Accessible Streets Package draws concerns from Disability & Climate organisations
Image of the Auckland Skypath with text overlaid in green "Disabled people are climate activists & cyclists too. We want greener transport, but it must be accessible, and disabled people must be at the decision-making table." - Jason Boberg. On the bottom left is a logo that reads: SustainedAbility disability justice climate action www.sustainedability.org
QUICK LINKS:
Open Letter from Disability & Climate Organisations for Disability Justice
DPA & SustainedAbility Submission Guide for Accessible Streets Package
—-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—-
ACCESSIBLE STREETS PACKAGE DRAWS CONCERNS FROM DISABILITY & CLIMATE ORGANISATIONS
WHAT: Consultation on Accessible Streets Package
WHEN: Closing Wednesday 20th May at 5pm.
WHO: Disabled Persons Assembly NZ and SustainedAbility, with support from Greenpeace New Zealand, Oxfam New Zealand, 350 Aotearoa, 350 Pacific, and OraTaiao: NZ Climate and Health Council
Submissions close at 5pm today, on The Accessible Streets Regulatory Package, a collection of proposed rule changes that significantly impact the accessibility of our transport infrastructure for disabled people.
The changes will have an impact on everyone who uses the transport network - from pedestrians to wheelchair users, cyclists, motorists, and e-Scooter users, and have been recognised as an important opportunity to move New Zealand towards more sustainable forms of transport.
However, Disability and climate organisations have been concerned that the proposals have gone to consultation without taking into account the needs of disabled users, and organisations have joined forces in an open letter and submissions calling for disability justice in infrastructure development projects. Of particular concern are proposals that could put fast moving transport devices on footpaths where disabled and slower moving pedestrians can't avoid these types of collisions.
Prudence Walker, Chief Executive of New Zealand Disabled Persons Assembly said, “As many disabled people rely on footpaths to access our communities and do not have or cannot drive private vehicles, it is essential that our safety is considered in any proposed changes to footpath use.”
DPA’s concerns were shared by disability climate justice organisation, SustainedAbility. Founder Jason Boberg shared his own experience of footpath access during the COVID-19 Lockdown:
“We have seen numerous cases of disabled pedestrians being put in danger by inaccessible transport planning, including having to share footpaths with cyclists and e-scooters.”
“During the lockdown alone, I have had multiple near-collisions with cyclists using footpaths because I am not able to move out of the way quickly, and we’ve had similar previously with e-scooters coming up too fast and too close, or being abandoned in paths which has blocked access for disabled people, especially wheelchair and other mobility users.”
“Disabled people are climate activists too, along with some of us being cyclists. We want to see greener transport across the board, and we want to see safety for other footpath and road users, but at an absolute bare minimum, developments must be accessible, and disabled people must be at the decision-making table to give guidance.”
DPA expressed disappointment with the current proposals in their own submission, saying:
“We are concerned that if these proposals are implemented as proposed without substantial change, they will have a disproportionately negative impact on the use of footpaths by disabled people, and their ability to use footpaths safely.”
“The New Zealand Transport Agency’s own guidance, based on international best practice purports to place ‘mobility impaired pedestrians’ at the top of the hierarchy of people to be considered in transport planning. Many of the proposals in this package clearly ignore this guidance by worsening the situation for disabled pedestrians.”
DPA & SustainedAbility have produced a Submission Guide & Open Letter, with the support of key climate organisations, and ask the general public to support their call for disability inclusive action on the Accessible Streets Package by making submissions before 5pm today.
The Submission Guide & letter can be found here: https://www.sustainedability.org/accessible-streets-consultation
CONTACT:
Jason Boberg
SustainedAbility
0274348342
Kera Sherwood-O’Regan
kera@activate.film
0210410932
ABOUT:
The Disabled Persons Assembly NZ is Aotearoa’s only pan-impairment DPO (Disabled Persons Organisation), and provides systemic advocacy for the disabled community, and for disability rights more broadly. Crucially, as members of the DPO Coalition, DPA is part of New Zealand’s Independent Monitoring Mechanism to the UNCRPD - the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an essential mechanism to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are upheld in Aotearoa and around the world. DPA have deep expertise in disability rights, and how to make Aotearoa more inclusive and accessible for disabled people.
SustainedAbility is a New Zealand based organisation working at national and international levels to advocate for disability-led climate justice. This means that we work within the climate movement to support all climate action to support disabled voices, and uphold disability rights. We also work within our disability community to advocate for climate action, and to share how climate change impacts our community. SustainedAbility has been advocating for disability-led climate action at the COP23, COP24, and COP25 United Nations Climate Negotiations, as well as at the UNCRPD COSP11 meeting.
WHERE TO MAKE A SUBMISSION:
The public can makes submissions on the consultation by 5pm today, and can access DPA & SustainedAbility’s Submission Guide at:
Submissions can be made by filling out the online form at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MXTDZBC
Alternatively, by downloading the complete submission form available here: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/consultation/accessible-streets/Accessible-Streets-consultation-submission-form.pdf and sending via email to accessible.streets@nzta.govt.nz
—-ENDS—-