"Transport for All" vision makes public transport services more accessible

A "Transport for All" Seminar held today (November 12) provided a forum for sharing experience and expert knowledge in improving accessibility for all among transport administrators, service providers, transport planners, rehabilitation workers, people with disabilities and the elderly.

Local experts together with speakers from the United Kingdom, Japan and the Mainland shared with participants, among other things, new ideas on topics concerning accessible taxis in Japan, accessibility at the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, wheelchair safety in vehicles and universal design.

Officiating at the opening ceremony, the Commissioner for Transport, Mr Robert Footman, said the Transport Department together with the stakeholders in Hong Kong had made continuous efforts to develop the "Transport for All" vision, the aim of which is to provide better transport services to the public and a barrier-free street environment for people with disabilities and the elderly.

Mr Footman said the administration and the community had done quite a lot under the umbrella of the "Five Betters" Strategy" to improve accessibility for all over the past three years although much remained to be done.

The "Five Betters Strategy" is: Better access to transport services for all; better public transport infrastructure and facilities for all; better street and pedestrian areas for all; better planning standards, guidelines and procedures; and better partnership for actions and results.

Some of the achievements under the strategy are:

	wheelchair access for 2,400 buses;
	Braille and tactile vehicle registration number plates for the entire 18,000-strong taxi fleet;
	talking taxi meters for 9,000 taxis;
	Braille registration plates for 1,000 public light buses;
	call bells for 600 public light buses; and
	on railways, lifts, tactile guide paths, Braille maps and wide gates are becoming standard facilities in stations.

In conjunction with the seminar, an exhibition of outstanding models from the "Transport for All" Model Competition was held. Mr Footman opened the exhibition and reviewed the models made by students after the ceremony.

The seminar was jointly organised by the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, Hong Kong Occupational Therapy Association, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong and the Transport Department.

Ends/Friday, November 12, 2004