Showing posts with label accessibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accessibility. Show all posts
22 January 2012
TWO VIEWS OF LONDON
Scrolling through my Twitter feed this evening, I read these two pieces back to back. First, a blog post by a young woman whose experience of London continue to be tainted by the bizarre lack of wheelchair access on the tube and in major venues: Wheelchair Access: The WHEEL DEAL by Bunnyaimee. Second, an article in the Guardian about four women who walked the Capital Ring, camping out in green spaces and in strangers' back yards: London Walks: the Capital Ring by Kate Fenhalls. While both stories contain their moments of human kindness, it's pretty shitty that the walking group had an easy time of an unusual experiment, while the ridiculous set-up of the tube means wheelchair users are often unable to even get into town.
26 November 2011
LESS THAN ACCESSIBLE
Here is a picture of what the tube looks like to people who can't use the stairs:
Read more here.
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We have been given some free tickets to the Degas exhibition at the Royal Academy today. It'll be our first art outing in London since we got here!
Read more here.
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We have been given some free tickets to the Degas exhibition at the Royal Academy today. It'll be our first art outing in London since we got here!
14 June 2009
WALK: LAVERTON CREEK, WETLANDS, SKELETON CREEK: MONDAY 8 JUNE 2009
so, two days after that enormous walk around melbourne, db and i went for a shorter one around laverton. you can see the route on mapmyhike.com by clicking here. you can see all the pics on my flickr.
to be honest, before we did the walk, we weren't sure if there could be anything worth looking at in laverton! this was somewhat exacerbated by having some public transport muck-ups on the way, and the day being quite cold, overcast and windy. however, we had seen some jedis sparring at north melbourne station, and got a bus (train replacement) straight from newport to laverton, so there were already some things going for the day!
not far along the route, the creek started growing considerably, and looking more like a creek than a drain. there are a few 'proposed bridges' over the creek, but we were glad we hadn't counted on them being there, because we would have been cut off on the other side!
there are a lot of interesting birds to see on laverton creek and the western wetlands in general. this photo shows some spoonbills (and an imposter). SPOONBILLS! we didn't see the wee stilts that migrate seasonally between melbourne and siberia, though.
we decided that the walk wasn't so bad after all! as a side note: the walk was very accessible to people with prams or wheelchairs, and also to cyclists.
at the mouth of laverton creek you can turn north towards altona and the city, over this footbridge. if we do the walk again, we will probably take this option. however, before we do, we will make a detour to the hundred steps to federation - a rather boring park/path thing, featuring a small hill with a spectacular view.
this is the time beacon (by cameron robbins) at the top of the hill. standing beneath it, you can see 360degrees - the dandenong ranges and the yarra ranges across the bay, the city skyline, lerderderg and werribee gorge state parks, and the you yangs. fantastic!
it was a bit cold and windy, so we stopped to rest our legs for a bit, then headed south alongside cheetham wetlands to skeleton creek. along the way we saw several houses with australian flags in their back yards - lucky, because otherwise how would we have known which country we were in? we were also aided in our navigation by this sculpture near where the path intersects with skeleton creek:
it was a pretty cool sculpture, actually! however, the walk up skeleton creek was not as fun as (and it was longer than) the walk down laverton creek. we had our tea and a snack sitting on a lonely bench, puzzling over who might actually need a house as big as the new ones going up over the other side of the creek, and chasing after things the wind blew away.
one highlight, though, was the play equipment some way up the creek. i had a bit of fun negotiating it with my pack, while d took some pics! we made our way back over the freeway and down to aircraft station, where we waited only a few minutes before the bus arrived and took us back to newport. we had arranged on a whim to see my sister for a late lunch, and she suggested yarraville, so we hopped off the train there and ate vast quantities of noodles. it was a genius end to our walk, i think!
i took my new boots for a burl, and they seemed to work well! i didn't get any blisters, or feel any rubbing, so that's a good sign. the only possible issue was that my feet might be rolling in too far (over-pronating). i have an appt with my podiatrist on tuesday, so i'll ask her about it then.
