Home, Irritated
Apr. 14th, 2016 05:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davidgillonSo I'm back home after my fortnight in Durham. And the journey was going so well until I got to London....
Not only were we late into King's Cross because we were held just outside, but Virgin forgot to come and get me off the train. I had to send a friendly wandering film crew in search of the guard, who managed to waylay a member of Passenger Assistance who was providing wheelchair assistance for someone who'd been further down the train. He confirmed I was on their roster, just no one had turned up. He tried to use the onboard ramp to get me off, but couldn't open the cupboard it's kept in, so had to go get one from further up the platform. Finally got off the train about 10 minutes after we arrived.
Despite all that I got across to St Pancras in time for my connection, but the platform staff had decided to let all the alighting foot passengers out of the inbound wheelchair gate (never mind the half-dozen foot passenger gates they just needed to swipe their ticket over), which delayed me several minutes in being able to get onto the platform and arrange the ramp, which was long enough the guard refused to let me board (though people who came through after me on foot were boarded quite happily). We had time to get back to the end of the platform before it pulled out, so there would have been ample time to get me on board.
The next train was only 30 minutes later, so it wasn't an utter disaster. but there's nothing quite as good for making you feel like a second class citizen as having the disabled access provision pre-empted so foot passengers aren't delayed by 30 seconds.
Not only were we late into King's Cross because we were held just outside, but Virgin forgot to come and get me off the train. I had to send a friendly wandering film crew in search of the guard, who managed to waylay a member of Passenger Assistance who was providing wheelchair assistance for someone who'd been further down the train. He confirmed I was on their roster, just no one had turned up. He tried to use the onboard ramp to get me off, but couldn't open the cupboard it's kept in, so had to go get one from further up the platform. Finally got off the train about 10 minutes after we arrived.
Despite all that I got across to St Pancras in time for my connection, but the platform staff had decided to let all the alighting foot passengers out of the inbound wheelchair gate (never mind the half-dozen foot passenger gates they just needed to swipe their ticket over), which delayed me several minutes in being able to get onto the platform and arrange the ramp, which was long enough the guard refused to let me board (though people who came through after me on foot were boarded quite happily). We had time to get back to the end of the platform before it pulled out, so there would have been ample time to get me on board.
The next train was only 30 minutes later, so it wasn't an utter disaster. but there's nothing quite as good for making you feel like a second class citizen as having the disabled access provision pre-empted so foot passengers aren't delayed by 30 seconds.
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Date: 2016-04-14 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-14 06:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-14 06:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-14 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-14 08:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-14 07:58 pm (UTC)Times you wish your chair came with a flame thrower -- or maybe just a cattle prod.
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Date: 2016-04-14 11:28 pm (UTC)there's nothing quite as good for making you feel like a second class citizen as having the disabled access provision pre-empted so foot passengers aren't delayed by 30 seconds
Yes, this.