The Churchill Fellows Association of QLD Churchill Fellowship to identify and assess best universal design approaches to improve public transport in Australia

To explore universal design approaches used by the best public transportation systems worldwide to enable Australia to move away from a limited accessible design approach based on minimum standards compliance to embrace designs that don't just benefit a select group of people (Vision impaired individuals and wheelchair users). The long-term objective is to make public transportation work for all people, with and without any disabilities.

Report Summary

Santiago's report highlights global public transport accessibility across 10 countries to improve Australian practices. Systemic issues include:

• Procurement and Compliance Gaps: Non-compliant infrastructure, like Queensland’s NGR trains, causes massive retrofit costs.
• Policy and Incentive Misalignments: Rigid driver schedules and invisible operational data marginalize disabled passengers.
• Design Failures: Standards lag behind modern solutions like indoor audio navigation and TM-30 lighting.

The report urges incorporating lived experience into executive roles and implementing proactive, universal design.