Why I Normally Don't Tell People Their Place Is Not Wheelchair Friendly

Many readers of my blog asked me if I tell the people that their place is not wheelchair friendly. My answer is often "No". This video explains why.

Wheelchair Access Blocked

The above photo was taken this afternoon (July 23, 2014) at the gate in front of the State Art Gallery at Dewan Sri Pinang. I was prevented from entering the compound because of the bars built recently. I am a regular visitor to this art gallery. My most recent visit was on June 10, 2014. The gate was still accessible then. I asked around and apparently the bars were built to prevent motorcyclists from parking their motorcycles inside the compound. This again is another example where wheelchair access was blocked because of the abuse by motorcyclists. Someone up there is really very unfair. He should take action against the wrong doers. Instead, he took the easy way out by building these bars.

Below are two photos showing the gate before and after the gate was blocked. 

From Bus Stop To Shopping Mall Entrance

I did this photo documentation in Nov 2013. It traced the route from a bus stop in front of Queensbay Mall to its southern entrance. I am not saying that this is the best example of a wheelchair access route. But comparing to many other places where there is no connecting route at all, it is still useful for many wheelchair users. This example shows the importance of continuous route for wheelchair users.

I could not find any step ramp / kerb ramp at the kerb. I am not sure if there should be one (I mean basing on the guidelines of Malaysian Standards). The problem with step ramp is motorcyclists tend to abuse it to go up to the kerb and drive on walkways. But it is necessary for wheelchair users when the bus could not park beside the kerb and the wheelchair users have to disembark on the road. They need step ramp to go up the kerb. (See above photos.)

The above are two photos of the ramp that connects the pavement to the motorway in front of the mall. This ramp is useful to wheelchair users who take bus but also the elderly. But I think the authority should make this ramp better by installing handrails at both sides. That cannot be too expensive and it will benefit a lot of people.

The above photos show how a wheelchair user can enter the mall by the long ramp beside the entrance (follow the yellow arrows). Unfortunately I forgot to take a good photo of the ramp. But if you go there, you will find the ramp to be quite adequate.

A Lesson For Planning Disabled Access

The above photos were taken at the northern entrance of Queensbay Mall. One can learn about the importance of planning from these photos. I give credit to the management of the building for providing a reasonably good ramp that leads to the entrance. But alas, they forgot to make a step ramp in the original design. So a temporary step ramp was made to allow wheelchair users to reach the front porch from the street.

The problem with this temporary fixture is that it has deteriorated with time. When I checked it during my visit on Nov 2, 2013, heavy wear and tear had caused the step ramp to misalign with the edge of the podium. (See above photo). A better approach is to provide a step ramp at the location suggested in the following photo.

There are two types of step ramps (see drawings below). Type A is actually not very good and often built as an addition to a forgotten plan.

I prefer type B, because it is less obstructive and takes up less space.

The moral of this story is that good planning is important for disabled access. If the management had planned for a step ramp in the original design, the temporary step ramp would not have been necessary.

Below is a short video about the correct way to build a type B step ramp. Click HERE.

Designing A Wheelchair Gate

In Penang, many motorcyclists often take advantage of the ramps to enter places that are not meant for them. They would enter hawker centers or pedestrian walkways by using the ramps meant for the disabled. The problem is so rampant that often the authority has to resort to placing chains across the ramps to stop these thoughtless people. I believe we can overcome this problem by building a wheelchair gate near the entry or exit point of a ramp.

A wheelchair gate (see drawings above) is a simple structure that allows wheelchair user to get through but not motorcycle. It is based on the principle that a motorcycle is much longer than a wheelchair and thus requires a larger turning radius. 

You can use any material to make wheelchair gate as long as the passage way is big enough for a wheelchair and too small for a motorcycle to turn inside. I think you can even arrange big flower pots following the layout plan below. The dimension given here is based on the space needed for a wheelchair to pass through a passage way.

You can find a video of wheelchair gate HERE. The wheelchair gate is located at MPPP’s “Turn Key” project at Patani Road, Penang.

The Walkway at Jalan Ria, Penang

The pedestrian walkway at Jalan Ria is not accessible to wheelchair users. I discovered that two days ago. My good friend, Li Fang, was trying to move from KOMTAR Walk to KOMTAR bus station but was stopped at walkway by a row of bollards.

She had no choice but to try the road. But again she was stopped by another row of bollards.

Luckily some kind-hearted people were around and they helped her unscrew one of the bollards.

So Li Fang had to use the road, exposing herself to the dangerous fast moving traffic, while other non-disabled people walked safely on the walkway. 

The rights of the disabled people are still not being respected in Penang.

Padang Kota Lama Food Court

A US business publication picked Georgetown as a great place for foreigners to retire in. (Visit link HERE). But I am not sure if the publication considered disabled access as one of the criteria. Personally I think some the older retired foreigners may need some form of disabled access and that is still lacking in Penang.

A good example is the Padang Kota Lama food court. It is located at Penang Esplanade, a famous tourist spot and next to the Cenotaph (visit link HERE), an important landmark of Penang. (For more information about Penang Esplanade please visit link HERE).

When I visited it on June 20th, 2013, I discovered that I was unable to enter the place. The entrance to the food court has some bars. These bars were there to stop motorcycles from entering the food court, but that also denied wheelchair users from entering the place. 

These bars are common in many public places in Penang. Many walkways, open fields and even entrance to apartments were made inaccessible by these bars. Here are some examples.

