Blind and Vision Impaired Residents Struggling With Bus Service

Vision impaired and blind residents in Invercargill have gone without audio announcements on public transport for the past two years, and want the service reinstated for their safety.

Speaking to Invercargill City councillors at the Infrastructure Committee yesterday, Blind Citizens New Zealand Southland member Carolyn Weston said since the bus routes changed in 2020 the audio announcements disappeared.

“I used to use the buses but I don’t think I would get on one now,” she said.

Carolyn told the committee the council had an obligation to provide accessible transport for all, especially with the New Zealanders Bill currently before Parliament.

She also told the council that Blind Citizens NZ (Southland branch) wanted to be involved in co-designing the new public transport around Invercargill in the near future.

Audio announcements were introduced on Invercargill buses back in 2013 and were a fantastic way to assist not only the vision impaired, but also visitors to the city.

She said Invercargill was the first city in New Zealand to have this service, but it was disappointing that it no longer existed.

Other bus services around the country had since started using them as well.

Cr Grant Dermody asked Carolyn how accessible the city was for vision impaired and blind citizens, particularly with the new CBD upgrade.

She said the colour schemes in the new mall were good but the lights in the Farmers department store were far too bright and glary for vision impaired residents.

The new water gardens and rain gardens were also a hazard as some people could step into them by mistake, “so we’re trying to keep people away from them until they are finished.”

She said adding tactile indicators on the ground would let people know they were there to avoid getting wet feet.

The committee asked the council to provide a report within a month on why the audio announcements had not been reinstated.