Scottish Parliament Petition for Accessible Rail Travel

Hi everyone,

My petition for Accessible Rail Travel is now available on the Scottish Parliament website to sign. The idea is to get as many signatures as possible by the final date of Monday 24th August 2015.

If you could pass on the link to your friends and colleagues for them to sign, that would be appreciated. http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01575

Accessible Rail Travel

I am campaigning in the UK to make rail travel more accessible for blind and disabled people, for example all of the Rail Companies e.g. Virgin, Arriva, National Express, First Scotrail and the other companies have the buttons all in different positions.

Here’s an example: In the toilets, buttons in the same position have different functions on different trains. In one train a button might open the door, but in another train the button will do something different. I personally know two people who were trapped in the toilet and required assistance to escape. Even more extreme, I know a gentleman that pressed the emergency button by mistake and stopped the whole train.

I was hoping my colleagues in the UK would contact their Westminster MPs, Minister of Transport and the Association of Train Operating Companies to ask that all the buttons be relocated in the same order, have contrasting colours, and even an audible signal. This would help give blind and visually impaired people more independence and make travelling by rail more stress free.

I am looking for cross-party support for this campaign and have set up an e-petition on the government website. The petition can be found here:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/75451

Many Thanks,

Alex Scott MBE