P-05-918 Improve disabled access to Treforest train station as a priority

P-05-918 Improve disabled access to Treforest train station as a priority

This petition was submitted by Katie Phillips having collected 156 signatures online and 72 on paper, a total of 228 signatures.

Text of Petition             

We call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to prioritise upgrades to Treforest Railway Station to enable disabled students to access the University of South Wales sustainably and with dignity.

Treforest railway station provides the primary public transport access to the University of South Wales. Transport for Wales has promised to invest in railway stations across Wales as part of a 15 year improvement programme but for many disabled young people wishing to access a university education independently, these improvements will come too late.

Current arrangements at the station require disabled people to call for help then wait for station staff to come and virtually manhandle them across the footbridge. This is inappropriate and falls short of the access standards we should expect for disabled people in the 21st century. We the undersigned ask the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to prioritise improvements to Treforest station, in particular to provide suitable disability access.

Additional Information

The lead petitioner started this petition after witnessing the current disabled access provisions in action during the first week of term. The provision fell short of that she would want to see for her friends and families with disabilities, especially those for whom the current provision would not be enough.

The Equality Act 2010 makes provision for reasonable adjustments to be made to enable disabled people to access education, employment and other services. Given Transport for Wales announcement of planned improvements, it seems entirely reasonable for this key station to be a priority, preferably before the next intake of students starting their university education in September 2020.

Status

This petition was considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 23/07/2020.

Following the further clarity about the timescale of the works to improve access to Treforest train station, due to start in September, and the satisfaction of the petitioner, the Committee agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner for highlighting this issue.

Full details of the consideration of this petitions by the committee and related documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.

It was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 03/12/2019.

Senedd Constituency and Region

• Vale of Glamorgan
• South Wales Central

Further information

• The Petitions Committee homepage
• View all open petitions
• View all petitions the committee is currently considering
• How the petitions system works