by Gunnar Haugsveen (Norway)
Member, EBU Commission on Mobility and Guide Dogs
Paper given at the EBU Mobility and Transport Conference held in Paris on 14-15 October 2002
Every train journey starts by deciding where to and when.
Time tables and other kinds of information which are necessary to plan a journey,
must be available in a form which is accessible to visually impaired people.
The time tables of the norwegian railways are hardly accessible to the partially
sighted and not accessible at all to the blind. The railway company has,
however, set up an information telephone which is manned from early morning
till late at night, to which I can ring and get information about prices,
time tables etc. For a while, this information service was provided by a
computer with speech recognition. This meant that I could talk to the machine,
ask about times of departure and arrival at all stations and receive answers
through digital speech. The system had, however, many weaknesses and is now
no longer in use. Now, when ringing the information telephone, I am met by
a human being who gives me individual service.
The journey itself starts at a station or a terminal. The accessibility
of such places to blind and partially sighted people varies greatly.
Terminals and stations must be built in a way which makes them safe and secure
for the visually impaired. For the partially sighted, large and clear signs
and lettering are essential, preferably placed at eye level. All signs must
be situated so that it is possible to walk right up to them in order to read.
The same applies to monitors with information about times of departure and arrival
and other important matters. Partially sighted travellers will be greatly
helped by specially adapted lighting, conscious and consistent use of
colours and contrasts, marking of danger points like stairs, edges of
platforms etc., with colours in contrast to the surroundings.
For the blind, the best safeguards lies in the knowledge that you may rely
on personal service and assistance. Large railway stations are complicated
and difficult to find your way about. In such places, a personal guide is the
only real solution.
At my railway station, Oslo Central Station, tactile maps are mounted at several
entrances. There I can acquaint myself with the station area. Guiding line
have also been laid in the floor, leading from the entrances to the ticket
office and to the information desk. The guiding lines are slightly raised so that I can follow them with my white cane. An information unit has also been installed, giving me the contents of the information monitors, that is times of arrival and departure, at which platforms etc., in digital speech. The railway station also has its own guide service where I can ring and order a guide from the taxi to the train or the other way round. My station is fairly well organised for the visually impaired, but it is an exception. The majority of stations are badly organised both for the blind and the partially sighted. More and more stations are entirely without staff, which means that I have no possibility of getting into contact with anybody to guide me. At some stations, even the sale of tickets has been left to a local shop. This has functioned very badly and has been strongly criticised by visually impaired travellers.
In Norway, we have - at least until now - had only one railway company, and this
is run by the state. The company is, however, divided into several independent units, one being responsible for the railway lines, one for stations and terminals, one for the running of trains etc. This way of organising has made it difficult, not to say impossible, to find the person or persons responsible in concrete cases. The Norwegian Association of the Blind was, in one case, forced to take the very serious step of reporting the norwegian railway company to the police for breach of present legislation which states clearly that public buildings must be accessible and usable for people with handicaps. A completely new railway station just outside Oslo is constructed in a way which makes it directly dangerous to use for visually impaired people: Lighting, colours and contrasts are as wrong as they can be, and partially sighted travellers must - whether they like it or not - function as if they were blind. Posts and pillars are placed in the middle of staircases and passages, and the distance between the platform edge and the step of the train is up to 50 centimeters, and even more, so that there is great danger of falling between the train and the platform when getting off or on the train. The case came to nothing, and the problems remain the same.
A special working group has been set up to discuss and solve the problems of handicapped people travelling by train. The members of the working group are representing the ministery of transport, the railway company, as well as the organisations of the disabled in Norway. So far, The Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted, however, has, unfortunately, so far not been represented on the working group.
However, back to my train journey. I have arrived at my railway station for departure, have been met by a guide and have bought the ticket to my destination.
The guide accompanies me all the way to my seat in the train. I may, of course, in most cases bring my guide dog and have it lying at my feet during the journey. I may also bring it into the sleeping compartment, provided that I have a compartment to myself or travel together with someone who has no objections to the guide dog being there.
But the possibility of bringing my guide dog with me, however, isn't without exceptions. I am neither alloud to bring my guide dog to the first class carriages, nor - believe it or not - to the seats which are aspecially acquipped for handicapped people. There are also some restrictions to be taken into consideration when travelling by the newest long distance trains.
It is a good thing, however, that the guide dog will accompany me through the journey without extra costs.
The interior of the train is as important as the interior of the station or terminal. Correct lighting, colours, contrasts and signs make it possible for the partially sighted to manage on their own, at least to a large extent. In this field, a great deal remains to be done: Signs which give the numbers of railway carriages and seats are difficult to read. The written safety on board information, meant to be known by all passengers, is not available in braille and large print.
The personal assistance on board has been reduced to a minimum in order to save personell costs. Earlier, in medium- and long-distance trains, I could buy snacks, newspapers and similar articles from a trolley which came through the train at regular intervals. This service has now been stopped. If I want something to eat or drink, there is, as a rule, a cafeteria coach, in the middle of the train. However, I have to find my way there on my own. I must also find my way back to my seat on my own, carrying food and hot coffee - a danger both to myself and my surroundings! On certain trains, there is even complete self-service: Coffee and tea are available at a strategic point in the middle of the train, and I must help myself.
I am continuously warned of the next stop over the train's loudspeaker. On the whole, this service functions satisfactorily. In my experience, the conductor of the train also does his utmost to give assistance on leaving the train, once he is aware that a visually impaired person is on board. The time schedule of the trains, however, are so tight that the conductors always are in a hurry.
Now, my journey has come to its end. When leaving the train, I have hopefully not arrived at an unstaffed station, where there is nobody who can assist me and show me the way to a taxi rank or a bus stop. But if I have, there I stand, left to the chance consideration or mercy of my fellow-travellers. And if nobody helps me, I would probably be standing there still.
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