3290 - Metro

2015-10-22

I’ve used the Metro in Lisbon only a few times. There are four lines, green, blue, red and yellow. The stations are modern, clean and pretty unfriendly to handicapped people. Elevators are not always available and the concept of a cascade of elevators that’s only reachable via stairs, only to be then again terminated by stairs, is disputable.

I’ve spent my time mostly walking through the city, up and down over uneven pavement, from one hilltop to the next. If you’re bound to a wheelchair though, I can’t imagine how you could possibly get around by yourself.

There are 2 comments

John Linn   (2015-10-23)

I love the strong graphic style of the sign and your photo with the blue sky makes it even better. I have been working on a project on accessibility for the last few weeks (but in relation to text in print and on-screen) so your story is interesting. Being sensitive to people with handicaps is still not universal and does vary a lot from place to place.

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andreas   (2015-11-11)

In many cases it is also a matter of physical circumstances and of the preservation of a place's characteristics. Take the historical cobblestone pavement in cities like Bergamo. It's a nightmare for wheelchair users, it renders large parts of the center inaccessible to them, but at the same time it's part of the cultural heritage. But then, Bergamo's center is full of steep streets anyway. The pavement is only one of the problems. The same is true for Lisbon and its districts on the hills. Of course it's a matter of money as well.

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