Southsider’s public transport nightmare

A YOUNG Southside man has launched an online campaign to improve disability access on public transport.

Sean O’Kelly (23), from Dalkey, recently created a Facebook page, ‘A Day in My Wheels’, in a bid to draw attention to the plight he and other disabled people face on a daily basis in the city.

Sean, who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus, is a full-time wheelchair user who relies on public transport, in particular the DART, to get around.

On a recent trip to Clontarf he was left stranded when there was nobody at the station to help him off the DART.

“It was,” he says, “the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back”.

“I was going from Dalkey to Clontarf for driving lessons, so I rang ahead to make sure that there would be someone to assist at both stations,” Sean explained. 

“The journey was fine, but when I got to Clontarf Road Station there was nobody there. The driver helped me off the train and that was okay, as it’s happened before, but when I approached the lift it wasn’t working.”

As a result, Seán was stranded on the platform with no way of getting out of the station. He had to make other arrangements by phoning ahead, boarding another train and getting off at a different stop, where someone had to pick him up.

As a result, he was late for his driving lesson.

This, according to Sean, is a daily ordeal for those who are disabled and he says he has had enough.

“That was it for me,” he stated.

“This happens in some form or another on every single day in Dublin for people like me and I just felt that I had to do something about it, not just for me but everyone else like me.

“I want to throw down the challenge to others, politicians in particular, to spend a day in a wheelchair to see what it is like.

“Last year we had the marriage referendum to improve equality and now I’d like to see a similar movement for disabled people.

“This really is a matter of equality, or as is the case, it is a matter of inequality.

“We want to be treated like and considered the same as ordinary citizens but this is impossible with the situation as it is at the moment.”

According to Sean, the opportunity to pass his driving test and drive a car would be a life-changing experience.

However, he has been denied this opportunity in his efforts to be independent because, he says, of the failures in the public transport system.

Sean also highlighted how the problem with a lack of disabled access has affected his personal life as he explained how difficult it is to go on dates with his girlfriend Megan McGuckin (21) who suffers from the same condition.

“It feels like, as disabled people, we are discriminated against,” he added. “It makes me furious. I should be able to go on dates on my own with my girlfriend.

 “It’s not right we should have to ring ahead to get the train or go to a restaurant.”

After reading about Sean’s plight, local councillor Deirdre Donnelly (Ind) decided to highlight his story.

 “I am quite shocked that citizens are being treated this way in this day and age,” Cllr Donnelly said. “There are thousands of people around the country who have mobility issues and it is so wrong that they are denied their basic right to travel.

 “It is unacceptable that a lift is not working in any of the stations. I have requested a meeting with Department of Transport officials to examine options for passengers who are in wheelchairs or have other mobility difficulties.” 

A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann said they were committed to ensuring all their customers can travel with them.

“We are sorry for any difficulty experienced in travelling with us, as detailed by this customer,” the spokesperson said. “We have invested significantly in fleet and stations to enhance accessibility.

“We also work with representative bodies for the mobility-impaired and sensory-impaired, including the Irish Wheelchair Association, to ensure we can meet the needs of all our customers and address issues which arise.

“We will work to ensure that assistance is available with or without notice.

“However, some stations are unmanned at some times, and notice enables us to ensure that we can have a staff member in place to assist.”  

The spokesperson added: “Our Access Liaison Office makes arrangements daily for assistance to be available at stations, including ensuring assistance at times when stations are unmanned.”