Addendum to blogpost Eigude Shame XVIII from 25.07.12

Other posts: 31.07.12 and 06.08.12

Last week I have heard from my informant in Rödelheim that my favourite sign

Passing prohibited for wheelchair users

at the train station Rödelheim in Frankfurt has been unfortunately removed after three month… sniff…

New sign:

Attention!

Ramp gradient approx. 10% Use at your own risk!

Photo: Rödelheim Blog und P._

The new ramps still aren’t any less steep, and we hope that the lifts will always be running.

But when these are defective at least we wheelchair users are now allowed with kind approval of the city of Frankfurt and the German railway company to most officially tumble down the 10% ramp “at our own risk”.

According to the information of the commissioner for disabled of the city, a flattening of the ramps is not planned.

Allegedly, the ramps would have a floor heating!!!

There is a special blog about the never-ending story of the reconstruction of the train station: Bahnhof-Rödelheim-Blog

Kindly our letter of thanks which was actually referring to the original sign was not removed. Whereas… the text still fits!

Translator BL

Inconceivable…!!!

Passing prohibited for wheelchair users

As born-and-bred citizen of Frankfurt I am proud of my hometown, but too much is too much!!

I have read in the internet forum Rollingplanet  that a new underpass was built at the train station in Rödelheim (a district in Frankfurt Germany). Looks a bit like an amphitheater.

This underpass is such a political issue that meanwhile a citizens’ initiative has been formed. The “Wutbürger” (enraged citizens) are on their way from all directions…

Amongst other things it was discovered during a job-site inspection upon almost accomplished completion of the underpass that the brand new mighty concrete ramps on both sides of the tracks have 10% gradient.

Ramps in the public area always have to be built with maximum 6% and without transversal slope according to DIN 18024-1 und DIN 18040-1 (source: barrierefrei bauen mit nullbarriere.de)

The result is that the ramps are very steep not only for wheelchair users, but also for rollator users, cyclists and people with strollers.

The city of Frankfurt has proven creativity and has hung up a prohibition sign without further ado, which prohibits the passing of the ramp for all wheelchair users.

You could use the lifts, which is basically right if it would be ensured that these lifts would always be running. I don’t know any wheelchair user who wasn’t standing at least once in front of a defective lift.

Words fail to describe the prohibition sign!
Inconceivable… How can you globally prohibit the passing of the ramps for all wheelchair users!

Passing prohibited for wheelchair users

This sign has no other reason for the municipality except to escape responsibility from an insurance perspective if something should happen to someone.

This is just the start. From now on bad planning will be compensated with prohibition signs.

We met yesterday at the train station with unfortunately only three wheelers to have a closer look at the ramps and to duly celebrate the introduction of this new prohibition sign with a glass of sparkling wine.

Highly illegal, the ramps were passed on both sides. We came to the conclusion that a fit wheeler, somebody with an electric wheelchair, a motor-supported active wheelchair or the help of a companion can surmount the ramps.

The sign does not comply with the road traffic regulations and is mounted so high that no wheelchair user will see it anyway.

An acknowledgement letter and a few flowers were fixed to the new “favourite wheelchair user sign”.

Thank you city of Frankfurt

for the successful introduction of this new

 Prohibition Sign!!!

 This sign is forward-looking.
We wheelchair users
hope to see this sign more often in the city in the future!!!
Thanks again that the municipality is
so much concerned about the
physical integrity of us wheelchair users!!!

We thank again the city of Frankfurt for the duty of care which is shown to us wheelchair users with this “Passing prohibited” sign.

With best regards from Steffen Löw and Jens Maspfuhl

Kontakt: rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL