Yarra Trams, Melbourne - Best Accessibility Improvement Project UITP

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From the August 2008 issue of Trolley Wire page 23

Yarra Trams, Melbourne, Australia, for the Best Accessibility Improvement Project.

Melbourne?s public transport system must comply With the national Disability Discrimination Act by 2022.    By the end of 2006, however, only 112 of a total 1776 tram stops had been upgraded to provide access to low floor trams for people with disabilities.  To improve the situation, Yarra Trams built more accessible platform stops in the single year of 2007 (116) than between 1999 and 2006 (112).  As a result average boarding time was reduced by 45% and running time on major streets was reduced by 25%.

Videos presenting the three winning projects can be viewed at

http://www.uitp.org/events/2008/istanbul/en/awards.cfm