A SHENZHEN political adviser’s online post about the inappropriate construction of a blind sidewalk in the Shenzhen High-tech Industrial Park in Nanshan District has attracted the attention of the public, according to a Daily Sunshine report.

    Li Yi, the political adviser, said that there was only one section of blind sidewalk constructed on Gaoxinnan 4th Road in the high-tech park, and the sidewalk ends halfway without linking to other roads in the area.

    Many blind sidewalks across the city are misused or inappropriately constructed. Along the Dongmen pedestrian street in Luohu District, the blind sidewalk is often occupied by vendors and vehicles. The vendors sometimes place their stands and trolleys across the blind sidewalk.

    Besides, part of the blind sidewalk along Shennan Road Central was constructed too close to a tree box, failing to meet the national construction standards of accessible facilities for the disabled, which state that blind sidewalks should be at least 25 to 50 centimeters from barriers.

    Some residents are unaware of the function of blind sidewalks, while many consider blind sidewalks rather useless to the disabled as they haven’t seen any visually disabled people walking along them, according to the report.

    Statistics in 2012 showed that among the permanent residents in Shenzhen, 30,795 are visually disabled. A 17-year-old, surnamed Hua, is one of them. “I seldom walk on the blind sidewalk because it’s dangerous for us to walk alone when the road is crowded with barriers,” Hua said.

    After Li reported the situation to the city’s transport commission, the commission replied that a general investigation on the accessible facilities for the disabled in Shenzhen would be launched.

    According to Li, the construction of blind sidewalks needs on-site investigation. The builders should collect opinions from the disabled about their range of daily activities before building or managing sidewalks in certain areas. Also, he said more facilities should be provided for wheelchair users and the elderly on the basis of their practical situations.

    Hou Yisha, president of the Shenzhen Disabled Persons’ Federation, said that the most striking problem was the lack of accessible “microcirculation,” which refers to the incomplete accessible facilities in the early built city areas and the lack of connections between blind sidewalks and main roads, between public places and nearby roads and between different transportation systems.

    Hou said that both auditory and visual signs, using Braille and sign language, should be used in public places and public transport systems to help the disabled. “A barrier-free environment is a key factor to a civilized city, which enables all residents — including the disabled — to live a more convenient and comfortable life,” he said.

    A regulation to take effect in Shenzhen on Jan. 1 will specify penalties for builders who fail to connect newly built accessible facilities for the disabled with the existing facilities in the surrounding area, according to the report. (Zhang Yang, Liu Shiyang)