Solution to this type of problems is already there. In 2009, the local authority of Georgetown,  funded a test project to built a "wheelchair gate" --- a simple structure that allows wheelchairs to get through a passage but not a motorcycles. It is best illustrated in the video below. 

The project was successful and I was hoping that more "wheelchair gates" would be built at various strategic places in Penang. But due to reasons unknown to me, I have not notice any new one since.

For the benefits of the disable, the elderly, mothers with prams and also foreigners with mobility impairment, a "wheelchair gate" should be installed at Padang Kota Lama food court.

Yeng Keng Hotel

The funny thing about Yeng Keng Hotel is that it has an accessible toilet, but no wheelchair user can enter the hotel. I checked and found that there are barriers at all the entrances. (See the layout below. "X" in red represents barrier.) So what is the logic of the accessible toilet? Just to complied with the building by-laws?

Note the "MIND YOUR STEP" warning shown below.

The accessible toilet was badly designed. The door opens inwards (see photo below). I was unable to close the door when I was inside.

Wrong type of grab bars were used and they were fixed to the floor (see the yellow arrow in the photo below). They prevent users from transferring from wheelchairs to the toilet bowl. 

There is a ramp near the entrance of the restaurant (see photo below). I tested it and found it too narrow, especially at the corner. The toilet inside the restaurant is very small and completely inaccessible.

Yeng Keng Hotel is not wheelchair friendly at all. Don't go there.

(Date of visit : 26 March 2013)

Gurney Paragon Mall Penang (Part 1)

I checked this mall on the 26th Aug 2012. As expected from all new public buildings, basic facilities for wheelchairs access were there. (I believe mainly because of the requirements of the Uniform Building By-Laws.)  Again as expected, the disabled access were poorly designed.

The first thing I notice was that steps were everywhere. There were steps at the door of every shops and all of the nice open-air eating areas. I am not anti-steps but surely ramps could be built beside some of these steps. The steps also made the place very unfriendly to young children. So parents please watch your children when you bring them there!

The best feature of this mall was the gentle ramp at the entrance. But I could not find any disabled people's car park near there. (See photo below.)

However, not a ramps were good. The one leading to the toilet was a bit too steep for me. (See photo below.)

I also found the ramp in the photo below to be so steep that it may cause a wheelchair-user to tilt backward and fall. The gradient was very far away from Malaysian Standard's 1 to 12.

The toilet was reasonably spacious and a flip-up bar was there, correctly installed. But they forgot to place a mirror there. (See photo below.) 

I also found the light switch outside the toilet to be too high for me.

Due to time constrain, I did not have the opportunity to check first floor. If you have any information or photos about the access there, please feel free to post them as comments, or email me with short descriptions so that I can post them in this blog. Remember the purpose of this blog is to share information with other wheelchair-users.

Lone Pine Hotel, Penang

I visited Lone Pine Hotel on 29th May 2012 and was disappointed with its disabled access. Here are some of the major issues.

1, The toilet for disabled people was not designed in accordance to Malaysian standards. There should be a flip-up Grab Bar beside the toilet bowl but it was not there. (See photo below). The basin was also to high for a wheelchair-users (not following the standard). (See photo below.)

Saya melawati Lone Pine Hotel pada 29 May 2012. Saya kecewa dengan kemudahan akses oku yang disediakan di sini. Beberapa isu utama dikemukakan.

1. Tandas oku yang disediakan tidak menepati dan mematuhi piawaian Malaysia. Sepatutnya menyediakan “grab bar” di tepi tandas mangkuk ini tetapi ia tiada disediakan di sini. (Merujuk gambar bawahan). Basin/lembangan yang dianggap tinggi untuk penggunaan orang yang berkerusi roda (ia tidak mengikuti piawaian Malaysia). (Lihat gambar di bawah.)

在2012年五月29日我走访Lone Pine Hotel。对于这儿残障的设施我感到失望。这里提出了几个重点。

1． 无障碍的厕所并没有符合马来西亚残障手册。理应在厕盘旁提供正确的扶把，但是这儿并没有（请参阅以下的图片）。对于轮椅者洗手盘太高（它没有根据马来西亚残障手册）。（请参阅以下的图片）

2, The ramp leading to its restaurant was too steep. Again not following the gradient specified in Malaysian Standards. (See photo below).

2. Ramp yang menuju ke restoran adalah terlalu curam. Sekali lagi tidak mengikut kecerunan yang dinyatakan dalam piawaian Malaysia. (Lihat gambar di bawah).

2． 向往旅馆斜坡太斜。再次它没有按照。（请参阅以下的图片）

3, The toilet for disabled people is "hidden" inside a bar. "Hidden" because there were no signage indicating its location. On top of that, the bar is not accessible because of a step. I also feel that having a disabled people's toilet inside a bar is not very sensitive to disabled people who are Muslim. (See photos below.)

3. Tandas untuk oku itu "tersembunyi" di dalam bar. "Tersembunyi" kerana tiada papan tanda yang menunjukkan lokasi tersebut. Selain itu, bar itu tidak boleh diakses kerana terdapat halangan “step”. Saya juga berasa bahawa menyediakan tandas oku di dalam bar tidak sesuai terhadap oku yang beragama Islam. (Lihat gambar di bawah).

3． 无障碍厕所“被藏”在酒吧里头。 “被藏”因为没有标示表显示它的位置。除此之外，这间酒吧的入口有梯级不便于轮椅者。我也觉得把厕所设在酒吧里会对穆斯林残障者造成不便。（请参阅以下的图片