The use “unbridled and uncivilized” of scooters increased the fear of using public space in blind people, exacerbating the feeling of isolation of those who do not seedenounced this Tuesday the Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Portugal.
“What happens to many blind people is that when the cane hits the skateboard, it is already too close and the scare is no longer avoidable. The fear of this happening leads many blind people to stop walking in public spaces.“, explained to Lusa the president of the Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Portugal (ACAPO), Rodrigo Santos.
Difficulties in moving on a public sidewalk are not new, scooters are just the last item on the list: “It’s the car stopped for only five minutes, it’s the truck that’s just doing a wash, it’s the motorcycle parked on the sidewalk. To add to these, a newer one, the scooters“, said the person in charge.
In many municipalities, the use of scooters is being regulated, as is the case, for example, in Porto, where the City Council’s regulations on Shared Services in Soft Modes of Transport stipulate that “the circulation of shared service vehicles on the streets is prohibited “pedestrian streets, squares, urban gardens and sidewalks”, but there are daily complaints of disrespect for the law.
“Sadly, we have received several reports of scooters being driven on sidewalks, at motorsport speeds, in races. It is very nice for tourists but dangerous for a pedestrian., even more so for a blind person. The problem is not in the scooter, but in the unrestrained and impolite use of those who use it”, she pointed out.
Rodrigo Santos explained that “there are numerous” accidents reported by members of ACAPO: “There are several physical injuries due to shocks, run overs, falls. And then there is the issue of the canes that break and that for a blind man is to stay doubly prevented from seeing”, drew attention.
In addition to the scooters in circulation, ACAPO receives another complaint, the scooters that are not properly parked: “It is worth looking at the public transport interface, whether it is in Cais do Sodré, in Oriente, in Lisbon, in Trindade or in S. Bento, in Porto, the innumerable abandoned scooters, piled up and scattered. It’s at the crosswalks, it’s next to the stops. goes beyond imagination“, he listed.
According to the official, the misuse of the scooters and the disrespect for the traffic regulations of that vehicle have consequences “beyond the physical” and “even more serious.”
“The fear of having an accident, of getting hurt, of tripping over a badly stopped scooter leads many blind people to avoid leaving the house. What causes this? Increases the feeling of loneliness, isolation, lack of integration into city life. They are evils that go far beyond the physical, ”she denounced.
Source: Observadora
