A New Kerb Ramp

(I should have posted this story in October 2013. I delayed the posting because I wanted to wait for an opportunity to test the new ramp myself. I took the photo of the ramp from my car window in October but until now I am still too busy to spend time going down from my car to check the ramp in detail. I have decided that I will post this today and check the place when I am more free.)

Sometime in October 2013, a friend phoned me to tell me that we have finally got a new connecting ramp in front of HSBC bank (Beach Street) branch (See photo below). She was very excited because we have been waiting for this ramp for a long time. The ramp looked good. Better that what I was expecting. I thank MPPP for the good design.

I first wrote about this "missing ramp" in July 5, 2012 (see photo below and link to my post HERE). A friend who was ex-municipal councillor then wrote an email to MPPP to highlight the problem. We received a prompt email reply. I thought it would not take long to get this problem fixed. After all a kerb ramp is not something that is difficult to build.

So I checked the place as often as I can but nothing happened. (photo below)

At the end of February 2013, I decided to ask the press for help. Guan Ming Daily (thanks to them) sent a reporter and a photographer to the location. I explained to them the problems and the daily published a story about the "missing link" on Mar 4, 2013. The story probably has some impact and we finally got the kerb ramp sometime in September or October 2013.

Art is Rubbish / Rubbish is Art

Ernest Zacharevic is a very popular street-art artist in Penang. He is currently (at the date this writing) having his solo show in Penang. The show has attracted a lot of people. But can a wheelchair user visit the show? Here is my short report.

The show is held at an abandoned bus depot. As expected, the entrance is not wheelchair friendly. I needed help to overcome the step. It is obvious that the organizers have forgotten the wheelchair users because this problem can easily overcome by a simple ramp. (See photo above.) Once inside, I discovered that the exhibition space is flat and spacious. (See photos below.)

The exhibition area extended to the back garden and I found three problems there. Firstly, I saw toilets for both men and women, but could not find a wheelchair friendly toilet. Secondly, the walk ways were rather narrow and I had to be very careful when I used my motorized wheelchair.

Thirdly, some of the art works were displayed on a platform beyond my reach. 

As a whole I did enjoy the show. Many of the works were thought provoking. Ernest is a good artist but I doubt if he has any say in the accessibility of the exhibition venue. This is another example that Penang is still very far behind in disabled access. Nothing much has happened in the past few years.

(Here are more photos of the art works and you can find more information of the exhibition at the link HERE.)

(Date of visit: Feb 4th, 2014)

Thank You Gurney Paragon Mall For The Stairlift

I made a mistake in my Aug 12, 2013 post about Gurney Paragon Mall Penang (Part 2). (See link HERE). I overlooked the presence of a stairlift. Here is a video of the stairlift. (Link is HERE.)

Access Alert : Gurney Plaza

If you are used to entering Gurney Plaza from Persiaran Gurney (Gurney Drive), please note that the ramp near the main entrance is no longer there. The information counter advised me to use the alternative ramp located next to Euro-Deli. Here are some photos that I hope will help you to locate that ramp.

Penaga Hotel

I really like the "lane garden" of Hotel Penaga. It was originally a side lane in between three blocks of old terrace houses. But the hotel did a wonderful job converting it into a small but lovely garden. I never expect a side lane can be made so beautiful until I visited this place. It is accessible, a bit bumpy for my wheelchair, but you should check it out if you have the opportunity.

My first impression of the hotel was not good (my first visit was more than a year ago, but this writing was based on my recent visit on Sept 30, 2013). The very steep ramp at the entrance gave me that first impression. But if you phone the hotel and tell them you are coming in a wheelchair, they will reserve a special car park right in front for you. They will also assist you to go up this steep ramp. So the service wasn't bad.

The passage way to the garden (see the arrows in the photo above) was originally the five foot way (kaki-lima) of the terrace houses that have become part the hotel. In the old days, "kaki-lima" were build in front of every terrace house to provide shelter from the tropical heat and the occasional tropical downpours.

The photo above is what you will see when you turn into the garden. You shouldn't stop there. You should go to the end of this pathway and turn right into the deeper end of the garden. The place is beautiful, shady even under mid-day sun.

If you enter the lobby of the hotel, you will see the counter shown in the above photo. Turn right if you want to go to their restaurant or the accessible toilet (located behind the lift). Yes, this small hotel has a lift!

The toilet is long and narrow. Expensively decorated. I found the lighting a bit too dim, (bad for people who has poor eyesight). It is also too narrow for wheelchair users who use "side transfer" method to go to the toilet bowl. (See photos above.)

The illustrations below explain the "side transfer" method and why wider space (not less than 600 mm) is needed beside the toilet bowl. For more details please got to my post about accessible toilet. The link is HERE.

The link to Penaga Hotel's website is HERE.

Everyday Supreme Restaurant (Tian Yi)

This restaurant is at Logan Road. The Chinese name is "Tian Yi". I suspect some people (including me) may not be aware of the English name. So if you are asking around for its location, please use both the Chinese and English names.

I like the entrance of this restaurant. It is one of the very few private buildings that has a ramp at the front door. (The other is Macalister Manson see link HERE). My wheelchair entered the wide door so smoothly that it amazed me. (See photo below.)

Once inside, I noticed that the tables were well spaced out and I had no problem reaching my table (Most restaurants in Penang tend to arrange the tables closely and I often had to ask other guests to shift their chairs closer to the tables to make way for my wheelchair.)

The accessible toilet is located at the far end of the restaurant. The two photos below will point you to the direction of the toilet.

I discovered that the door of the toilet opened inwards. This is very common in Penang. It reflected the general lack of understanding of Malaysian Standard for accessible design. Luckily the toilet was reasonably big and I was able to close the door with a little manipulation of my wheelchair. From the photos below, you can see that the toilet design was not really up to the standard as required.

The two drawings below show what a good accessible toilet design should look like (base on Malaysian Standards). For more details please go to the link HERE.

Penang Road Overhead Pedestrian Crossing

Just read from the press that the Penang road overhead pedestrian crossing will be made disabled friendly by next year. Credit should be given to the government.