Less than a week after the launching of two new busway stations, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is closing the ramp in one of them — the ramp on the EDSA-Philam QC busway station, to be precise.
The newly-installed ramp drew criticism for being too steep for persons with disabilities (PWDs) on wheelchairs. In addition, other improvement works will be done — to be shouldered by the contractor of the project, and at zero cost to the government. The overall enhancements is expected to take one to two months.
Philam-QC Busway Ramp Too Steep for PWDs
“Ito [vertical lift], diretso na from the foot bridge, diretso na sa platform. So more likely ito iyong atin ilalagay doon. Ganoon din sasakay iyong wheelchair dito sa elevator at ibaba na diretso iyong naka-wheelchair sa platform ng bus station (There will be a direct access from the footbridge to the platform. So more likely that is what we will put up there. The wheelchair will go on the elevator and the person can directly reach the bus platform),” MMDA Acting Chair Romando Artes said on Saturday, July 20, 2024, during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
In the meantime, the ramp on EDSA-Philam QC busway station will be closed temporarily. “Isasara muna po namin habang ginagawa, in which case, maghahagdan muna po ang ating mga kababayan (We will close it temporarily while it is being done, in which case, the public will use the stairs for the meantime),” Artes stated, as cited in a report by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Earlier, the MMDA explained that angle of the ramp was steep because of the restrictions of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, wherein the elevator should not be made level with the footbridge.
However, the authority also admitted that it was not a perfect design for people on wheelchairs, although it would have been helpful to pregnant women, senior citizens, and other PWDs who are not on wheelchairs, but find it difficult to use regular stairs.
“[N]oon pong kinu-consider kasi ito, noong tiningnan namin, sa amin kasing observation wala halos gumagamit ng bus carousel na naka-wheelchair. Pero iyon nga po, hindi rin naplano nang ganoon kabilis na na-isip kaagad na lagyan ng wheelchair access ito (When we were first considering this, we observed that wheelchair users rarely use the bus carousel. We weren’t able to immediately think about putting a wheelchair access here),” Artes explained.
“Pero buti na lang na-criticize din po kami kaya napag-isipan naman po kung paano i-a-address iyong isyu (It was a good thing we received criticism, so we were able to think of a way to address the issue),” the MMDA Acting Chair added.
The ramp on the newly-launched EDSA-Philam QC busway is, indeed — too steep for wheelchair users. Fortunately, the MMDA listened to feedback and took criticisms constructively. They were quick to address the matter and proposed possible improvements.
Aside from the new busway stations, another recent initiative of the MMDA is the “Green Green Green” program. Done in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), this program aims to enhance public open spaces.