APSN Banner

Guiding path for the blind on sidewalk leads into trees again, and again, and again

Source
Coconuts Jakarta - April 20, 2018

Some sidewalks in Indonesia feature tactile paving strips designed to guide blind pedestrians, which is great, but it's clear that some designers are painfully oblivious as to their actual function (remember the guiding path that led directly into a sewage canal in Mojokerto?).

You'd think sidewalk designers would have learned from the embarrassing mistake above, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Today, Facebook page and meme aggregator Kementrian Humor Indonesia (Indonesia Humor Ministry) shared this viral photo showing the country's latest guiding path fail.

Jadi saudara kita yang Tuna netra harus nabrak pohon dan tiang listrik tiap beberapa meter sekaliKeras sekali kehidupan di negara kita tercinta ini – Posted by Kementrian Humor Indonesia on Thursday, April 19, 2018

The caption reads: "So our blind brothers and sisters have to walk into trees and electric posts every few meters. Life is tough in our beloved country."

It's hard to argue with that assessment. Life is indeed especially tough for pedestrians in Indonesia, especially for those with disabilities.

The exact location where the above photo was taken is not clear. But, incredibly, this exact same design fail has happened at least twice in Indonesia this year alone – once in Trenggalek Regency, East Java, and once in Cirebon, West Java. In the case of the former, at least local officials had the sense to remove the trees (as shown in the before and after photos below), albeit after facing criticism and ridicule.

Masih Ingat Guiding Block Tabrak Pohon di Trenggalek, Ini Kondisinya https://t.co/TASnSGFWwA pic.twitter.com/pM2rDcUsCx – detikSurabaya (@detikSBY) February 8, 2018

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/design-fail-guiding-path-blind-indonesian-sidewalk-leads-trees/

Country