Accessibility is a major concern for thousands of Australians who struggle with mobility issues. A trip that might be only a short walk for an able-bodied person could be a seriously daunting journey for somebody in a wheelchair, in order to avoid stairs, steep curbs or other impediments. That’s why Fraser Coast Council has developed a mobility map to help pedestrians to better navigate the footpaths in Maryborough and Hervey Bay.
The mobility mapping process undertaken by Fraser Coast Regional Council has been extensive, with council working with a survey team, including trained wheelchair users (pilots), utilising innovative technology to gather data on footpath conditions, accessibility to public transport, parking and amenities.
The goal for the mobility map is that it will not just provide support for pedestrians with disabilities, but also parents with prams, elderly citizens and people with injuries.
Managing the scope
Council had the opportunity to speak with Fraser Coast Council’s Senior Community Development & Engagement Coordinator, James O’Connor, who led the mobility mapping project.
Mr O’Connor said that when the initiative started out, finding funding and determining the scope of the project were major focuses.
“It’s one of those projects where there’s just so much that could be done with it,” Mr O’Connor said.
“It was very important for us to really define what our primary purpose was, and then how we were going to go about doing it.
“Because there are a variety of different ways to do mobility mapping but we had to determine what works best for our community and for our cause.
“We also had to research other things like what products are actually out there and available, what they look like and what companies provide them. We’ve been successful in finding someone that suits our needs but, especially in the mobility space, there’s a lot of people out there that ensure compliance with the anti-discrimination act. We really wanted to look at this from a user first perspective, so it’s good that we found that.
“So what it came down to was revising our scope, understanding what it was that we specifically wanted to deliver, how that worked in with everyone else, then finding suppliers that can deliver on that and then, of course, finding funding for it.”
Mr O’Connor said that it was really about providing a good user experience for those who live in and visit the council area.
“At the end of the day it is about being able to provide opportunities for those in our community that have access and mobility issues to find ways they can get around our communities in a manner that is safe for them.
“A lot of that’s around building resilience for people and also giving autonomy back to people. We know that in some instances where a direct route could take us five or ten metres, for a person that has mobility and access issues, it could be a three kilometre trip around, just so that they can avoid things like steep curbs off footpaths onto roads.
“Our primary purpose was really about providing that autonomy for people and allowing people to be able to see the best way to access where they needed to go, especially for critical services which is where we started off.”
Mr O’Connor explained that the map will provide users with information through an ‘effort-based’ system.
“In the end, the map will actually show accessibility through a kind of traffic light system, which would range from red or black – black obviously meaning ‘don’t even try it’ – all the way to green, which would mean ‘accessibility here is great’.
“It can also provide information about the intensity of difficulty. Depending on whether or not a user is in a powered wheelchair, they might be a bit more adventurous than if they were in a hand-powered wheelchair.”
Engaging with the community
Mr O’Connor explained that council has an Inclusive Access Advisory Committee, and that part of their responsibilities is to work with and support people that have disabilities and/or mobility issues.
“The committee works with a variety of people, ranging from people in wheelchairs to people that are hard of seeing. So as part of defining our scope we’ve had lots of conversations where we’ve been able to talk to the community about what their needs are and what they see their needs are, and then comparing that to the scope of work that we’ve developed to see how it matches with what we can deliver.
“Another component to it is we use the information from the organisation that we’re working with, Briometrix, who have worked very heavily in this industry, specifically in developing this type of work.”
Mr O’Connor said that his advice to other councils looking to implement accessibility mapping for their areas is to talk to their communities about what their needs are, develop the scope and, importantly, define a specific start point for the project.
“It’s a case of ‘how long is a piece of string’. But you’ve got to start somewhere. So that would be my advice, just take that risk and start somewhere. Beyond that, look to develop that foundational work so that you can build upon the project in the future.”
Mapping the Fraser Coast
Fraser Coast Mayor, George Seymour, said that so far the project has surveyed approximately 95km of footpaths and assessed access to more than 500 locations including bus stops, toilets, parking bays, clubs, tourist attractions, retail centres, food outlets, accommodation providers and entrances to council facilities.
“Paul Crawford, a local resident of Fraser Coast who uses a wheelchair, has undertaken the mapping of paths in Hervey Bay and Maryborough, aiming to help improve accessibility.
“In Hervey Bay, mapping included areas such as the Boat Harbour Marina, coastal walking paths along the Esplanade to Point Vernon, paths to the shopping precinct on Main Street and further along as far as Eli Waters Shopping Centre.
“In Maryborough, paths were assessed from the Railway Station in the town centre to Richmond Street, then extending Northeast along Lennox Street as far as Woodstock Street then out as far as Aldridge High School.
“This key information is then used to create an online ‘Mobility Map’ that will soon be accessible to the community, helping people to plan safe outings using our pathways.
“This project has become a nationally recognised award-winning project on the Sunshine Coast, and we look forward to the same success on the Fraser Coast.”
Featured image: Fraser Coast Council Mayor George Seymour and local resident Paul Crawford. Image credit: Fraser Coast Council.
