h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Back in March 2001, First Aberdeen buses spent an absolute fortune converting all the buses and stops on their main routes to be wheelchair friendly. The stops have a large, flat plateau and the "kneeling buses" can drop the front suspension hydraulically before lowering a short ramp to join the bus to the pavement.

While the idea is laudible, selfish drivers (car and van, not bus!) have stopped it from actually being useful.

There's almost always at least one car or van parked at every bus stop, preventing the buses from pulling in parallel to the pavement. Not only can wheelchair users not get on at these stops, but wheelchair users already on the bus who wish to get off are trapped. The high plateau designed to make the ramp work properly has the effect of a 14" high wall between road and pavement...

Traffic wardens routinely ignore vehicles parked at bus stops. I believe that parking in a bus stop bay should be an automatic ticketing offence, if not immediate towing.

(fyi, I'm not a wheelchair user myself, but a good friend who was had to move away from the centre of Aberdeen about 5 years ago because of the shameful state of the pavements which prevented her from going to the shop unaccompanied. The final straw was when a slack paving stone tilted and threw her from her chair into the road. In the last 2 or 3 years the council have started fitting ramps etc., but the attitude of the general public, and drivers in particular, still leaves much to be desired.)

I should pay more attention to this page.
Sorry about that, I completely missed this, and it was only by chance that I came to this entry which made me see it.

Thanks for the information though, I'll add it when I get time.

Jonny

np