Have wheels, will travel: Can Singapore be more wheelchair-friendly?

SINGAPORE – For most people, a quick check on Google Maps is all one needs to find the best route when meeting friends at a new spot.

Mr Alister Ong, who has cerebral palsy and uses a motorised wheelchair, relies on four different apps to map out the most accessible path with minimal inconvenience.

The NextStop application tells him which MRT train door is closest to the lift at his destination station, while the train operator’s website lets him check which MRT exit is accessible by lift.

He then checks the Street Directory website to confirm if the accessible exit leads outdoors, and Google Street View to see if footpaths are clear of curbs or small steps.

Better awareness of the mobility needs of those with disabilities here has led to vast improvements to wheelchair users’ lives over the decades. But the experiences of those like Mr Ong show there remain areas for improvement, such as in route quality, platform gaps and unexpected barriers.

For instance, the shortest available route may not be the best one for wheelchair users, said Mr Ong, 31, a disability advocate.

To reach Suntec City from his home in Novena, map apps would suggest taking the North-South Line train from Novena to Dhoby Ghaut, then transferring to the Circle Line and getting off at Esplanade station.

But he prefers taking the train from Novena to City Hall, and then travelling about 850m to get to Suntec City, so as to avoid having to take multiple lifts when switching train lines at Dhoby Ghaut interchange.

“It also minimises potential challenges of having more doors to open... or if the lift buttons are a little bit too high,” he said.

Getting on and off trains can also be challenging due to platform gaps, which range from 36mm on the Downtown Line to 110mm for the underground stations on the older North-South and East-West lines.

Mr Ong said he carefully calibrates the speed at which he gets from the platform to the train carriage, depending on the size of the gap. “If I go too fast, I will fly off the chair; if I go too slow, I might get stuck in the gap,” he said.

Ms Judy Wee, executive director of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore), who sometimes switches from a motorised wheelchair to a manual one, said the gaps are a bigger problem when she uses the manual wheelchair as it lacks the power of the motorised one.

If the gap looks too high or too wide depending on the train, she may wait for the next train.

All trains on the North East Line, Downtown Line and Thomson-East Coast Line come fitted with gap fillers, as do the newest trains on the North-South and East-West lines.

ST reported in March 2024 that platform gap fillers were being fitted on 64 older Circle Line trains, and the Land Transport Authority was assessing if the fillers could be installed on the 92 fourth- to sixth-generation trains serving the North-South and East-West lines.

Even familiar and frequently used routes may occasionally throw up surprises, as was the case when ST followed Mr Ong around on Sept 9 and 10. To show Mr Ong’s journey accurately from his eyeline, ST procured the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which Mr Ong wore throughout the shoot.

As the city was gearing up for the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix at the time, there were unexpected road closures and footpath detours, which forced Mr Ong to take an alternative underground route.

While he is appreciative of the many improvements over the years, he said he hopes that more construction and renovation projects take into account accessibility considerations.

“When we do these improvements or make places more inclusive and accessible, it’s not just for persons with disabilities, but everyone stands to gain,” he said.

There has been a concerted push by the Government in recent years to improve accessibility and inclusion.

Such efforts include new audio announcements rolled out across 2,000 public buses encouraging people to make space for wheelchair users, as well as visual communication tools and programmes to help those with disabilities use public transport more safely and confidently, the Ministry of Transport said in March during the debate on its 2024 budget.

The Building and Construction Authority told ST that a committee was formed earlier in 2024 to review the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment, and that it will consult groups such as people with disabilities, senior citizens and nursing mothers.

The code is reviewed every five to six years. The last review in 2019 led to changes such as requiring larger accessible toilets for some building types, and more accessible parking spaces in hospitals, among other things.

Infrastructure aside, accessibility is about mindsets, said Mr Ong.

He pointed out that ramps can be built, but can then be rendered inaccessible if people park their bicycles there.

Conversely, manual doors can become accessible if people help to open them when they see someone on a wheelchair.

“More than just the hardware, it’s the ‘heartware’ and people’s attitudes that matter,” he added.