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A WHEELCHAIR USER has described a ‘nightmare’ experience on the Dart last week, after she was forced to wait 15 minutes for Irish Rail employees to help her exit the train.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1′s Liveline, Saoirse Smith said that she was “driven to tears” while waiting for an employee to put the ramp down to allow her to leave the tram.
Smith, who has cerebral palsy, told the show that she had called ahead to Connolly Station to make sure that someone would be there to assist her.
In a statement, an Irish Rail spokesperson issued an apology to Smith, said that they were investigating the incident and will ”give her a full report once the investigation is complete”.
Felt like a “burden”
Smith said that every day is harder to get around Dublin city. She lives in Clontarf and works in Blackrock.
Although possible to get the Dart between the two areas, she does not use the Clontarf station as “it isn’t always manned”.
She travels to Connolly Station by bus, and then journeys to Blackrock.
Smith said that she was travelling back from Blackrock on an evening last week. She received assistance from the driver to get on the train.
“When I got to Connolly then, I had to wait 15 minutes for someone to come get me off the Dart,” she said.
They didn’t know I was on my way. Thank god for these kids that stood in the door and made sure it didn’t close. I just felt really embarrassed. I’m holding up everybody and they can’t go where they want to go, because I’m waiting to get off the Dart.
She said that she sometimes feels like a “second-class citizen” due to such issues for wheelchair users in the city.
“Very apologetic”
In a statement the Irish Rail spokesperson said: “Daily there are up to 150 wheelchair customers travelling on our services through the city centre, the vast majority of these customers receive assistance from our staff without any problem.
However, when a fall down in communication does it occur it does cause great distress and for that we apologise.
Smith said that the event was a “big shock” and said that the staff at Connolly were “very apologetic” about the incident.
She now fears what the situation will be in future if more and more stations are unmanned.
Smith said: “It’s worrisome. The guy who usually helps me off at Blackrock said there’s not enough men. In this day and age, there should be a ramp we can use ourselves without having to rely on anyone.
I was actually driven to tears. I was that frustrated and angry.
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leglaise it tax it and control it and watch the country better it’s self from the extra revenue from it look at the likes of America and put 1 step forward not 10 steps back as normal
@Mick Mccabe: “look at the likes of America” with rose tinted glasses?
@Mick Mccabe: Good idea and use the money to match the plant pots in Grafton Street that are in north Dublin.
@Mick Mccabe: Amen.
@Mick Mccabe: is that not just for medicinal use in the US?
@GerryCummins: “The non-medical use of cannabis is legal in 9 states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington) plus the District of Columbia, and decriminalized in another 13 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
@Mick Mccabe: if they legalized big pharma industry would collapse that is what it is all about money..
Ive never seen a stoner attack anything at 3 am other than a burger, yet perfectly legal to down a gut full of vodka n redbull and strut out the club like your connor mcgregor looking for trouble! Some logic
@Jonathan Whelan: seen plenty that couldnt string a sentence together though….you know wharra mean man..yeah man…
@GerryCummins: true enough, but they aint the ones clogging up A&E’s and urinating n vomiting after clubs in a town near you!
Once again, Gardaí resources being wasted on combatting something that should be legal, regulated, and taxed.
@Todd Hebert: also, were it legal these growhouses wouldn’t exist
@Todd Hebert:
The Gardai did the right thing to shut down this criminal enterprise run id imagine not by cheech and chong but by gangs. It should of course be legalised so Gardai can target heroin and coke dealers but the political will isnt there. The yanks got it made illegal originally and ironically they are now the ones legalising it.
Legalise the stuff for God’s sake.
Legalise it; refine it, tax it and build hospitals; schools and homes.
Junkies? It’s weed for crying out loud, should be legalized…
2.7 million……stop
I can smell it from here!, anyone out there with menopausal symptoms I would recommend giving it a go!….
I think cannabis should be legal for many medical conditions. The therapeutic window (dose of a drug between a medical effect and a toxic effect) of cannabis is very narrow, that’s why it is used with caution. Any therapeutic drugs – natural or synthetic need to be used with wisdom, not recreation, because all drugs have side effects.
@Ania_on_coffee: I take your point, but you must understand cannabis is lovely.
@Honeybadger197: We should legalize it to everyone because it’s lovely? LOL I’m sure it’s probably lovely yes
@Ania_on_coffee: An occasional bowl is a beautiful thing.
@Honeybadger197:
@Fake Avast: It’s illegal in Ukraine. But some people grow it in the countryside in their backgardens. As for Russia – i don’the know.
@ Ania
I think you are not correct. The difference between medical and toxic effect in cannabis is very wide.
Cannabis does not have a toxic effect on the body unless the dose is huge, More than you could physically take!
Excellent news.
Great
Can you imagine if the country was run by stoners?
Nothing would ever get done.
@nichalo
Yeah man that richard branson and steve jobs never got anything done right
@Niccolo Saccho:
I disagree. Although it’s an individual thing I guess. I tend to use pot mostly whilst doing activities. Not driving of course.
@Niccolo Saccho: totally agree. No rapes, no senseless domestic violence, no pissing puking on the streets.
What horror it would be to live in a country where no such thing would be done!
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