Please help us raise awareness that Ivanhoe Railway Station is inaccessible to blind and low vision users.

My daughter Lilly, who is totally blind, is heading off to university soon and she needs to access the rail network to attend. Ivanhoe Station is our closest station, and it is a key train station on the Hurstbridge line which all services stop at.

Ivanhoe Station and Heidelberg Station are two of six stations on the Hurstbridge line without tactile ground surface indicators. (Those little raised dots you find throughout public spaces.)

These tactile markers let those that are blind or have low vision use trains safely. Without them it’s practically too dangerous for them to use Ivanhoe station.

I’ve been fighting for several years to have Tactile Ground Surface Indicators placed on the platforms at Ivanhoe Station. I’ve emailed Anthony Carbines MP, Cr Alida McKern - Banyule Council, Chelsworth Ward, Kate Thwaites MP, and Public Transport Victoria for support, so far to no avail.

My original post on Facebook has already been shared widely and in addition to the lack of Tactile Ground Surface Indicators, many local residents have also provided feedback about the old wooden bridge. Lilly finds the bridge virtually impossible to navigate because the steps are uneven, "bouncy", and often very slippery. A number of residents, including disabled, elderly, those with prams, and also several people with no disability, have told horror stories about inaccessibility and accidents on the bridge, and being advised to "walk around" which requires a lengthy trek through a carpark with no footpaths.

We request that PTV address accessibility issues at Ivanhoe Station as a matter of urgency. Ivanhoe is a long way behind other suburbs when it comes to accessibility and it needs to change.

Please help us improve accessibility for all in our suburb by signing this petition.

Image description: A young woman stands on a railway platform trying to locate the edge using her long cane. Railway lines through center of photo separate the platforms and railway buildings. A bridge crosses over the railway line in background.