Baguio sidewalk feature meant to help blind draws flak

FAMILIAR TERRAIN Many of the blind residents in Baguio are confident to take public transport and walk in groups due to their familiarity with every nook and cranny of the city. But a project that helps them better navigate sidewalks through directional devices is being reviewed following complaints that these may cause accidents. —EV ESPIRITU

BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — Sidewalks in the city equipped with tactile pavers to aid blind pedestrians have drawn complaints after some residents said these were dangerous both for people with normal eyesight and the visually impaired.

These sidewalks supposedly caused pedestrians to slip as the city experienced heavy and continuous monsoon rains last month, according to some councilors during the city council’s session on Monday.

The tactile pavers were installed at the center of sidewalks near Burnham Park, beside the Baguio Cathedral and along a section of Naguilian Road. These surface devices have small grooves that serve as directional cues for the blind who navigate using sticks. Some of the surface indentations, for instance, alert a blind person when he or she has reached a crosswalk or an intersection.

These are being introduced for the first time in the city, and are internationally accepted public space tools for the blind, said City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña during the council session.

Widening

Last week, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the sidewalks’ design heeded Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 of 1982, requiring all public and private structures to be accessible to people with disabilities (PWDs).More sidewalks running alongside 25 roads would be equipped with tactile pavers under a Baguio sidewalk modernization program led by the Department of Public Works and Highways, said district engineer Rene Zarate.

According to Dela Peña, the government intends to incorporate the devices in all city sidewalks “to be more inclusive.”

“We can’t dictate where our blind residents should walk,” he said, addressing the letters urging him to instead select sidewalks devoted for the blind.

Consultation

But while a group of PWDs described the new sidewalks as “welcome innovation,” a community representative informed the council that they were not asked where the tactile sidewalks should be placed.

John Paredes, a blind college professor and president of the Pines City Federation of Persons with Disabilities, said the tactile pavers were most needed in areas where there were no clear road parameters which the blind could follow.

“Tactile paving is not only useful for the totally blind but also people who are partially sighted. The color contrast [of yellow against concrete gray] is helpful for seniors with deteriorating vision,” Paredes said.

But many of blind people who regularly take the sidewalks are unfamiliar with the tactile pavers, and do not know how to “read” these instructions yet, he said.

Samuel Aquino, the city’s disability officer, said the technology was sound but this was more appropriate for flat roads, and not Baguio’s terrain.

The tactile sidewalk at the cathedral, for instance, is a steep incline so runoff rainwater courses down this walkway.

WALKING AID The Baguio government has started a sidewalk modernization project that introduces tactile pavers, like these installed near the Baguio Cathedral, to aid blind residents as they go around the city. —VINCENT CABREZA

Councilors Betty Lourdes Tabanda and Mylene Yaranon suggested using rubber-coated tactile pavers instead, but Dela Peña said these materials would also be slippery when soaked in rain.

Given the backlash, Dela Peña said he would review the program and consult the PWD community.

Councilor Arthur Allad-iw, who uses crutches, said the sidewalks should also include devices that would help people using wheelchairs.

—VINCENT CABREZA