Rijeka Removes Barriers: Renovated Ramps from Žabica to Delta
Renovation of pedestrian ramps completed at a dozen locations in the city center, with a wheelchair user playing a key role in planning the works.
Renovation of pedestrian ramps completed at a dozen locations in the city center, with a wheelchair user playing a key role in planning the works.
A curb just one centimeter high can be an insurmountable obstacle for a person in a wheelchair. With the aim of removing such everyday barriers, the city-owned company Rijeka plus has completed the renovation of pedestrian ramps at a dozen locations in the very heart of Rijeka, stretching from Žabica Square to Srednja Delta.
The works, which lasted the past two months, are part of the long-standing project "Let's Remove Barriers" that the City of Rijeka has been implementing for over 20 years. A distinctive feature of this renovation phase was direct collaboration with a person with disabilities, whose experience was crucial in identifying problematic details on the ground.
Dragana Šmitran Babić, head of the Public Relations Department at Rijeka plus, emphasized the importance of involving users in the planning process. "All of this was done in the last two months. I must mention the young woman who helped us with this, Lukrecija Tomušić. Before the works began, she walked the route with us in a wheelchair so we could spot all the details that needed fixing," Šmitran Babić told HRT.
The renovated ramps have not gone unnoticed by foreign visitors either. British tourists who happened to be at one of the locations praised the initiative. "It's very useful, it makes moving around much easier, and we can definitely navigate the streets where these ramps are available without any problems," they said.
Despite the progress, the interviewees warned that there is still work to be done, recalling an unpleasant experience with a ramp that had not been renovated. "At some ramps, we had to go around the corner of the street because the ramp was too steep and had a high edge. So we bypassed it and got onto the sidewalk from the other side, but we lost a lot of time and barely made it across the road," they described.
Their experience vividly illustrates the challenges people with disabilities face daily. Seemingly minor construction works do not drastically change the appearance of a street, but for wheelchair users, even a two or three centimeter high edge or an overly steep ramp slope can seriously hinder or completely prevent movement.
From Rijeka plus, they say this is just one in a series of phases of a project that has been ongoing for over two decades. "The 'Let's Remove Barriers' project has existed for more than 20 years, and pedestrian ramps have been built in numerous Rijeka neighborhoods. Of course, the project continues, and pedestrian ramps are mandatory when constructing new pedestrian crossings," emphasized Šmitran Babić.
In addition to wheelchair users, more accessible streets significantly ease movement for parents with strollers and all other citizens with reduced mobility, making the city a safer and more pleasant place to live.
