Bermuda's handicapped are planning to protest to highlight the lack of public transportation accessible to them at the opening of Parliament next month.

The Bermuda Handicapped Association (BHA) hopes to bring attention to the issue, which it believes has been treated by politicians as an afterthought. "The physically disabled are on the low end of their list of priorities," said Willard Fox of the BHA. "It's high time that something gets put in place."

In 1993, Mr. Fox was a member of a task force that developed the Headway Report. The report made recommendations as to how Government could introduce public transportation for the handicapped.

"The recommendations from the report were never implemented fully," he said. "Since that time there have been numerous attempts to address the issue, however no meaningful outcome has ever been realised.

Earlier this year, Mr. Fox was invited to be a member of a task force spearheaded by the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs. He said a strategic plan capable of introducing transport options for the handicapped in the near future, was developed at the meetings.

He said that he will be protesting to ensure that the issue will not be set aside any longer. "The physically challenged of this Country have waited long enough," stated Mr. Fox.

"In fact, persons like myself have waited for this service for several decades. We deserve better, and hope not to be disappointed or let down again."

While the Government has brought wheelchair accessible busses to the Island, Mr. Fox said that the busses which can only carry one wheelchair-bound individual were not brought to the Island for their accessibility.

"The busses weren't brought down here for the disabled, they were built like that and then they were brought down," he said.

Age Concern executive director Claudette Fleming echoed Mr. Fox's complaints. "Public transportation right now is inaccessible for the handicapped," she said. "Yes, some of the ferry routes are accessible, like the Dockyard route, but the Watford Bridge route isn't.

"Most of the bus stops are not safe for the handicapped right now. They're right on the road. The only way to fix that would be to purchase land, and that would be at least a ten- to 15-year-plan."