According to a report by London based transport campaigners Transport For All, staff shortages on the London Underground network caused the closure of disabled access lifts and other step-free access measures for nearly 500 hours in 2013; triple the rate of such incidences in 2009.
Transport for London has been investing in making the London Underground network more accessible to disabled passengers and those with limited mobility, with hundreds of millions of pounds invested in a range of measures including more step-free stations and interchanges, lifts and manual boarding ramps. Some of these features necessitate staff assistance. However, according to Transport for London in their response to the request “…there are occasions when there is no staff member present with the necessary training for the lift to be in service.”
The worst afflicted stations were West Brompton, which closed its lifts 40 times over the year, and Wood Lane, which closed lifts 27 times due to staff shortages. In the most extreme example identified, access was unavailable for over 18 hours. Whilst the Transport for London response indicated that many closures were due to a member of staff being called away to attend an incident elsewhere, this naturally cannot account for closures of this length.
Here at Axess 2 we understand how important it is for businesses to provide step-free access for disabled and elderly customers, so we offer a range of access lifts which provide simple, effective solutions for a variety of purposes. From low rise step lifts that are suitable for a short flight of stairs into the building, to platform lifts and enclosed passenger lifts for access to the higher floors of your building, we offer a range of lifts which are easily operated by the user, reducing the need for staff assistance and offering increased independence to disabled and less mobile customers.
For more information on our range of access lifts, or to speak to one of our team about your requirements, please get in touch with us today.