Wheelchair travel difficulties

mparry16

Hello

Im just conducting some research for a project Im currently doing and wondered if some of you guys could help me.  My main question is what are your main difficulties when travelling with a wheelchair?  And what do you think could be done to help resolve these issues?

Thanks in advance!

swilber

I always try Community Connections or have to ring a taxi.  Both require advance booking and do not work weekends.  Some friends can help with a lift if I feel safe to transfer, availability, room inn boot and capability of indvidual (loading/unloading).  Cheap alternative and not a bus is needed and someone available weekends.

Antonia_Alumni

Hi @mparry16 welcome to the community. I am sure our members will share their experiences with you. Good luck with your research.

mparry16

Thanks @swilber ! Have noted down your thoughts on the matter.  Can I ask why you don't like to use the bus? (Just guessing you don't from your message)

Hi @Antonia_Scope.  Looking forward to reading the replies!

Matt_Scope

I think the difficulties are often linked to wider issues,   Your own condition, the type of chair you have, the type of support you need (if any) and where you live are all significant factors in accessing bus and train travel, as well as the costs incurred in obtaining the best mobility equipment and / or the costs of taxi's were alternatives are unavailable.
It varies so much too, which makes planning travel in areas that you don't know difficult to be confident about.
 

swilber

Matt covered the main problems

bendy_bonnie

My main problems are:

Lack of dropped kerbs
Pavement parking
Parking across dropped kerbs
Having to cross roads behind parked vehicles
(All of the above preventing access to places like bus stops etc)

Battery and lack of charging places, length of time it takes to charge (I can do 10 miles for 16 hours of charge )

Only one wheelchair space per bus/train and often there is already a wheelchair on.
Prams on buses and trains especially when the parents are unwilling to move for a few seconds to I can reverse into the wheelchair space.
Buses parking too far from the pavement at bus stops so they cant use the ramp.
Drivers setting off before my chair is safely on board and has the brakes on.
Driver not listening for the bell and not realising I want to get off because I cannot stand near the door, I have to wait until the bus has stopped.
Rude people using public transport, rushing onto the bus and train before I get on which means they need to move anyway so I can get past them.
People quizzing me on my life because I use the chair and am facing them, or just being rude to me like I'm an inconvenience for holding up the bus/train.
People leaning on my chair on the bus/train/tram.
Unattended luggage in the wheelchair space.

Lack of suitable ramps (northern trains cant use the platform ramps as they don't fit properly, they have to get the on board ramp which they sometimes don't do and I have tipped on an unsuitable ramp).

Lack of ramps in buildings. Small doorways. Somehow the business owner has always" just" had a refurb and the advertised ramp is "lost". Ramps and lifts only accessible by steps.

Lifts out of order.

Rain. Wind. Rain and wind together.

Only having one free hand, none if self propelling. I used to take for granted the ability to hold my phone and a drink at the same time.

Assistance not showing up. No impromptu travelling as assistance is booked 24hrs in advance. If one leg of the journey is delayed or there is already a chair on, the assistance doesn't meet you at the other end as they assume you're a no show. Always having to travel at the exact time you have booked for. 

Lack of WAVs/accessible taxis. Uber charging waiting fees for regular drivers if you have a foldable chair (although they have confirmed to me that they will refund my fees if I can prove the driver was waiting because my carer was folding my chair).

Cobbled paths.

Dogs chasing my chair.

People staring at me like they have never seen a wheelchair before.

Lack of accessible toilets. Accessible toilets that arent accessible or have been made inaccessible due to storage.

Heavy doors.

Dropped kerbs that aren't dropped kerbs (since when was a 2inch ledge a dropped kerb?)

Bin day. Navigating around the bins.

Castors slipping into the road on the bobbled paving at crossings.

Dog poop and not being able to just step around it.

Tree roots making you feel like you're on a rollercoaster.

People stepping in front of your chair like you can just do an emergency stop.

Train companies forgetting you're ok the train and not sending anyone to let you off.

Aisles in shop being too narrow to navigate. Discarded baskets, trolleys and shopping items in the aisle.

Scaffolding over the pavement with a narrow walkway underneath.

Badly placed street signage and displays outside shops.

People nor cutting bushes back leaving them to overhang and take up the pavement.

If I need someone to come with me, having to pay for their travel and them having to stand up or sit too far away to help me when I need it.

It's awkward where I live as I'm on the outskirts of a big town so where I live is there is hardly any public transport without travelling for 20 mins in my chair, then when I do get on it it's very overcrowded all the time. 

... Wasn't sure what you meant by travelling so I just included everything that's annoyed me ona  regular basis since going outside with my chair. I love the chair despite all of these things! Most of these things seem very trivial but a lot of the time if something blocks a pavement or aisle it is very difficult to find another way to do things. If you don't use a wheelchair you can often just step into the road and back on again in a fee steps around the obstacle. This isn't possible so something like tree roots, dog muck, non maintained bushes etc can stop me from doing what I set out to do.

mparry16

Thanks for all your input so far! No info is too much info for me.  Im looking at all aspects so good to see other real life struggles and annoyances there! Thank you!  

I have a few more refined questions with regards to travel:  how do you manage in airports etc with transporting your luggage etc? what are the main difficulties you face? 

And a bit more personal: does it affect you that you can't always move your bags yourself?

Thanks

Kate_Scope

Airport travel is usually really good in all honesty, they have special assistance and they help with all aspects of travel throughout the airport. 

My daughter is a full-time wheelchair user and although I am with her at the airport, she could potentially travel on her own. Getting to the airport is a bit more hit and miss (not accessible buses, etc have had to lift her on numerous times) I tend to get the meet and greet element of parking now. Of course, this is an extra cost. 

if she was to carry bags in the airport they would move the cases for her once she gets to special assistance, as for her passports etc she could then carry them on her person. 

jolew

@mparry16, I agree with most of @bendy_bonnie says about obstacles getting  around in a wheelchair. Cars on pavements was a huge problem on the brand new housing estate we lived on.

 Developers like tandem driveways as they can cram more houses on, but the owners of these driveways tend to only put one car in the driveway, and if they have another car they put it on the pavement because they don’t want to block the other car in.

 I haven’t tried using a bus as the nearest stop is too far away. Although there are dropped kerbs  (on the 70s estate we now live on ) where residents driveways come out there are no dropped kerbs. I therefore have to use the road and I am nervous of doing that on my own, so I have no independence unless I get a taxi.

On a more positive note, I used travel assist on the train for the first time on Friday with my wheelchair and it was brilliant!