Very taxing

A new tax scheme designed to to help fund roading projects and the electrification of Auckland's suburban rail is likely to cost an additional 10 cents on every litre of petrol sold in the Auckland region. So sayeth Granny Herald.

I am gobsmacked (and very grateful I don't live in Auckland).

The move would hopefully push J. Public to use public transport by making fuel so damned expensive that people will be glad to let someone else drive them where they want to go, and maybe that is a valid incentive for people who have the choice about using public transport, but it won't do shit for the bulk of the disabled sector of the population and here are a few reasons why:

1. I have never seen a bus with a wheelchair hoist (this doesn't mean they don't exist, just that I haven't seen one).

2. Tranz Metro trains are very unfriendly to disabled people, a very public example being demonstrated two years ago when a man was expected to crawl up the steps because the train was running late and the manager said the ramps could not be lowered for him because "it takes too long" and "The ramp is for people in wheelchairs - that's why it's called a wheelchair ramp."

3. Buses do not usually drive past your house to pick you up when you are disabled (unless you live on the bus route, like me). They don't drive 40 metres down your driveway (like mine is), they don't park 3 metres from your door and they don't wait while you muster the strength to drag yourself up the stairs (cos they have no hoist or ramps). Last I heard, trains don't do these things either.

4. Buses do not drop you at the door of all the places you need to go on your outing, and buses do not have mobility parking to wait while you finish up and crawl back on board for your ride to your next errand.

5. Buses (and trains) do not take you straight home, nor take you home when you need to go. They don't stop at public toilets when you are busting and I don't think the bus man will like you weeing on his nice bus seat when they don't make it in time. I haven't yet heard of a bus or commuter train in NZ that has wheelchair-sized toilets on board. Please correct me if I am wrong.

6. Buses don't have nice, easily managed storage where your purchased items can just sit and contemplate how nice living with you will be whilst awaiting the attention of the rest of the household who do duty as fetch and carry people.

There, a quick half a dozen reasons why this get-everyone-on-public-transport scheme will be unusable by many disabled people. But wait, what about the added costs for these people? They are going to pay 10 cents more per litre of fuel, to still have to drive to the places they need to go, aren't they? I guess they can be driven there by a taxi (which can and does do most, if not all the things fuel efficient, traffic reducing transportation doesn't), but the taxi fares will also rise because of the increase in fuel cost and taxis are already a shocking price and out of range of beneficiaries and pensioners.

Our population is aging rapidly. Soon the ratio of older, infirm people with special needs that preclude using public transportation on a regular basis will reach such a proportion that their unanswered needs will outweigh that of the younger, fitter, more mobile in the community and the young will reap the benefit whilst the old and infirm will not be able to afford their basic necessities.

Sure, that is simplistic and a tad melodramatic, but for elderly people, disabled people and sick people like ME, these things will be the difference between being functioning members of society, and isolated prisoners of a system they spent their lives paying tax to.

And how long before other cities jump on the band wagon and pretend they will solve THEIR lack of progressive transportation planning by introducing this nonsense?

Once more, politicians prove they haven't got a fucking CLUE about real life or the costs and difficulties ordinary people face, every day. And while they can earn their huge pay packets for pushing pens around and wasting the dollars people pay out for them, they never will.

I bet these tin-pot pollies won't be using the public transport initiatives they want so badly to implement.