Saturday, June 21, 2014

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.


Thursday, April 3, 2014

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.










Tuesday, April 1, 2014

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.










Monday, March 17, 2014

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.



Tuesday, February 4, 2014

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)

Thursday, December 26, 2013

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.)




Sunday, November 24, 2013

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.