Wheelchair bluesJanuary 9, 2011Dear Sir,My friend and I recently visited Bermuda to celebrate New Year. We had a really enjoyable trip and in general found Bermudians extremely welcoming and friendly. However, I feel compelled to write to you about our experience of attempting to use the bus service in the hope that the situation could be improved for subsequent visitors. As I use a wheelchair I usually check the internet prior to travelling in order to assess how accessible the destination will be. I have travelled all over the world and know not to expect all countries to have the same facilities available to wheelchair users as I have experienced around the UK and USA. I was disappointed to learn that visitors to Bermuda are not permitted to hire cars, but at the same time delighted to see, on the ‘Bermuda on-line’ website, that Bermuda had acquired wheelchair accessible buses. I realised that this would not necessarily mean that I would be able to travel on all bus routes but at least we would be able to see a bit of the island inexpensively.On January 3, we had arranged to meet some friends at Tucker’s Point and decided that this would be a good opportunity to try using the local bus service. When we arrived at the bus station in Hamilton we proceeded to buy our tickets at the ticket office. The lady at the counter told us that we would need to check with the supervisor whether or not I would be allowed to travel on the bus. This took us somewhat by surprise but we approached the supervisor as requested. He had a good look at us and said that it would be okay for us to use the bus and we purchased our tickets. Whilst waiting for the bus door to be opened we were approached by another supervisor who had appeared on the scene and he informed us that ‘wheelchairs were not allowed on the bus’.The bus driver came to our defence and pointed out that it was a public holiday and that the buses were very quiet. This would suggest that the main reason that wheelchairs are not allowed on the bus is that they take up too much room. We indicated that the sign on the bus indicated that baby buggies/strollers were allowed on the bus if they folded small so we explained that once I was on the bus I could transfer onto a seat and we showed the bus staff that my wheelchair could fold almost as small as a baby buggie. The second supervisor insisted that wheelchairs were not allowed on the buses ‘rules were rules and he did not make the rules’. He then suggested that I leave my wheelchair at the bus station and that the staff would look after it until my return. I am not sure how he thought I was going to get around when I reached my destination!I am not certain if the bus on the route to Tuckers Point was one of the wheelchair accessible buses but at the front of the bus there were only two shallow steps a distance apart so with Jim’s help, I could have easily accessed the bus. Eventually we gave up and after having our ticket money refunded travelled to Tucker’s Point by taxi. The next day we spotted one of the wheelchair accessible buses at a bus stop in Hamilton. It had the pull down ramp at the middle doors and the seats removed to accommodate a wheelchair. We asked the bus driver if we could get on the bus and were told ‘it was not allowed’.As I said above I have travelled all over the world and whilst not all countries have wheelchair accessible buses, I have never been ‘banned’ from getting on one in any other country. This makes it all the more ridiculous that Bermuda actually has wheelchair accessible buses but wheelchair users are not allowed to travel by bus!I have learned via my friend in Bermuda, who made some enquiries following the incident, that the Department of Transport is awaiting the ‘infrastructure’ to be put in place prior to allowing wheelchair users to access the buses. I presume by this that they are concerned that not all bus stops in Bermuda are at pavements and so the ramped access and egress to and from the bus would be very steep. I would like to point out that this occurs in other countries which have wheelchair accessible buses.This does make getting on and off a bus more difficult but not impossible, especially if the wheelchair user has an accompanying person with them. Surely it should be up to the individual to decide whether or not they could get on and off a bus rather than there being a complete ban on anyone in a wheelchair travelling by bus? I would hope that this situation could be changed relatively quickly to allow both locals and visitors, who use wheelchairs, to explore your beautiful island. In the meantime it might be advisable for the Bermuda on-line website to be re-worded in order to inform other wheelchair using visitors that they will not be permitted to use buses even if they appear accessible to them. Yours sincerelyMARGO L WHITEFORD (DR)Glasgow, ScotlandCome togetherJanuary 12, 2011Dear Sir,I am a long time visitor to Bermuda, having begun my annual trips to the island over 40 years ago. Back then the hotels were active, tourists plentiful, and Front Street was booming. We all know that the tourist world has changed, but that is not the purpose of this letter. In recent years, and even more so this year the front page of The Royal Gazette most always has a story about crime and gun violence, and the seeming inability to shut it down. In fairness to the authorities, I do not believe that law enforcement officials are making less than strenuous efforts to combat the problem. But, I do believe that they are simply out gunned.Will stronger gun laws solve the problem? Will strengthening the police force solve the problem? Will more diligent screening of incoming cargo stop the inflow of weapons and drugs? Certainly each of these initiatives will help. However, in my opinion not much will change until the majority of Bermuda’s citizens come together to deal with the cancer that is beginning to keep tourists and businesses away. If the slogan “Bermuda for Bermudians” means anything it is to recover and perpetuate the place that Hubert Smith immortalized in his magnificent “Bermuda is Another World”. If the reader has not seen the You Tube video of this classic, just enter Bermuda is Another World on your computer.So how do Bermudians come together? They do it the way people have always come together to improve their lives, right wrongs, and when they collectively want things to change...when conversation between friends and neighbors, whether at school, church, food shopping, filling up the tank, or at work starts making change a collective priority.I am not writing this to lecture, point fingers, or belittle the concern that all must feel at d ealing with the drug and gun problems in Bermuda. I am simply and selfishly asking my Bermuda friends to louden their voices, and come together to preserve this unique and marvelous island.AMICUSNew York City