to be honest, before we did the walk, we weren't sure if there could be anything worth looking at in laverton! this was somewhat exacerbated by having some public transport muck-ups on the way, and the day being quite cold, overcast and windy. however, we had seen some jedis sparring at north melbourne station, and got a bus (train replacement) straight from newport to laverton, so there were already some things going for the day!
not far along the route, the creek started growing considerably, and looking more like a creek than a drain. there are a few 'proposed bridges' over the creek, but we were glad we hadn't counted on them being there, because we would have been cut off on the other side!
there are a lot of interesting birds to see on laverton creek and the western wetlands in general. this photo shows some spoonbills (and an imposter). SPOONBILLS! we didn't see the wee stilts that migrate seasonally between melbourne and siberia, though.
we decided that the walk wasn't so bad after all! as a side note: the walk was very accessible to people with prams or wheelchairs, and also to cyclists.
at the mouth of laverton creek you can turn north towards altona and the city, over this footbridge. if we do the walk again, we will probably take this option. however, before we do, we will make a detour to the hundred steps to federation - a rather boring park/path thing, featuring a small hill with a spectacular view.
this is the time beacon (by cameron robbins) at the top of the hill. standing beneath it, you can see 360degrees - the dandenong ranges and the yarra ranges across the bay, the city skyline, lerderderg and werribee gorge state parks, and the you yangs. fantastic!
it was a bit cold and windy, so we stopped to rest our legs for a bit, then headed south alongside cheetham wetlands to skeleton creek. along the way we saw several houses with australian flags in their back yards - lucky, because otherwise how would we have known which country we were in? we were also aided in our navigation by this sculpture near where the path intersects with skeleton creek:
it was a pretty cool sculpture, actually! however, the walk up skeleton creek was not as fun as (and it was longer than) the walk down laverton creek. we had our tea and a snack sitting on a lonely bench, puzzling over who might actually need a house as big as the new ones going up over the other side of the creek, and chasing after things the wind blew away.
one highlight, though, was the play equipment some way up the creek. i had a bit of fun negotiating it with my pack, while d took some pics! we made our way back over the freeway and down to aircraft station, where we waited only a few minutes before the bus arrived and took us back to newport. we had arranged on a whim to see my sister for a late lunch, and she suggested yarraville, so we hopped off the train there and ate vast quantities of noodles. it was a genius end to our walk, i think!
i took my new boots for a burl, and they seemed to work well! i didn't get any blisters, or feel any rubbing, so that's a good sign. the only possible issue was that my feet might be rolling in too far (over-pronating). i have an appt with my podiatrist on tuesday, so i'll ask her about it then.
22 May 2009
SUNDAY 24TH / SATURDAY 6TH
This Sunday, we will be walking in Olinda. Click here to see the planned route. It is a circular walk of about 13kms on unsealed paths and roads, with lots of gentle gradients and one whopper hill - you start and end at the top of it at a lookout/carpark. It is not particularly accessible by public transport, so you will need to drive yourself there, arrange a chauffeur or use a taxi.
OnSunday 7th NOW SATURDAY 6TH June, we will be walking along Melbourne's dismantled Inner and Outer Circle Railway. Click here to see the planned route. This is a one way walk from Royal Park Station near Melbourne Zoo, through Brunswick, past the Fairfield Boathouse, through Kew, Hawthorn and Malvern to Oakleigh Station. The full route is 25kms, but there are plenty of public transport options for a shorter walk: 4 trams and a train in the first 4 kilometres, trams at 10.5 and 12.5 kms, and several train stations beside the path from 14 to 22 kms. I believe all transport options are in Zone 1 (or on the border). The route is primarily on sealed paths, although there are a few sections where we will probably walk alternative, unsealed tracks (also note that an alternative route will need to be used between Heidelberg Rd and Chandler Hwy for those using mobility aids: wheelchairs, scooters, walking frames).
