Thursday August 18, 2011
New Cheras bus terminal disabled-friendly
LAST week, we were pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation from Maju Terminal Management and Services (Maju TMAS), the operators of the new bus terminal, Terminal Bersepadu Selatan at Bandar Tasik Selatan (TBS-BTS) in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. They wanted us to check out the disabled-friendly features at the terminal.
Maju Holdings, the parent company of Maju TMAS, was awarded a design-and-build contract in November 2007. They had the mammoth task of constructing the RM570mil terminal within three years. The terminal would serve as an integrated transportation hub where the public can commute by bus, taxi and rail. Bandar Tasik Selatan was identified because of its ERL and Komuter rail lines.
The terminal which began operating at the start of this year, has replaced the newly renovated Pudu Raya bus station for all south-bound buses.
A key feature of TBS-BTS is the disabled-friendly facilities which also cater to the elderly.
Special service: Wheelchair-users can purchase tickets with ease at dedicated counters for the disabled and the elderly at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.So when I was invited to offer feedback on the company’s efforts in looking into the needs of handicapped users, I was quite excited.
As chairman of the disability technical committee of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), which offers advice on handicapped-friendly features to developers, I thought it would be a good idea to bring along some of my team members with disabilities, as well as MBPJ’s planning and engineering staff.
Now, I must admit that we were half-expecting to see things that were not in proper order at the terminal, because of past experiences with other outfits which promised the same thing but turned out to be the opposite.
But boy, were we in for a surprise! The first thing that we were thrilled to notice at the terminal were the guiding blocks for the blind. These bright yellow tiles with grooves in them – also called tactile flooring – help the blind find their way about independently.
If you live in KL or PJ, you are likely to notice more and more of them being built in the outside environment, especially on the pavements.
However, what is notable about TBS-BTS’ tactile flooring is that they are also placed inside the terminal. This is exactly how it should be done – both outside and inside.
Long stretches of tactile lines from outside of the terminal effectively lead blind commuters into the building all the way to the information and ticketing counters.
They are also designed to guide the visually impaired into the restrooms which are wheelchair-friendly.
Our blind technical expert was thrilled. He used his white cane to cover almost the entire building.
Most buildings that claim to be friendly to the blind, sadly stop short of providing tactile flooring inside the building. This leaves blind visitors at a loss over what to do next when they are inside. Although our expert is blind, he was quick to point out areas that could do with some improvement. Some of the tactile lines, for instance, were not continuous at entry points such as the doors. For some reason, the able-bodied designers had overlooked this.
There were also certain areas where the management had placed chairs, stand-up signs for the public to queue up or other obstructions close to the markings. Blind commuters may accidentally knock into them.
As for wheelchair-users, there were three of us, including me. We represented various degrees of handicaps and gave our views based on our personal experiences.
We pointed out that the “lowered public phone booths” were not low enough for our wheelchairs. Some of the fittings such as the sink, water closet and dustbin in the restrooms were more of an obstruction than a help.
However, overall the boys at TBS-BTS had done an amazingly good job. We appreciated their willingness to receive feedback from us in good faith.
They said our feedback was a challenge to them to strive to make their terminal even better for persons with special needs.
The best news was that the terminal staff would be trained to go the extra mile to help all disabled commuters.
We were told that even before commuters with disabilities could approach the respective counters, the staff would get to them first.
With its golden service and improvements in the pipeline, TBS-BTS is certainly headed in the right direction. Syabas!
