Get There
I was checking the Washington Post, and came across a blog called Get There. It’s a blog mainly about public transit — buses, trains, highways, etc., that’s put out there by a Washington Post columnist. It’s chock full of all kinds of useful information, so I know that I’ll find myself checking it out a lot.
Anyway, while going through it, I found a post regarding the rail cars that Metro is testing, and rolling out. The post described the new features such as bench seating, and seat-to-ceiling poles. Unfortunately, judging from the comments, most folks don’t like the idea of the floor-to-ceiling poles being done away with. Though they raise some valid concerns, I hope that those poles stay gone because they interfere with my access, and while folks may think that I’m being selfish, they’ll sing a different tune when they trip over me, or hurt themselves trying to squeeze by me because I’m stuck out in the aisles. It’s much safer for me to be in the access area than blocking other people’s access, and creating an unsafe situation for other passengers. Those floor-to-ceiling poles makes it very difficult for me to get into the access area, and I live in fear of the day when someone will get hurt tripping over me, and want to sue. Don’t laugh–it could happen! We Americans are an angry lot these days. I must say that I’m glad that Metro took passengers with disabilities into consideration with this project, and I hope that it continues to do so.