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Please email or leave a comment here with your contact details if you'd like to join us, and we will talk re: starting times, places, etc.
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THE USUAL LIST OF THINGS TO BRING:
If you want to join us, you will need to bring the following things. This list may seem very serious business, but you do not want to be caught without these basics.
• Water. It’s really important to have enough to last you either the whole walk or until the next water-point. For a full day walk without any water points, you will need AT LEAST one litre, with more waiting at the end. Carrying two 600+mL bottles is advisable.
• Good, broken in walking shoes (cross trainers or sneakers are fine, sandals only on city walks, hiking shoes or boots are excellent so long as they’re broken in)
• Appropriate clothing (jeans aren’t great, and be aware of thigh chafing if you wear a skirt or dress)
• Appropriate weather-specific gear, especially on long, remote bushwalks – what you carry is all you have (minimum in all autumn walks: raincoat, scarf, beanie; sunhat, sunglasses, sunscreen)
• Bandaids for possible blisters, Ventolin if you need it, and consider bringing a small first-aid kit on remote walks (painkillers, disinfectant, bandages, any specific medication you might need)
• High energy snacks (nuts, dried fruit and chocolate are the usual recommendations)
• Lunch! This is clearly the most important bit! Usually we bring a thermos of tea (please BYO tea or coffee!) and a variety of tasty vegetarian morsels to share. Leftovers, legume-based salads, potatoes, rice dishes, quiche: all these are delicious. Let us know your dietry requirements, and remember your cutlery!
• Enthusiasm and willingness to talk about random shit, a camera, your phone so you can text people and say you're eating lunch on a mountain or something.
• A sense of your limits, and confidence in voicing them. There is no shame in having to stop to rest – in fact it is very important. We always pause at least once or twice to “look at the view” when we’re going up a hill! If things are getting absolutely too difficult, there is almost always the option of a shorter route, catching public transport, getting your chauffeur to pick you up early, calling a taxi, or turning back.
• Water. Don’t forget it, or I won’t let you walk with us. *Bossy/serious man is bossy/serious*
On
Please email or leave a comment here with your contact details if you'd like to join us, and we will talk re: starting times, places, etc.
THE USUAL LIST OF THINGS TO BRING:
If you want to join us, you will need to bring the following things. This list may seem very serious business, but you do not want to be caught without these basics.
• Water. It’s really important to have enough to last you either the whole walk or until the next water-point. For a full day walk without any water points, you will need AT LEAST one litre, with more waiting at the end. Carrying two 600+mL bottles is advisable.
• Good, broken in walking shoes (cross trainers or sneakers are fine, sandals only on city walks, hiking shoes or boots are excellent so long as they’re broken in)
• Appropriate clothing (jeans aren’t great, and be aware of thigh chafing if you wear a skirt or dress)
• Appropriate weather-specific gear, especially on long, remote bushwalks – what you carry is all you have (minimum in all autumn walks: raincoat, scarf, beanie; sunhat, sunglasses, sunscreen)
• Bandaids for possible blisters, Ventolin if you need it, and consider bringing a small first-aid kit on remote walks (painkillers, disinfectant, bandages, any specific medication you might need)
• High energy snacks (nuts, dried fruit and chocolate are the usual recommendations)
• Lunch! This is clearly the most important bit! Usually we bring a thermos of tea (please BYO tea or coffee!) and a variety of tasty vegetarian morsels to share. Leftovers, legume-based salads, potatoes, rice dishes, quiche: all these are delicious. Let us know your dietry requirements, and remember your cutlery!
• Enthusiasm and willingness to talk about random shit, a camera, your phone so you can text people and say you're eating lunch on a mountain or something.
• A sense of your limits, and confidence in voicing them. There is no shame in having to stop to rest – in fact it is very important. We always pause at least once or twice to “look at the view” when we’re going up a hill! If things are getting absolutely too difficult, there is almost always the option of a shorter route, catching public transport, getting your chauffeur to pick you up early, calling a taxi, or turning back.
