Blacktown City Council - Media Release - Daily Struggle For Doonside Without A Lift

MEDIA RELEASE

15 June, 2018

Blacktown City Mayor Stephen Bali MP says the cold shoulder towards Doonside residents is a “social injustice” to the community.

Reports on the NSW Government’s 2018 Budget revealed 11 more stations will receive upgrades, and there will be further progression of four stations.

Again Doonside was not on the list.

“It is heart breaking to see people struggle every day to get about their daily routine because the station cuts this suburb in half.

“The absence of a lift is a social injustice to the many people who need it,” Mayor Bali said.

“Not only does the lack of a lift limit resident’s access to the train and ability to commute to work, school and university, it also means that parents with prams, people with mobility issues and seniors can’t even walk from one side of the suburb to the other.”

Twenty-one year old Bradley Seymour knows all about the struggle to commute without a lift at Doonside railway station. He uses an electric wheel chair.

“If I need to get a train I have to take a bus from Doonside to Blacktown. This adds more time and stress to the journey every day.

“Sometimes the lifts at Blacktown don’t work and I have to call my parents or someone to come fetch me. It’s frustrating and limits what I can do,” he said.

Mr Seymour’s father, Jason Walsh said the family has lived in Doonside for over 14 years. “Everyone is waiting for a lift at this station, and every year it gets ignored.

“I really can’t believe it’s not on the list again!”

Mayor Bali said: “According to the 2016 census data, 16.4% of the Doonside population are over 60 years old.

“Not only do they need convenient access to a railway station, they need to be able to move freely from one side of their suburb to another. They need access to medical centres and shops.”

Mark Hartley, whose family has lived in the area since the 1980’s, said that members of his family have faced unnecessary difficulties because of the lack of a lift at Doonside railway station.

“Now that I have to use a walking stick, I find it very difficult at Doonside station. This lift has been spoken about for such a long time.”

“It makes the community very angry that the lift is still not on the list. Every year we wait and it’s not on the list,” he said.

Mayor Bali said: “Currently the only way people can get across the suburb is by walking up the ramp, across the foot bridge and down the other side. If they want to use the platform, then they have to use the stairs.”

“It is shameful.”

“Clearly residents in Doonside are being discriminated against as they have been for over two decades.”

Mayor Bali and local residents have been campaigning for over two decades to have a passenger lift installed at the 137 year old station.

More than 2,000 people a day use the station, and the growth of nearby Bungarribee has added extra pressure to the station, he said.

“This decision comes despite Census figures showing Doonside has more elderly and disabled residents than many stations in Sydney that already have lifts.

“I said this last year that the planning and the design work for the upgrade was completed in 2011 and only a lack of commitment and funding has stopped the project from going ahead.”