Barriere, letter to the Mayor of Genoa
Housing emergency and manure
20 August 2019
Assistance for the disabled in airports and airplanes. Letter to the President of ENAC
23 August 2019
Barriers, a daily battle. The Mayor of Genoa Ing. Marco Bucci received notification of the letter below, signed by Dario Dongo (founder of Égalité, in his own name and in the name of Disability Pride Italia). Moreover, the mayor of the Superba did not deign to answer or address the problems reported.
On 9.1.19, the date of dispatch of the letter, the thirtieth anniversary of the approval in Italy of the law against architectural barriers was celebrated, one of the most barbarously disapplied regulations by public and private bodies in the entire Peninsula.
Rome, January 9, 2019
To the ca of the Mayor of Genoa,
Egr. Eng. Marco Bucci
Dear Mr. Mayor,
I am writing to you as a lover of the splendid city of Genoa, which is dear to me also as my hometown where I no longer live.
Just today the thirtieth anniversary of the approval of the law on the removal of architectural barriers, one of the most widely disapplied regulations by the public administrations of the entire peninsula, is celebrated.
Nobody of your predecessors took no initiative in this regard. So also Genoa, like almost all Italian municipalities, is seriously inaccessible to those who, like myself, are in a wheelchair. And it is a real shame not only for the residents - whose average age is above average - but also for the tourists who are increasingly animating the Genoese economy.
The adoption of the PEBA (Plans for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers) is undoubtedly the first step to take, even as it is prescribed by the law of the State. First of all, it is necessary to map the territory, infrastructures and public spaces, and define a work program that will allow the many obstacles that have been identified to be resolved. Starting from the priorities, in the center and in the suburbs, so that people with disabilities can experience the city and its services in safe conditions.
The tourist who intends to discover the wonders of Genoa must in any case be placed in the conditions of:
- access to the sea. Only one beach on the entire coast is now equipped, in Vernazzola, and it is nevertheless impossible to reach by public transport. Every other establishment does not have any structure capable of guaranteeing access to the sea for the disabled without having to deal with steps and rapid slopes. Not even a floating chair with wheels, the costs of which are really ridiculous, from Foce to Nervi;
- public transport. Last summer I tried to go to the Albaro pools, by bus no. 42, and from there to return to the center. Almost every day in August. But the attempt failed, in most cases, due to the malfunctioning of the footpegs. I returned a few days ago and, despite my timely requests to report the faults to the maintenance technicians, nothing has changed. I will be able to produce you a detailed report on this public service interruption, if required;
- hotel and b & b hospitality. If there are already very few hotels and residences accessible, even fewer are the rooms set up for reception. The situation is grotesque in the case of bed & breakfasts.
I dare therefore to submit to you - as an engineer and manager, who has already given excellent proof of your commitment to bring the Superba back to life - the opportunity to intervene on these issues too, adopting the measures that those who preceded you have shamefully omitted and adding initiatives thanks to which we would all like to remember you as the Savior of the beloved #GenovaPerTutti
I conclude expressing the personal willingness to provide, on a voluntary basis, any contribution that may prove useful for the purpose.
Cordially,
Dario Dongo
Disability Pride Italy Égalité
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
