Udini Square

Udini Square is a newly opened shopping mall at Lebuh Tunku Kudin 3. It is just next to Tesco Gelugor. A friend told me there is a passage connecting the two buildings. So I decided to check them out on 16 Sep 2015.

A very visible accessible car park sign greeted us and this gave me a good impression (see photo above). The friendly guard guided our car to the car park. There were all together four accessible car parks. It is good that these car parks are completely separated from the general car parks. There will be no possibility of abuse. But since it is an open air car park it can be messy when it rains (see photos below).

Next to the car parks is a ramp. I had no problem using that ramp. But I didn’t like the fact that handrail is only installed at one side of the ramp. A ramp must always have handrails on both sides. I had also noticed a very sharp edge at one point and this could post a danger to the person who accidentally falls (see photos below).

Since the mall is newly opened, it was not fully occupied yet.  But as usual, I first made the point to check if this mall has an accessible toilet. And if it has, I will try to review the design of the toilet. I was actually quite disappointed with the accessible toilet when I saw it. Firstly, I didn’t like the grab bar that is fixed to the floor. And secondly the empty space beside this toilet bowl is too narrow (see photos below).

I hope the following photo illustrates my points clearly.

After checking the accessible toilet, I tried to find out if the lift of the the mall reaches the basement car parks.The lift did reach the basement (see photos below). And I think the car park next to the entrance is also a good location for disabled drivers’ car park because it is well shaded from the rain and sun. 

Before I left, I check the passage way that connected this mall to Tesco. The entrance to the passage could be easily found.

But if a wheelchair user tries to go to Tesco using this connecting bridge, the person will be blocked at Tesco’s end. (See photos below.) 

I left the mall feeling very frustrated that wheelchair users are again being discriminated. It is simply unfair that we are unable use the same facilities that other people enjoy.

Update on 26 Dec 2015

Some of the problems highlighted in the above post have been solved (see photos below.) I wish to thank whoever is responsible for making the improvements.

Island Plaza

Island Plaza is an old shopping mall. I used to go there more than twenty years ago. At that time, it was not a friendly place for disabled people (I was assisted by helper). I visited the place recently (July 16, 2014) and found some new facilities for wheelchair users. Here is my short report.

If you go there by car, you can find two disabled persons’ car parks at the basement / lower ground floor of the building. (See photo above.) Wheelchair signs were clearly painted on the pillars and the wall next to the car parks. The width appeared to be correct to me. 

However, the route from the car park to the lift lobby is rather hazardous because of a very steep ramp. This ramp is more for supermarket trolleys than wheelchairs. (The supermarket is located next to the lift lobby). This slope / ramp had been there for a long time and I think improvement should be made to make the gradient right for wheelchair users. (See photo below.)

The lifts / elevators were the same old ones I used to use. I think this plaza needs new and more disabled friendly lifts.

I was very happy to find a clear signage at corridor indicating the location of an accessible toilet. 

The toilet is completely new. It is spacious and expensively done. But it has two basic problems. One, it does not have a mirror. Two, the basin will post problems for people who use side-transfer to move to the toilet bowl. (The space beside the toilet bowl should always be left empty.) Here is the layout of an accessible toilet in accordance with Malaysian Standard. (For detail information about accessible toilet please follow the link HERE.)

The following drawing illustrates the side-transfer method. 

The following photo shows how this toilet can be further improved.

Before I left, I took a quick look at the porch in front of the main entrance. I was searching for a step ramp but could not see any. A step ramp is necessary here because not all wheelchair users will enter the building via the basement car park. Those who come in taxi or by buses would need a step ramp to reach the main entrance. I hope the building owner will install one soon. It does not cost much to have one. (For more information about step ramp, please 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.

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.

Gurney Paragon Mall Penang (Part 2)

Gurney Paragon Mall was opened partially last year. (See my post dated 26 August 2012, link HERE). At that time, only the section facing Persiaran Gurney was opened. The remaining rest of the building was still under construction.The mall is fully opened now. It has an additional entrance from Jalan Kelawai. I used this entrance in my recent visits and the following was what I saw.

As soon as I entered the mall at Ground Floor or Level 1, I saw six escalators in front of me. They led to  either one level up to Level 2 or one level down to the Lower Ground Floor. I could neither go up or down because of my wheelchair.

I sought for help from a security officer and he told me I should have used the lifts outside the main entrance. I found the lifts easily. Although the lifts were rather small, they were useful because they  could reach all levels.

Car parks for disabled people were located at level 2B. I was very happy to see that they actually clamped a non-disabled person's car. (See the car in the photo below.)

I was very careful when I used the ramp that led me into the mall. It was long and steep. But more importantly I noticed that there was a flight of steps going down on the opposite side of the landing of the ramp. That could be dangerous for less observant people.

I was disappointed with the toilet for disabled people. It was too narrow for people who used side transfer to get to the toilet bowl. I also noticed that there were two wrongly placed bins. Why are two bins needed? 

(Note: A disabled person who uses side transfer needs to place his wheelchair side by side of the toilet bowl. The video below will illustrate my point.)

There were two entrances to the food court. One is accessible, the other one is not. Unfortunately I took the wrong one. The following photos illustrated how I had to go "down" a small step and then "up" again before I could reach the place my lunch.

I discovered the accessible entrance to the food court much later but I had forgotten to take any photo. Fortunately I found a good map at Gurney Paragon's website. I have added the red arrows to show the accessible entrance. (See the "OK" sign below)

I shall end this post by showing more photos of Gurney Paragon. The mall is big and fairly accessible. You should explore the place when you are free.

(I visited the mall on 28 Jul. and 10 Aug. 2013)