[ad_1]
Cantabrians living with visual impairments say they are struggling to see which bus to take, after the regional council began rolling out buses in a drab teal.
Environment Canterbury (ECan), which manages the region’s bus services, unveiled its new teal color in September.
But Blind Low Vision NZ, formerly the Blind Foundation, says the local community is concerned that all metropolitan buses are painted the same color.
The group sent a letter to ECan CEO Stefanie Rixecker in October.
READ MORE:
* Teal bus design costs Christchurch taxpayers $ 94,000 as ECan moves to unify fleet
* The big teal reveal – new color, brand for Canterbury bus network
* Visually impaired earthquake experiences highlight gaps in disaster preparedness
* Editorial: Time to lead the failed Canterbury bus services
“Removing the color coding will be another barrier for people with vision loss who want to travel independently on Christchurch buses,” said Blind Low Vision NZ CEO John Mulka.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / Stuff
Christchurch’s new teal bus livery is being rolled out across the fleet.
“Color and contrast are one of the key tools that enable people with vision loss to make the most of their remaining sight.”
Many were using the previously color-coded buses to help safely navigate the city and the transportation network, he said.
Mulka said they did not participate in any public consultation and while the decision seemed already made in this case, they would like to participate if ECan was considering further changes.
In his response, Rixecker said that there would have been discussions with the ECan Disabilities Reference Group on the proposed changes, but it could not happen due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
He regretted that the change could cause some anxiety for its members.
“Our consideration of the change was based on our understanding that a single livery is standard practice for public transportation around the world, and that the rest of our uncolored line network is accessible to the visually impaired.”
Joseph Johnson / THINGS
Some of the older routes had color-coded buses, such as the blue and orange lines.
“Now I can understand that they eliminated something that worked well for the visually impaired and would take a different and more consultative approach in the future,” Rixecker said.
“The Metro Lines were introduced between 2012 and 2014, in part in response to the Christchurch earthquakes, when sponsorship declined and travel patterns changed dramatically. We increased the frequency on these main routes and highlighted them with colors.
“Our future plans are to increase frequencies on many of our routes, so we are moving to a single livery rather than extending the color-coding approach.”
Metro Christchurch can provide route number / name signs for the visually impaired to hold while waiting for their bus.
An ECan spokesperson said drivers know to be on the lookout for these and stop to pick people up.
Creating a new teal design for Christchurch buses cost taxpayers nearly $ 94,000, not including the paint itself.
