KFC Outlet At Jalan Mesjid Negeri

KFC converted an old bangalow at Jalan Mesjid Negeri (Green Lane) into a 24 hour drive-thru. I checked the outlet on Apr 3rd, 2014. Here is a brief report.

I think KFC has made an effort to make the place wheelchair friendly. I had no problem moving my wheelchair up the gentle slope to the main entrance (photo above).  Once inside, on my left is a flight of stairs that lead to the first floor. Turn right you will see this corridor (photo below). Go straight ahead if you wish to order food. Turn left if you want to go to the toilet for persons with disabilities.

I must say that the toilet is quite good by Penang's standard. (I mean comparing it with other toilets for persons with disabilities in Penang.) But I discovered that it does not have a mirror. I also do not like the bin that is unsuitable for people with limited legs and feet movements.

The eating area is bright and spacious. The chairs are not the fix-to-the-floor type which I hate. I would recommend you to visit this place if you want to eat KFC.

TNB Office at Anson Road

I was at Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) office at Anson Road yesterday. Here is my brief report.

Wheelchair access is completely ignored in this building. Although there is a ramp (see photo below) that links ground floor to first floor, the ramp is NOT designed with wheelchair users in mind. It is too steep and too long. Unsuitable to most wheelchair users.

I parked my car at the multi-storey car park and I  could  of see any car park for disabled drivers. I did not encounter any barrier from my car to the lift lobby.The guard I talked to later confirmed that there is no car park for disabled drivers.

The customer service office is located at level two. I took the above photo immediately after I stepped out from the lift. Go straight is the service office of TNB. Turn left and you will go to the toilet.

As expected, there is no toilet for persons with disabilities. However, I discovered that the VIP toilet that is big enough for wheelchair users (see photo below). It is reasonably big and a step ramp was built at the door edge. With some very minor improvements, this toilet can be easily converted into one of wheelchair users. I could not understand why TNB did not do that.

TNB is a very big corporation in Malaysia. Like most of the big Malaysian corporations, facilities and services to persons with disabilities are unimportant to them. These corporations often say that they are good corporate citizens. But their actions often do not reflect what they preach.

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.