help ensure that council remains accountable to people with disabilities.

The Maroondah Draft Disability Policy and Action Plan is available from the Maroondah Council website. Comments are required by Tuesday the 16th of September.

Delegates' Report: opportunities for people with disabilities, the upcoming writers festival and the strength of community spirit

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On the 23rd of July I had the pleasure of attending Titanic – the Untold Story: Resunk by the Monkami Drama Group hosted at the Karralyka Centre. The performance revisited the drama group’s 2007 production through the introduction of new characters and a revised script.

Monkami is a service provider for adults with an intellectual disability and aims to develop skills that will enable them to live with the greatest degree of independence within their own community.

Each performer was given the opportunity to develop their own character drawing upon many popular names such as James Bond, Captain Jack Sparrow, Wolverine and Judge Judy and of course Napoleon who was the villain of the show.

The level of detail in the performance was incredible, not only was the stage decked out as the Titanic, and the costumes extremely thorough, but they even gave Titanic hats to the audience to ensure that they were part of the show. It was all hands on deck, when everyone tried to escape the sinking Titanic, fortunately with the audience joining in on the hokey pokey we were all able to escape to dry land!

After two successful seasons the production is now considering further opportunities to continue the performance, including the potential of a touring show.

The Ringwood Spiders, based in Jubilee Park in Ringwood, is a football team for people with disabilities and on the 27th of July I attended their last home game for the season against the Maribyrnong Bulldogs. Like Monkami, the Ringwood Spiders is another example of how people with disabilities can participate within our community. It was great to see the Spiders playing one of their best games for the season, with the players coming together as one team and playing some extraordinary football.

With such on-field skills the Spiders defeated their opposition, which was a fitting way to end their last home game for the season at Jubilee Park.

Groups like Monkami and the Ringwood Spiders demonstrate that when given the opportunity people with disabilities can participate within our wider community. Perhaps the most wonderful aspect of these two events, was the breadth of the wider community support. Community groups such as the Ringwood Ballet Group and the Ringwood Movie Makers provided immense support to Monkami and the Ringwood Football Club is one of the Spiders biggest supporters, providing the use of training facilities and clubrooms.

On the 5th of August I attended Maroondah’s Forum for People with Disabilities and Carers, which provides an opportunity to raise issues in regard to accessibility so that we can strive for an inclusive community.

The forum provided an opportunity to discuss the feedback from the workshop held earlier this year and it was encouraging to see most of the input being incorporated into the forum. I would like to thank the many departments that are responsible for the forum, including Metro Access, aged and disability services, community planning and development and council’s engineers.

The forum continues to demonstrate the importance of providing dialogue and hearing first-hand the accessibility issues that exist within Maroondah so that as a council we can work towards making a difference through creating an inclusive municipality.

Lastly, this morning I attended a steering group meeting of the Maroondah 2008 Writers and Readers Festival.

The Festival which will be held between the 3rd and 5th of October include writer’s workshops, discussion groups and keynote speakers around the key theme of crime. The event which is funded through a Maroondah City Council grant in partnership with Eastern Regional Libraries will feature a number of prominent writers including John Silvester, the author of the Underbelly.

Once again the community spirit shines through in the preparation for the festival, with North Ringwood Community House offering to manage ticket sales and businesses such as Lakeside Cafe being available as a venue.

For details please visit the Eastern Regional Library website at www.erl.vic.gov.au, otherwise details are also available on my own web site at www.alexmakin.com.au.