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Nexus has today, 25 April 2008, announced a new rule covering the use of mobility scooters on the Tyne and Wear Metro, following two accidents in the last year. The new rule, which comes into effect from the start of service on Saturday, 26 April, requires scooter users to travel at all times with a companion able to guide and assist them safely when getting on and off trains. The new rules cover all types of powered mobility scooters allowed on Metro. This rule does not apply to electric wheelchairs, for which existing regulations and restrictions will continue to apply. Bernard Garner, Director General of Nexus said: “We’re changing the rule on using mobility scooters on Metro for the safety and comfort of all our passengers, including scooter users themselves. "We appreciate this will make travel more difficult for some users, but we feel we have no alternative - other than to stop scooters using Metro altogether, given new safety concerns surrounding their use.” “There has been a huge growth in the number of people using powered mobility scooters to get around and we need to keep pace with that. “If Metro is to continue to allow scooters onto trains then the rules surrounding their use must be tightened to make sure they are not a hazard for the users themselves and other passengers. “We are going to sit down with access groups so we can establish safe training and use guidelines and rules for the use of mobility scooters, and these rules will remain in place at least until we have done that.” The change in rules follows two recent incidents in which mobility scooters have struck the opposite doors after boarding Metro trains, with the users falling through onto the track and needing hospital treatment as a result. The second of these occurred on Thursday, 24 April, 2008 at Howdon station and is now being investigated by Nexus and the Railway Inspectorate. Extensive tests have already been carried out on Metro doors to understand the forces involved and further tests will take place following this week’s incident. Metro train doors are designed to withstand a force of one metric tonne before opening outwards but these incidents have shown mobility scooters are capable of applying a force in excess of that on impact. Information on the rule change is being sent to access groups across Tyne and Wear and displayed on posters at stations. A special Nexus accessibility event, taking place at St James Metro on Wednesday, April 30, will give disabled passengers the chance to find out more about using public transport, and receive advice on the new rule.
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