For Liz Wheeler and her guide dog Poppi, walking around Parramatta following the construction of the light rail can be life-threatening. Now, she’s calling on the NSW Government to ensure walking in the city is safe for everyone.
North Parramatta local Ms Wheeler relies on Labrador Poppi to guide her around the streets of her home city. But, a recent design choice in the Parramatta CBD means she may no longer be able to walk safely by herself.
Following the construction of the Parramatta Light Rail, the CBD has since been designed to make everything from the tram lines and roads look like one giant foot path. This means Poppi and other guide dogs can’t tell the difference between where a foot path ends and a road starts.
It’s a design choice that recently led to Ms Wheeler and her guide dog unknowingly walking onto a busy road. Lucky to avoid being injured or worse, she said the experience left her feeling shaken and helpless.
“I basically crossed Phillip Street with no clue it existed, which is scary because it was only when I got to George Street and I heard traffic that I even realised I must be on a road,” she said.
Despite normally being able to walk around Parramatta independently, the design changes meant Ms Wheeler had to rely on outside help.
“I was really upset, I was crying, I had to call a special service to get someone with sight to use the camera on my phone to help me get out of Church Street because I just had no idea what was going to happen,” she said.
“My guide dog is doing amazing work, she’s doing exactly what she should do, but it’s the design of the city that’s let us down.”
Although dots have been placed around the Parramatta CBD in an effort to assist people with vision impairment in identifying where a road is, Ms Wheeler said this isn’t enough.
“For me to find those dots, it’s like they think I’m going to see them metres back and know to stop,” she said.
“Even if I identified the dots I could be walking at such a pace that I take two or three steps onto the road anyway.”
The City of Parramatta agreed to write to the Minister of Transport and Minister for Disability Services to address the safety issues of vision impaired pedestrians navigating the Parramatta CBD. The council also agreed to advocate for an inclusive and accessible design of the Parramatta Light Rail Stage Two.
“For Liz to say to me that she doesn’t feel our city has been designed to make her welcome is really sad,” Cr Kellie Darley said.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable that it’s been designed in a way that excludes [people with vision impairments] from our city.”
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said they acknowledge the footpath accessibility concerns outlined by Ms Wheeler and take the safety of the community very seriously.
“The delivery of the Parramatta Light Rail on Church Street in the Parramatta CBD has been completed to Australian accessibility standards,” the spokesperson said.
“Transport for NSW are working with City of Parramatta Council and Guide Dog Australia to resolve Ms Wheeler’s concerns.”
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.