I was on vacation in London and Paris recently… croissants, the Louvre, double-decker buses… We had a really good time. We took the “tube” and “metro,” the subways in these 2 cities, everywhere, which was very convenient and the only sane way to get around these 2 cities.
However, I did notice that many subway stations were not handicapped accessible. Those that were usable were marked, but many only had stairs (and LOTS of them!). Given that these are frequently-visited cities in Europe, I was quite surprised that the subway system wasn’t more wheelchair and disabled friendly. It would be a significant challenge to visit these cities and not be able to use the subways.
What city have you found to be the most disability friendly? the least?
This week’s Grand Rounds, a medical blog carnival, is at Doc Gurley – and written as a mystery.
2 responses so far ↓
Cynthia // Jul 24, 2009 at 8:52 am
I visited London and Paris as a teenager, and absolutely loved wandering around them. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able tod o that again, unless I find a miracle cure
Some friends visited Germany and a couple of other countries back in 2005, and said that not only were most places not accessible to the disabled, but that many doorways, passages, and the like were uncomfortably small for Americans and would be wholly inaccessible to fat people (I’m fat and disabled).
Cynthia // Jul 24, 2009 at 8:54 am
I’d love to see a similar post about friendly cities in America–not just for visiting, but for living in. My family is planning to move away from Atlanta in the next year or too, and I’d like to move to a place that’s much more accessible.
Because much of metro Atlanta is not served by the public transit system, I definitely do NOT recommend this city for anyone with mobility impairments or the like!
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