Penang State Museum And Art Gallery : Update

On Nov 17. 2012, I wrote a post pointing out that the Penang State Museum And Art Gallery at 57 Jalan Macalister did not have a ramp. I am very happy to say that the Museum has a new ramp now. Apparently it has been there for quite a while already. I passed the place a few weeks ago and saw the ramp but unfortunately I did not have the time to stop and take a close look. I wish to thank the authority / government of Penang for hearing the voice of the disabled. (25 August 2014)
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(Here is the original post).

I visited the Penang State Museum And Art Gallery (at 57 Jalan Macalister) on 9 Nov 2012. I was very disappointed that the place has no disabled access at all. I could not understand why. I have seen disabled facilities successfully installed in many heritage buildings in Penang. The Court House, Former ABN Bank (at Beach Street), St George Church and Suffolks House just to name a few. Suffolks House even has a lift that goes to the first floor.

I have contacted the authority about this matter and they have agreed to do something. Meanwhile, I will be monitoring this building when I am free.

A Long Wait

Last year (2 July 2013) when I checked Queensbay Mall's north entrance, I discovered that the step ramp was not in proper alignment with the platform (see above photo). I informed the mall's information counter and asked the officer there to inform the management. When I checked the same location recently (8 Aug 2014) I discovered that the problem was still there. Again I informed the information counter. I hope they take action this time.

In China Press

"Wheelchair Access Penang" appeared in China Press (Northern Edition) today (14 August 2014). So far three newspapers have written four articles about us within the last one month. It is good to know that the press are giving stronger support to our problems. The e-version is available here: http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/551401

 Or click HERE to go there directly.

In Kwong Wah Yit Poh Again

On 5 August 2014, Kwong Wah Yit Poh published an article about a post in "Wheelchair Access Penang". Two days ago (12 August 2014) the same newspaper published a more in-dept story with greater emphasis. The e version is available at: http://www.kwongwah.com.my/news/2014/08/11/111.html

Or you can go to the e version directly by clicking HERE. Google can then do some form of a translation in English for you.

The Importance Of Regular Maintenance

I took these two photos at Queensbay Mall recently. The photo above shows the ramp in front of the Central Zone. Due to poor maintenance (see the arrow pointing at the broken metal piece) the gap between the ramp and the driveway posts a problem to wheelchair users and mothers with prams. The photo below shows how a mother had to step on a paddle at the back of pram (see arrow) to overcome the gap. I am not sure if MPPP has authority to ask the mall management to do something about this gap. If yes, I hope MPPP can act as soon as possible.

In Kwong Wah Yit Poh

Two days ago (5 August 2014), Kwong Wah Yit Poh published a follow up story on my recent post "Wheelchair Access Blocked" (23 July 2014). This was the second newspaper that supported my blog post. I really appreciate the press for supporting disabled persons' issues. You can find the internet version at http://www.kwongwah.com.my/news/2014/08/04/129.html     

Or click the link HERE

A Steep Ramp At A Walkway

I took the above photo at the junction of Jalan S P Chelliah and Jalan Gurdwara yesterday (3 Aug. 2014). The ramp at the end of walkway is very steep. I could not understand why MPPP makes such a fundamental mistake. For an outdoor walkway like this, the gradient of the ramp should be 1 in 16. This ramp is very steep and thus can post danger for wheelchair users. (See the illustration below.) I urge the Penang government to hold regular training sessions for people at all levels to educate them about disabled access.

Preventing Motorcyclists From Using Pedestrian Walkway: A Suggestion

The above photos were taken on July 23, 2014 at Jalan Masjid Negeri. The location was the pedestrian walkway in front of Penang Free School. It was newly built and friendly to both pedestrians and wheelchair users. Unfortunately some motorcyclists have started to ride on this walkway. They must be stopped.

One possible way of stopping these people is to build wheelchair gate on the walkway. The photos below illustrate my suggestion. The first photo is the current walkway. The photo below that is a concept photo (drawn with a computer software) showing how a wheelchair gate can be build to deter the motorcyclists from using the walkway. Please note the blue arrows. The logic is to create twist and turn in a narrow passage. The passage should be wide enough for wheelchairs but not motorcycles. More about wheelchair gate can be found in the link HERE.