• Water. Don’t forget it, or I won’t let you walk with us. *Bossy/serious man is bossy/serious*
14 May 2009
THORNBURY PARKS CIRCULAR WALK: 10 MAY 2009
On Sunday, HAWT was joined by E (and again by B the dog) for a 10km walk around Thornbury – with a bit of Preston and Northcote thrown in – taking in some of the smaller green spaces of the area. We headed off at around 9, and IIRC we finished a bit after 12, and ate dozens of delicious vegan chocolate biscuits made by SJ on the way.
The walk had a couple of objectives. The first was to scout out the area and become a bit more familiar with the public spaces, and in this it was successful – we discovered lots of parks, playing fields and reserves, and we also got a good overview of the accessibility of play equipment and facilities in the area. The second was to provide a less-strenuous walk than our last 25km epic along the Yarra, hopefully providing an opportunity for some new walkers to join our group (and not to break them like we almost broke SJ on the Olinda Walk-o-Doom last January). I think we also succeeded in this, as E joined us for the first time and seemed to make it to the end without dramatically falling into a heap or hating us forever!
Some pics (more on flickr):
Beatrice . . .
. . . bravely makes a friend . . .
. . . but misses out on a chocky biscuit!
An amusing sign alteration.
Grandview Dairy. No longer a dairy, and with less of a view than in halcyon days.
E, surveying our feast!
J, demonstrating this particularly rude piece of play equipment.
Review of Thornbury parks circular walk
I found this walk a little less exciting than usual, personally. I think it might have been because as a circular, suburban walk there wasn’t quite the same sense of discovery or progression as some of the creek/river/hill walks – almost everywhere we walked would also be accessible by car. However, there are many good aspects to this walk, too:
Map of Thornbury parks circular walk
The walk had a couple of objectives. The first was to scout out the area and become a bit more familiar with the public spaces, and in this it was successful – we discovered lots of parks, playing fields and reserves, and we also got a good overview of the accessibility of play equipment and facilities in the area. The second was to provide a less-strenuous walk than our last 25km epic along the Yarra, hopefully providing an opportunity for some new walkers to join our group (and not to break them like we almost broke SJ on the Olinda Walk-o-Doom last January). I think we also succeeded in this, as E joined us for the first time and seemed to make it to the end without dramatically falling into a heap or hating us forever!
Some pics (more on flickr):
Beatrice . . .
. . . bravely makes a friend . . .
. . . but misses out on a chocky biscuit!
An amusing sign alteration.
Grandview Dairy. No longer a dairy, and with less of a view than in halcyon days.
E, surveying our feast!
J, demonstrating this particularly rude piece of play equipment.
Review of Thornbury parks circular walk
I found this walk a little less exciting than usual, personally. I think it might have been because as a circular, suburban walk there wasn’t quite the same sense of discovery or progression as some of the creek/river/hill walks – almost everywhere we walked would also be accessible by car. However, there are many good aspects to this walk, too:
• It is very family/kid friendly (I can imagine how fun it would be to play on all that play equipment if I was a kid . . . what am I talking about? It was exciting for me as a so-called grown-up!)
• It is accessible to people with mobility issues, people using wheelchairs and/or prams (you can stay on evenly surfaced, sealed pavement the whole time, and there is only one ascent and one descent of significance);
• There are lots of water taps and 5 public toilets on the walk (I did notice that one set looked very closed, though, and I didn’t check if they were all wheelchair accessible or gender neutral);
• It is quite dog-friendly (although you would want to keep them on a lead near the main streets);
• Towards the end it goes past a strip of cafés on High Street, so if you are ready for lunch you could stop off for a coffee/tea/whatever and a bite to eat!
• It is well-serviced by public transport, so you can cut the walk short at numerous points if necessary; and
• It is circular, so you can start/finish at any point you want, and go in whichever direction pleases you.
Map of Thornbury parks circular walk
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