Accessible buildings and infrastructure are essential if passengers with reduced mobility are to access and use maritime passenger transport services in a safe, secure and confident manner.
It can be challenging to improve the accessibility of many buildings and infrastructure, particularly older facilities or heritage buildings. Operators of ports, harbours and piers may not always have control over all parts of a particular site, and may need to liaise with local authorities or other stakeholders. The size and extent of the facility and the nature of services provided at that location will all impact on the practicality of making accessibility improvements. Operators should proceed with practical, achievable measures to improve accessibility in the short term, while putting in place a longer term accessibility programme to overcome any outstanding challenges. It is particularly important that new buildings or refurbishments are designed, built and managed according to best practices in accessibility.
The requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code are mandatory under both domestic and international law. It is important that the security requirements of the Code are not seen as conflicting with provision of an appropriate level of accessibility. Similar security requirements exist in other modes of transport, particularly air transport. By integrating disability access into security planning and implementation and by training all personnel in disability equality (as well as security), successful outcomes can be achieved.
Operators, working with other stakeholder agencies, can do a great deal to improve access to buildings, terminals and embarkation points. The aim of this chapter is to provide guidelines on making these improvements.
These guidelines do not address the strategic issue of route and network design. It is recognised that many people have problems using maritime passenger transport because the journey from their home to the ferry port, harbour or pier is too difficult. Although this problem applies to many people, it applies to a much greater extent to those with disabilities who have mobility problems. Operators are limited in their ability to address this issue, but when opportunities for route and network revision do occur, the need to bring services as close as possible to passengers should be considered. Operators should liaise with all who have a role in improving access to maritime transport services - including taxis/hackneys and other public, private, community, voluntary and specialised transport providers.
Maritime passenger transport does not provide 'door-to-door' services. To access a terminal or embarkation point, most passengers need to walk, cycle, use a wheelchair or travel by car, bus or train. Integrated access arrangements are consequently an important factor in determining whether passengers with reduced mobility can actually use a ferry or boat service.
Features that need to be considered include:
Locating terminal entrances as close as possible to the vessels they serve improves access, because walking distances are minimised. Access routes and the location of public transport stops, car parking, ticket facilities and other facilities should be audited by operators in consultation with local stakeholders to ensure that they meet the needs of all customers.
Improving access to terminals, by providing footpaths, crossings and lighting are primarily functions of the local authorities, sometimes with the involvement of An Garda Síochána, as operators very rarely own the surrounding infrastructure. Therefore, improving access to ferry ports, harbours, piers and landing places will normally require multi-agency involvement.
Transport operators have an important role to play in such multi-agency initiatives, which may also involve the Department of Transport, the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, local authorities and An Garda Síochána.
During the design and maintenance of ferry ports, harbours, piers and landing places, operators should consider the following points, which are critical to the development of high quality accessible transport infrastructure:
Maritime passenger transport buildings are accessed by a variety of methods including on foot or wheelchair, by car (drop-off or parked), or by other public transport modes including buses, rail, taxis and hackneys and other specialised transport services. The general principle is that no matter how the passenger arrives at the terminal building, the approach should be accessible.
Operators should ensure that the approaches to and the environment around the terminal or embarkation point are clearly signed and well-lit so that passengers know where they are going.
Access to and approach to and circulation within maritime passenger transport buildings and terminals require careful consideration in the design and construction of new or existing buildings and infrastructure. The 'Where to go next' section at the end of this chapter highlights publications that provide more detailed guidance on how to make these environments more accessible.
Operators can introduce initiatives such as phone and web-based ticket sales and information services to reduce the need for all customers to visit their buildings in person. Such initiatives, however, should complement but not replace other methods of communication.
Improving accessibility for all users will involve taking a holistic view of the building in question and ensuring that all the following areas are considered:
Where existing infrastructure and buildings present physical challenges, the easily achievable elements of accessibility should be addressed first. Operators may need to place more emphasis on customer care to get around the barriers caused by poor physical access.
Day-to-day management of buildings and terminals has a major impact on the accessibility of the environment. For example, a generously-sized accessible bathroom may be unusable for a wheelchair user if it is also used for storage of spare chairs or cleaning equipment. An accessible route or pathway can become inaccessible if blocked by ropes or other equipment. It is important that managing accessibility becomes part of everyone's job, and is included in job descriptions, checklists, safety procedures and so on.
Interventions such as modifications to heritage or listed buildings, even relatively small modifications such as installing new shelters, require planning permission. This should be factored into improvement programmes. Operators should work in partnership with planning authorities in order to reach balanced solutions. When designing new facilities, the Part M building regulations set out the minimum requirements. However, it is good practice in designing new facilities to look beyond the basic minimum requirements, to build in a high standard of accessibility from the outset, and to facilitate users irrespective of age, size, ability or disability. The NDA publication Building for Everyone offers practical guidance to designers in this respect. Not all architects or engineers are expert in accessibility issues and operators may need to engage expert professional advisors to ensure that the design of new or upgraded facilities will be accessible to all.
The consultation and decision-making process for improvements or refurbishment projects should be similar to that for new buildings (see NDA's publication Building for Everyone). The option of making a significant improvement in accessibility over a short period of time and the alternative of making a series of less significant improvements over a longer period of time should be examined - the more significant improvement may represent better value for money.
The interface between ship and shore is critical to the provision of good disability access and is the area most often found wanting. There are some unique challenges to accessibility in this area, including wet surfaces, slippery surfaces (from seaweed and algae), exposed locations (strong winds and rain), wide tidal variations and movement caused by waves and swells. Typically a gangway is used for foot passenger access on and off the vessel. The design of the passenger gangway is particularly important with respect to:
On car ferries (Ro-Ro vessels), foot passengers and wheelchair users may board via the bow or stern car ramps. At port facilities and on vessels clear signage and clear marking of walkways is essential to ensure safe segregation of foot passengers from vehicles. When implementing such access systems, operators must address the particular issues of passengers with reduced mobility - for example, passengers with failing sight may be at increased risk due to vehicle movements in shared passenger and vehicle areas.
Auditing can play a very important role in a number of ways. Auditing can assist operators, regulators and passengers to determine just how accessible the current vessels, infrastructure and buildings are, how effective accessibility improvements have been and what opportunities exist for further improvements in accessibility. Professional accessibility auditors should be employed to do this type of work.
The access audit should:
In order to ensure that the built environment has the highest standard of accessibility, the audit needs to include a number of essential elements, such as: