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The world’s most accessible cities Top twenty
DUBLIN has been named as the world’s most accessible city.
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Twenty of the world’s most visited cities were ranked on factors such as wheelchair accessibility, disabled parking spaces, and airport accessibility facilities.
Anew study found Dublin has one of the most accessible airports and has a very high number of disabled parking spaces, with 74% of city centre car parks having reserved spaces.
Amsterdam was ranked joint second, scoring highly across the board for accessibility. Many of the city’s attractions, including boat tours of the canals, can be accessed by wheelchair users, withAmsterdam Schiphol also being one of the most accessible airports in the world.
New York joined the Dutch capital in second place.As well as JFK being a very disabled-friendly airport, New York also has the highest percentage of hotels that are wheelchair accessible, with 36%.
The study also found: n All three of the cities with the highest percentage of wheelchairfriendly restaurants are located in Italy (Florence, Rome and Milan). n Berlin has the greatest number of wheelchair friendly attractions (43% of the city’s attractions). n The city centre with by far the highest percentage of car parks with accessible spaces is Los Angeles, where 96% of parking lots in the city centre have reserved spaces. n You can view the full research
at: www.money.co.uk/mortgages/ accessible-cities 1. Dublin 2. Amsterdam /New York 4. Los Angeles 5. Frankfurt/Milan 7. Paris/London 9. Rome 10. Madrid 11. Dubai 12. Berlin 13. Vienna/Barcelona/Munich 16. Zurich 17. Florence 18. Istanbul 19. Lisbon 20. Prague ACCESS ALL AREAS: Dublin leads the wa
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HAPPY HOLS: Proposed regulations could take some of the stress out of taking trips abroad, giving stronger rights to passengers whose wheelchairs or other mobility equipment is lossed or damaged when using airlines
New rights on the way at airports
NEW Government proposals could finally make it easier for disabled air passengers to secure compensation for lost and damaged wheelchairs.
Several measures to improve the accessibility of air travel are included in the plans, which are presently out for consultation.
Surveys show that three out of five disabled passengers find it difficult to access and use airports and air travel.
Disabled groups have been campaigning for at least 20 years for stronger rights for passengers whose wheelchairs and other mobility equipment is lost or damaged when carried by airlines.
But they have also highlighted other failures by airports and airlines in the provision of assistance to disabled passengers.
Wheelchairs and scooters are usually carried in the hold, but the compensation for damage is limited by the 1999 Montreal Convention because they are treated as “baggage” .
These limits do not apply if the passenger has made a “special declaration of interest” as to the value of the baggage, but this often requires payment of a fee, while airlines may still set their own limits on compensation.
The consultation also highlights concerns that not all airlines and UK airports have joined an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme, which provides a way to escalate complaints – including those from disabled passengers – and avoid costly and time-consuming court action.
One of the Government’s new proposals is that airlines would have to provide passengers with the full amount of compensation for any damage caused to their wheelchair or other mobility aid during a domestic UK flight.
Another is to scrap the need for disabled passengers with mobility equipment to make payments for special declarations of interest on domestic UK flights.
The consultation also asks whether all airlines
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to and from the UK, and airports, should be d to sign up to an approvedADR scheme. d it suggests strengthening the powers of the avel regulator, the CivilAviationAuthority. oline Stickland, chief operating officer at sport forAll – which campaigns for an ssible transport system – welcomed the rnment’s proposals. e said: “Having your wheelchair or mobility aid r damaged by an airline doesn’t just put a per on a holiday. It can mean a total loss of pendence and mobility. ch more needs to be done to safeguard nst this, including fair recourse to compensation for disabled passengers.
“We welcome these proposals and hope they mark the start of further positive changes in this area so that disabled people, whatever their access requirements, can travel with security and confidence when using airlines. ”
The consumer rights charity Which? described the consultation, in the Government press release, as “a welcome first step that must improve and strengthen consumer rights and protections so that complaints are dealt with fairly and promptly, and that passengers receive the money they are due quickly and without unnecessary hassle” .
Aspokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has previously spoken out on disabled people’s access to air travel, said: “Disabled people often feel daunted about flying due to a fear of loss, damage or destruction of their mobility equipment.
“We have previously called for British air carriers to cover the full cost of damage caused to wheelchairs and other mobility devices and welcome the Government’s move to make air travel more accessible. We look forward to hearing more about the consultation. ” n EHRC’s website includes advice on disabled
