Romania Undesigned

It's too dark to see, Cristian -Kit- Paul, Bucharest

A paralyzed man asked for my help this morning. He just crossed the road in his wheelchair and he was attempting to escalate the sidewalk curb—without a chance of succeeding. I did my best, but at one time, while climbing down the high curb, the frame touched the ground and the wheelchair got stuck.

Not without a sense of weird irony, all this was taking place on the sidewalk in front of Victoria Palace (the government building). The guards were watching.

The curbstones in front of the government building are brand new. A few days ago the old stone blocks were removed and the new ones placed in their place. Here's the catch: the old ones did have wheelchair ramps. The new ones don't.

Fuck that, why ramps? We're a healthy nation in perfect shape! Look on the streets: no infirm folks, no wheelchairs.

Because they cannot possibly afford to leave their homes.

I did not have the opportunity to share a disabled person's view on things—minor things, like high sidewalk curbs and lack of proper wheelchair access ramps turn into a living hell. Designed by incompetent morons and built by two-legged brutes, the streets are constructed against the handicapped.

A big hand of applause for the Mayor of Bucharest and for all those wonderful, decent people who run this city—thank you, guys!

Comments

Reply no.: 1

4 Oct 2007, 3:15 PM

gupi:

Kit, seems no one needs handicapped today: in every park in Timisoara there is a big board stating:

"Este interzisă folosirea echipamentului de către persoane cu handicap, rău de înălţime sau rău de mişcare"
It is forbidden the use of equipment by handicapped people or those suffering by fatigue or motion sick

See the following post (with picture) to understand the smoothness of some people's brain: www.banatserv.ro/index.php/topic,226.0.html

Reply no.: 2

4 Oct 2007, 3:25 PM

gupi:

On the other hand, I invite people in Oradea (small north-western town in Romania) to see some real attention paid to handicapped people:
- wheelchair access-ramps to any street crossing
- smooth beepers to all semaphores, for blind people
- semaphore timers to ease the traffic synchonizing

Reply no.: 3

4 Oct 2007, 5:03 PM

Alina Popescu:

My God! I seriously have a hard time believing this, as I haven't been walking in that area in long while. And back then they had the ramps. But I doubt they did it because they are stupid. I think they just needed to squeeze in another contract for a second company to build the ramps...Or at least I hope so, even with double payment, at least something would be done.

Reply no.: 4

4 Oct 2007, 7:56 PM