Efforts to improve public transport accessibility for people with disabilities have moved ahead with the release of a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (CRIS).
The federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Communications CRIS contains proposed amendments intended to increase the flexibility and clarity of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport (2002) after a 2012 review.
The review found the standards may not have been meeting the current and future needs of people with disabilities, nor providing sufficient guidance to transport operators, and recommended they be “modernised”.
Amendments canvassed in the CRIS include enhanced wayfinding, fit-for-purpose access ways, and tactile ground surface indicators.
Amendments that are likely to be more complex and time-consuming to develop and implement will follow in due course.
Stakeholders wanting to provide feedback on Stage 1 amendment proposals can do so in a formal written submission, via a dedicated phone line, or by completing multiple online surveys. Visit the departmental website to access the CRIS and other supporting documentation or to find out how to provide feedback.
The public consultation period closes on 23 April.