Most bus stations in Israel are not friendly to the visually impaired
116 stations were examined: only 18 of them showed in braille which lines stop there, 30 partially featured the bus lines in braille, and 68 had no braille at all.
By ALON EINHORNTHE JERUSALEM Central Bus Station and its iconic clock face.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Most of the bus stations in Israel are not accessible to the visually impaired, according to an Army Radio report published on Thursday.An inspection has been conducted ahead of the 2019 "Blind Day," in solidarity with the blind and the visually impaired in Israel.According to the report, 116 stations were examined. Only 18 of them showed in braille which lines stop there, 30 of them partially featured the bus lines in braille, and 68 did not have braille writing inscribed at all.The numbers depict an even graver picture when they are divided according to cities. In Jerusalem, out of the 15 stations examined, only one showed the bus lines in braille, while 9 of them did not have braille writing at all. In Ariel, none of the 8 stations examined had any braille writing, while in Beersheba, only one of the eight had braille.The data had been collected by dozens of volunteers from the IMPACT Scholarship Fund, in collaboration with the "Or Yarok" traffic safety lobbyist organization and Army Radio.The Transportation Ministry responded to the report, saying that: "The accessibility of information to the blind and visually impaired at bus stations is the responsibility of the public transport operators, and it is important to note that the signs in the waiting structures are installed and maintained by the companies on a regular basis, but unfortunately there are many cases of vandalism."The ministry added that it is "launching a pilot project to implement a new technology for the visual impaired to be alerted via their phones regarding real-time bus information."
