Road conditions, bad for cars, painful for disability
Monday, March 16, 2009
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Take a look at this wonderful accessible sidewalk in Kingston, then envision how you would feel if you were trying to walk or wheel along it when you were tipped onto a sideways slant. I rarely can wheel along it because of the design. In winter it is downright dangerous because my wheelchair will slip sideways and I will get stuck in the snow that is piled up to the curb.
Many people I know who have arthritic knees or hips report that they can't walk on it because it causes pain in their joints.
A friend, who is blind, also had problems. He walks with a cane so, because there is almost no curb for an entire city block, he had trouble preventing himself from veering into the road because he couldn't find the curb with his cane. Eventually, after I told him there was no curb, he tapped for the grass and was fine, but what would have happened if he wasn't with a sighted friend who could explain this? He was caning the way he was taught; he was tapping on both sides of the path he was walking on. Also, he comes from the United States where he has never heard of a sidewalk with a surface that was compromised by a string of driveways so it could benefit the car! ... Only in Kingston!
Does anyone else know of a city that does this?
Please read my other blogs:
Transit: http://wheelchairdemon-transit.blogspot.com
Health Care: http://wheelchairdemon-health.blogspot.com
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