If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Accessible travel in London
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I'm off to the weekender next weekend!
But the joy that is first great western trains have decided to make all users of mobility scooters to apply for a permit before they are allowed to travel with it. This takes 2 weeks to process. Which means I have to be pushed around in my manual wheelchair. Which sucks because I kind of like to control my own movements, but it does make it harder in terms of getting around in London. With the scooter, I could do the equivilant of 30 mins walking or more (its meant to have a 12 mile radius but I don't trust it). With the wheelchair its bloody hard for the person pushing to do anything like that. Tubes in the west of London seem to be fairly in accessible to wheelchairs, but I have to travel from Paddington to South Kensington and then to Farringdon (as thats the nearest accessible station to Old street).
Any suggestions of anything other than TFL journey planner which is better at pointing out accessible routes? I think its going to end up being mainly buses, which I can cope with, but i think I'm having to add 30 mins - 1 hour extra to all my journey times.
But the joy that is first great western trains have decided to make all users of mobility scooters to apply for a permit before they are allowed to travel with it. This takes 2 weeks to process. Which means I have to be pushed around in my manual wheelchair. Which sucks because I kind of like to control my own movements, but it does make it harder in terms of getting around in London. With the scooter, I could do the equivilant of 30 mins walking or more (its meant to have a 12 mile radius but I don't trust it). With the wheelchair its bloody hard for the person pushing to do anything like that. Tubes in the west of London seem to be fairly in accessible to wheelchairs, but I have to travel from Paddington to South Kensington and then to Farringdon (as thats the nearest accessible station to Old street).
Any suggestions of anything other than TFL journey planner which is better at pointing out accessible routes? I think its going to end up being mainly buses, which I can cope with, but i think I'm having to add 30 mins - 1 hour extra to all my journey times.
Post edited by JustV on
0
Comments
The deep level tubes are basically not accessible for wheelchair users. You'll have to use the buses, all of which are wheelchair accessible in London. From Paddington to Old Street use the 205 bus.
First Great Western ask for a permit to ensure that your scooter is safe to travel with. Many scooters are not safe to use on trains; they're too heavy and the turning circle isn't tight enough. Scooters are prohibited from the tube in any event and most are too heavy for the ramps on buses.
If there's a lift but its not step free (I.e. the platform isn't level with the carriage) I could manage that, but I don't think it's easy to find out if that's the case.
Avoid the tube and use the buses. Why? It's a long way to the surface from the deep level tubes. Kings Cross St Pancras is step free from the train but still requires four separate lift rides to get from platform to street level. You'll also get free travel on buses but not on tubes.
Mobility scooters do not have the same recognition, and rightly so. They're banned from most public transport because they're often too big, too heavy and don't have the required manoeuvrability.
If you're on crutches the tube is fine, because of the escalators. But with so few step free stations you're best off staying above ground and seeing the sights if you're in a chair. Every single London bus is wheelchair accessible by boarding through the centre door.
^V
Wow lovely supportive comment there
Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
" So I say thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing, thanks for all the joy they're bringing, who can live without it, I ask in all honestly what would life be? Without a song or a dance, what are we? So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me "
'' It's a beautiful day and I can't stop myself from smiling "
Maybe it wasn't entirely helpful, but Melian does have a point.
Miss Riot knows that she has mobility issues, even without this new train rules perhaps some advance planning would have helped here.
However, sometimes if you don't have anything nice to say, etc. Miss Riot has got all the help she was realistically going to get from London types, I hope there's enough advice to sort it all out.