Petition Tag - accessible

In a City the size of London, the Underground system is the quickest way to get around and we are disappointed with the Mayor's decision to shelve 22 of the 45 planned step free access projects across London only committing himself to providing step-free access at 29 per cent of all stations by 2017. This is a major step back from previous plans to provide step-free access on a third of the network by 2013. As a result, many disabled passengers, older people and parents with young children are being denied access to this mode of transport. This is particularly concerning in the run up to the 2012 Paralympics and makes us wonder how the Mayor is planning to keep his post-Beijing pledge to make London’s Games the most accessible ever.

It makes little sense that Finsbury Park, where the current 49.1m passenger journeys a year are likely to increase by 40% over the next 15 years, is not being made step-free whilst Kingsbury and Amersham, both serving less than one tenth of Finsbury Park’s passengers, are being made accessible. We believe that money would be better spend on projects in areas where a larger number of people would benefit.

The decision makes even less sense because Network is going ahead with plans to provide step-free access from the overground platforms to street level at Finsbury Park. It has now given Transport for London and the Mayor until the autumn to change their minds on working together to make Finsbury Park step-free.

These are the reasons why we (Jeremy Corbyn MP, Jennette Arnold AM, local councillors, the Islington Disability Network, Islington Mobility Forum and Transport for All) are working together to collect as many signatures to pass to the Mayor to convince him to change his mind. If you agree that Finsbury Park Underground station should be made accessible to all passengers then please sign this petition. We are aiming to hand the petition over to the Mayor in the Autumn.

Ps. Please provide your email address to ensure your signature counts!

View petition

The Ambassador theatre in Dublin is not wheelchair accessible which is discriminating against disabled people:

1. There are stairs in it with no lifts;

2. No wheelchair accessible toilets;

3. Nowhere for wheelchairs to go when actually in the venue to avoid crushes and moshes.

As a result people with disabilities cannot attend live concerts in this venue!

View petition

Why A Charter?

COST OF A CAR-ORIENTED CITY
Calgary is an auto-dependent city. Decades of low density, automobile-dependent development with segregated land uses has characterized the building of our city. The result of this urban sprawl has been a sharp increase in vehicle-related greenhouse gas emissions and ground level pollutants, fiscally unsustainable infrastructure spending, and loss of community, increased health risks and continued marginalization of Calgarians who do not drive. The opposite of auto-dependent is not a total lack of private vehicles, rather, it is a balanced or multi-modal transport system, meaning that consumers have a variety of transport options, and incentives to use each for what it does best.

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT & GROWTH
Calgary’ is known for its large ecological footprint currently 9.86 global hectares per person . There is a relationship between rising greenhouse gas emissions and population growth. Between 1990 and 2005, Calgary's population grew 38 per cent and at the same time greenhouse gas emissions increased 32 per cent . The City is continuing to grow at a fast pace. Transportation is dependent on fossil fuel use, which is linked to air quality, acid rain, and climate change. Any changes to reduce fossil fuel use and increase energy efficiency will have a direct effect on issues related to air quality and the atmosphere as well as human health. Reducing dependency on automobile use would reduce the need for more expensive, environmentally invasive infrastructure.

SOCIAL INEQUITIES
A city so reliant on the automobile significantly marginalizes many Calgarians. According to figures from the Alberta Government there are over 170,000 driving age Calgarians without a license – about 20 per cent of those eligible to drive and many more with a license are without the financial resources to afford an automobile and are constrained by the cost of accessible transport. Affordable transportation enables access to services and opportunities for youth, people with disabilities, seniors, those living with low income, the sick and newcomers.

AFFORDABILITY
Different factors affect affordability, including individuals’ mobility needs and abilities; the quantity, quality and pricing of mobility options; land use factors that affect accessibility; and housing affordability . Public and private resources have been invested in providing alternative transportation services though these services rarely prove to be viable alternatives for efficiently meeting the day-to-day travel needs of those who cannot or do not drive. Where they exist, services are often sparse, overtaxed, uncoordinated, available only to strictly defined "eligible" populations, and limited in their geographic scope. Without accessible, efficient, affordable, safe transportation many Calgarians are unable to access services, employment, training, education, and social opportunities that are crucial to full participation in the community.

