Well, following the successful launch of 'The Make Way Dublin' campaign aimed on making Dublin more accessible for those living with disabilities, today's national Make Way Day in association with the Disability Federation of Ireland was to create awareness of the issues concerning disability mobility - more importantly, the obstacles that hinder it.
Like obstacles on footpaths - meant for people - not bikes, not cars, not bins.
Not to mention overgrown hedges... which are literally a slap in the face to a person with a visual impairment.
"As a person who is blind, I am no stranger to walking into cars and indeed vans blocking footpaths. A quiet word with neighbours has worked wonders but I never know when I will walk into a car injuring my head, knee or shins.
For wheelchair users, the elderly, parents with buggies and children, having to navigate around a car/van blocking the footpath unnecessarily puts them on the road where there would be a blind spot to road users putting pedestrians in danger. Navigating cars and obstacles has caused me to lose my orientation and to end up in the middle of busy roads."
Disability campaigner, Barry O’Donnell
The most frequently occurring obstacles are as follows:
Cars parked on footpaths (25%)
Sandwich boards/signs on the footpath (18%)
Bikes/mopeds & motorbikes tied to lampposts/railings (16%)
If you parked your car on a footpath, if you are a business who left a sandwich board on a path or a cyclist who chained their bike in an irresponsible manner today - then you most likely got slapped with one of these friendly stickers (as modelled by the beaut Paddy Smyth).
On the 26th of September every year, from today, the people of Ireland will pause and think of people with disabilities in the public spaces we all share.
No more thoughtlessness or using the genuine excuse of lack of awareness - it's time to think of those not fortunate enough to be able to manoeuvre easily around obstacles in every day life. It's time to make way.
Sign the petition to make today a national day here.
If you thought traffic was very slow this morning, it was because of this. A Luas power outage caused significant disruption for Dublin city commuters on Wednesday morning (10 December). Due to the power fault, there is no tram service operating on the red line between Smithfield and Connolly / The Point and on the […]
It comes just a few months after their final farewell gigs. This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission on any sales generated from it. The Wolfe Tones have announced their return to the stage with two massive Dublin gigs. That’s right, the Dublin-formed group who played their final farewell shows in June […]
If you thought traffic was very slow this morning, it was because of this. A Luas power outage caused significant disruption for Dublin city commuters on Wednesday morning (10 December). Due to the power fault, there is no tram service operating on the red line between Smithfield and Connolly / The Point and on the […]
It comes just a few months after their final farewell gigs. This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission on any sales generated from it. The Wolfe Tones have announced their return to the stage with two massive Dublin gigs. That’s right, the Dublin-formed group who played their final farewell shows in June […]
If you thought traffic was very slow this morning, it was because of this. A Luas power outage caused significant disruption for Dublin city commuters on Wednesday morning (10 December). Due to the power fault, there is no tram service operating on the red line between Smithfield and Connolly / The Point and on the […]
It comes just a few months after their final farewell gigs. This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission on any sales generated from it. The Wolfe Tones have announced their return to the stage with two massive Dublin gigs. That’s right, the Dublin-formed group who played their final farewell shows in June […]
F-Spine operations began last month. Residents in Finglas have raised concerns about F-Spine bus changes. Such concerns were raised at a public meeting on the BusConnects Finglas routes which took place last night. F-Spine operations began last month and were immediately met with complaints and controversy. Locals criticised daily cancellations, frequency cuts on the 23, […]
F-Spine operations began last month. Residents in Finglas have raised concerns about F-Spine bus changes. Such concerns were raised at a public meeting on the BusConnects Finglas routes which took place last night. F-Spine operations began last month and were immediately met with complaints and controversy. Locals criticised daily cancellations, frequency cuts on the 23, […]
Looking for a sp00k this Halloween, you won’t need to stray too far from the capital It’s perhaps unsurprising that was first settled around the 7th century and has gathered a few scary stories and haunted spots in that time. Through the years Dublin has been the setting of all manner of crimes, from graphic […]
Comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell became an unexpected hero last night in Dublin, performing the Heimlich manoeuvre with her friend Kiki and her cousin on a 90-year-old woman who was choking during dinner at the Dylan Hotel. O’Donnell, currently in Dublin preparing for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, recounted the dramatic incident in an audio message, […]
Robin Gill: The Irish chef behind acclaimed London restaurants returns to Dublin for a burger pop-up collab with Dash Burger This Saturday at Hen’s Teeth from 17:00 Robin Gill’s voice carries the easy lilt of someone who grew up within earshot of Dublin Bay, though his culinary career has largely unfolded across the Irish Sea. […]