The people who live in the Wollongong suburb of Unanderra and use the trains will despair to learn that once again their station has failed to get funding to install a lift. Instead, the state government has chosen a major upgrade at Waterfall, despite that station being fully accessible to the handicapped.
The battle to upgrade Unanderra goes back many years. The problem is that those wishing to access the station from this suburb have no choice other than to use a steep flight of stairs to reach the station platform on the other side of the tracks. That is impossible for women with prams, the elderly and specially for those with any sort of physical handicap that makes stairs difficult.
In contrast, Waterfall is well equipped with sloping ramps and can be considered accessible to all. The planned renovations will include new lifts, new toilets and modern facilities, supervised for safety by a network of cctv cameras.
Perhaps the failure of Unanderra to get the nod has something to do with politics. Way back in the years Labor governed in this state a station upgrade was consistently ignored. It almost seemed to be part of some vendetta which was finally broken in 2009 - when funds were finally allocated - only to be abandoned when the cost blew out to a staggering $ 16.5 million.
A change of government brought no relief. Once again, Unanderra seems to be the forgotten station when it comes to the most basic need - the ability for all to access it's platforms. The only way that this can be achieved is the provision of lifts to move the handicapped.
The need to attract votes figures in most political decisions and for some obscure reason Unanderra fails to flatter both sides of politics. In contrast, big numbers of Illawarra voters drive to Waterfall to avoid the slow and congested Illawarra line and from there join the city train network for the final leg of their journey to work. Waterfall is therefore a " park and ride " station.
Unanderra remains on the waiting list for funds to provide those vital lifts. Handicapped residents suffer the need for a bus fare to reach other stations with better access - and for families with young children those steep flights of stairs provide a fall hazard.
The superstitious must be wondering what they need to do to get the Gods of politics to smile on them !
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