Grigore Vieru Blvd in Chisinau is badly adjusted to the needs of persons with disabilities. Such a conclusion was reached by member organizations of the Civic Platform “Chisinau Accessible to Everyone” after examining the boulevard in terms of pedestrian mobility, IPN reports.
It was ascertained, among others, that the curbs weren’t downed everywhere. This creates impediments to persons with special needs and to mothers with children in baby carriages. Tactile paving and sound signaling systems needed for persons with visual impairments are absent.
Vitalie Meșter, executive director of the Center for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said there is no sign on the footways that would enable the persons with visual impairments to identify public transport stations.
According to Vitalie Meșter, even if the sidewalks on both sides of Grigore Vieru Blvd were renovated, the curbs to the crosswalk were downed only in some parts.
Gheorghe Bosyi, jurist of the Center for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, stated that the trolleybus and bus station on Romană St towards the Circus is in a deplorable state, being half-ruined. The sidewalk was repaired up to the intersection with Romană St, but from Romană St up to Albișoara St it was not revamped. The ways from the sidewalk to the roadway are not marked with tactile paving so that the persons with visual impairments could realize that they cross a dangerous section and they can hurt themselves. A person in a wheelchair cannot move safely and comfortably through the area in front of the National Theater “Eugene Ionesco”.
Another member of the Civic Platform “Chisinau Accessible to Everyone” Gheorghe Staver said the crosswalks are not outfitted with sound traffic lights. Even if the curb was downed, a blind person cannot feel if he/she is on the roadway or on the sidewalk. There where the curb is too high, the persons with locomotor disabilities find it difficult to mount the sidewalk. As they are not repaired appropriately, puddles appear on sidewalks after rain. On the sections where the sidewalk was repaired, parts of the paving were displaced.
