The Bee Network has appointed a Manchester councillor to the role of disability advocate in an effort to boost inclusivity and accessibility.
Cllr Tracey Rawlins, who has been a Labour councillor for Baguley since 2018, is also the executive member for clean air, environment, and transport at Manchester City Council (MCC).
Prior to being appointed executive member Rawlins worked in Wythenshawe as a programme manager and community development worker.
Cllr Rawlins has experience with issues around transport from her portfolio work at MCC, which included removing access barriers on popular cycle routes, and she also represented MCC on the Manchester Climate Change Partnership, drawing together public and private actions around climate change and the environment.
Rawlins said: “Looking back over the past decades it is easier than ever for someone to get from point A to point B.
“However, in our increasingly mobile society it is vital that people living with disabilities are not left behind.
“I am proud to be taking up this role and to use my position and influence to improve the lives of disabled people throughout Greater Manchester.”
The appointment comes after Greater Manchester signed up to the national Accessible Transport Charter, which calls for a disability advocate to be included in governance and delivery of local transport services.
This charter was launched by the cross-party Accessible Transport Policy Commission, chaired by Baroness Grey-Thompson, in response to the challenges disabled people face with the UK’s transport system.
The main goals of the charter are to increase inclusion of disabled people in decision-making on transport, eliminate barriers to access, and protect key services that many rely on.
Transport for Greater Manchester’s history of addressing accessibility needs includes comprehensive consultations with disabled members of the community around the design of new Bee Network buses.
However, one of the major barriers to access that remain in the city-region are certain train stations that don’t yet have step-free access, a problem that will come under the purview of the Bee Network as it aims to include commuter services in the network by 2028.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: “I warmly welcome Cllr Rawlins’ appointment as the Bee Network Committee’s Disability Advocate.
“Accessibility is at the heart of the Bee Network and one of six ‘customer commitments’ that should inform every decision we make as we strive to improve public transport and active travel in Greater Manchester.”
Feature image by Luke Power for MM.
