Accessibility of public transport, ultimatum at the ATAC in Rome

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Published by Dario Dongo on 11th June 2022

Égalité, accessibility objective

Égalité Onlus deals with various issues related to sustainable development (SDGs). With particular regard to the protection of rights and the inclusion of people with various disabilities and frailties, on a physical, neurological, sensorial but also socio-economic level. And the determination to give voice to their needs, through:

- public awareness, in the media and social networks, in order to variously critical issues. First architectural, (1) cultural and social barriers that hinder the existence of a large human community,

- legal, judicial and administrative actions, in different contexts, aimed at ensuring, for example, thehealth care, the supply and guarantee of disability devices and aids, (2) the accessibility to places and services (3,4).

Rome metro, the ATAC disaster

The large community disabled, elderly, frail people, parents with strollers, tourists and users, more generally, are furious at ATAC. The public transport service in Rome is indecent, first of all in the face of the systematic inaccessibility of the underground stations and of many, indeed too many buses.

Metro Rome has structural problems, most of the stations do not have lifts which are the only means to make this service accessible. The stair lifts - unable to accommodate modern electric wheelchairs as well as often broken - are an emblem of discrimination.

Discrimination, apartheid

Disabilities they are often invisible, in the many cases of people who - due to illness, surgery and so on - are unable to tackle a steep staircase. People who, rather than having to expose themselves on the 'pedestal' of the stair lifts, after having waited for the advent of an operator (who may be on the other side of the subway, eg Circus Maximus), give up public transport.

The regime of apartheid it is completed with the systematic breakdown, or in any case the deactivation of the few lifts available. Unpredictable, often extended over several stops on the same line and continued for consecutive weeks and months. The subway for those who do not walk or have difficulties is a utopia and a nightmare, impossible to be able to rely on. (5) And the Public Prosecutor of Rome, instead of investigating, covers up.

Ultimatum

The accessible revolution is upon us. It is only necessary to understand if ATAC SpA and its sole shareholder, the Municipality of Rome, want to be an active part of it or be forced to make the necessary adjustments. The season of apologies and ignoble attempts to shift responsibility to subcontractors is over. Thats enough!

Our requests

ATTACK today it is called to decide. We ask for a written commitment and a chrono-program of the works to be carried out within peremptory terms, without conditions.

1) Elevators, to be installed in all the metropolitan stops of Roma Capitale, in an adequate number to allow the absolute continuity of an accessible service.

2) Scheduled maintenance, to be performed at night. With guarantee of alternative transport for people with disabilities, through taxi vouchers.

3) Bus. All buses in service must have a functioning platform, to be checked before any vehicle leaves the depot.

4) Visual impairment. It is urgent to complete the tactile routes of the services for the visually impaired, activate the assistance service on the subway lines and ensure the audible warning of the names of the stops on the buses.

AAA neurons wanted

Participation in the meeting said by the writer, obstinate user with disabilities of public transport, allowed to experience two emblematic obstacles of the infinite disaster of ATAC:

- Termini Station. Some genius (of crime) has introduced a heavy firebreak door whose opening requires Herculean force, to (not) allow access to the elevator on floor -2, on line B,

- San Giovanni station. Users who intend to access line C from line A have to face a steep and long escalator. Without elevators or stair lifts, we must rely on human solidarity.

ATAC underground accessibility Rome line C