ECONOMIC COSTS
Sprawl reduces economic competitiveness. As global inventories of fossil fuels deplete, the cost of transportation will increase, creating a significant economic impact. Long commutes on clogged roads and increased time to transport goods have a direct economic cost. A 2003 report by the TD Bank Financial Group identified sprawl and the resulting infrastructure debt as two of the most significant factors impeding the economic competitiveness of Alberta. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, innovative cities that emphasize improved public transit, and compact, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use development will be the most successful cities in the global market place.

Sprawl also contributes to reduced competitiveness of urban transit. The dispersed nature of growth and the cost structure of transit are high, because of the high capital cost of infrastructure and vehicles and because of fluctuating usage rates in peak period and off-peak period use. Transit services are expected to provide high capacity for short periods of time each day plus lower levels of service throughout the remainder of the day and evening.

QUALITY TRANSIT
Residents in communities in Calgary with limited transit are left with few options but to drive. Calgary needs a public transit throughout the City that is accessible, affordable, available and safe for all Calgarians. Research conducted by Sustainable Calgary in 2007 revealed barriers to the system. Transit users identified scheduling issues, overcrowding and long waits for buses . Road congestion resulted in busses sitting idly in traffic, wasting time and energy and creating pollution. Shift workers described scheduling constraints and limited services at irregular hours. People with disabilities reported barriers to accessing public transit safely , particularly around LRT stations. Crowding on transit during peak hours presented difficult for seniors, people with disabilities or parents with small children to ride. Those on fixed or low incomes faced access and affordability issues. Calgarians relying on parallel transit described continually declining service due to funding constraints. In addition, negative perceptions of the system deterred some car owners from using transit.

LOSS OF COMMUNITY
The excessive use of motor vehicles has also fostered an increasing lack of community, as people tend to drive to the majority of their destinations. Without walking to corner stores, neighbourhood parks and recreation facilities, social interaction is limited and isolation of increases. Furthermore communities with heavy traffic tend to have speed and congestion issues that make it unsafe to walk or wheel, which in turn forces people to drive.

HEALTH
Car-oriented development is also associated with increased health problems. Automobile-dependent cities tend to have higher per capita traffic casualty rates. Research by the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation connects the sedentary lifestyle, promoted by the poor design of Canadian suburbs, with increased rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. In addition to inactivity, the fossil fuels used by automobiles increase air pollutants that cause or contribute to high levels of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. All of these factors contribute to an already strained health care system.

ACCESSIBILITY
Leadership, investment and accountability are needed in the development and implementation of strategies and policies that seek to provide accessibility and safety to remove obstacles for persons with disabilities, seniors, and other citizens with unique needs.

View petition

Recycling paper can make a huge impact on our earth. It not only saves landfill space but saves trees as well. It is important that, as Christians, we do our part to take care of what God has given us.

That is why it is necessary to increase the accessible recycling bins on this campus.

View petition

Our neighborhood has seen many road improvements over the last two years, but one significant issue continues to haunt us all, -- the dangers for any pedestrian, both young and old. *Over 110,000 pedestrians are injured every year and many are even killed by automobiles. This carnage is attributable only in part to individual misjudgment -- a failure to "look both ways" as children are taught. These deaths an injuries are also the consequences of a transportation system gone badly wrong -- a system focused on making the streets safe for cars instead of making communities safe for people.

Indeed, people are 1.6 times more likely to get killed by a car while walking than they are to be shot and killed by a stranger with a gun.

An in fact our own neighborhood has had consistent trouble with speeders, hazardous driving and lack of accessible walkways. One neighbor was hit just a year ago and got seriously injured.
Two important points:
1)Senior Citizens Are At The Highest Risk and
account for 23 percent of all pedestrian
fatalities -
2)Most Fatalities Occur On Neighborhood Streets, More than half -- 55 percent -- of all pedestrian deaths by automobiles occur on neighborhood streets.
Let's take a step forward to gaining back our streets for those that want to walk, run, exercise, and enjoy our beautiful neighborhood. There are many attractions, such as the pond and the pool that are just not accessible to the average walker/family. Sidewalks can be the beginning to opening up ourselves to a new way of life in Fairfax Station.

View petition