05-03-2010: “City of Athens announces programme aimed at facilitating access for wheelchair users”

The City of Athens
and the Athens Prefecture
chose Thivon St, in front of the Agia Sophia Children's Hospital, as the
location to jointly initiate the first of a series of works on wheelchair ramps
to be carried out in Athens'
seven City Districts. The works, that involve the application of special paint
to the ramps, aim to facilitate the access of individuals with mobility
difficulties.




Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis and Athens
Prefect Yiannis Sgouros today presented the works programme, involving 2,466
wheelchair ramps located within the City of Athens, at the site, where Municipal crews
applied the special paint to eight wheelchair ramps.




The programme comprises:

• Repairs to ramps where necessary.
• The application of bright yellow paint and a bright blue
  wheelchair symbol to all ramps. The asphalt strip in front of the ramp will
  also be painted yellow.

Mayor Kaklamanis made the following statement:


"Some 17,500 violations involving
mostly privately-owned vehicles parking illegally on wheelchair ramps were
documented in 2009. This was a record number. Violations for illegally parking
in front of garbage bins, impeding rubbish collection, followed in second
place.




Those citizens who objected -
because I explicitly ordered that none of these fines would be dismissed -
claimed that the wheelchair ramps were not visible, and that they did not park
there on purpose. As a result, we decided to mark the ramps with bright yellow
paint so that there would be no excuses, though I believe that this (visibility)
may have been the case for some, but not for the majority. I would like to
believe that pedestrians will also protect the ramps, by pointing them out to any
motorist they see trying to park their vehicle on them".




Mayor Kaklamanis thanked Prefect Sgouros for
providing financial support for the programme and noted:




"I would like to thank my friend
Yiannis Sgouros because as soon as I told him about the problem, he urged me to
take action and said that the Prefecture could cover the considerably high cost.




This is not the first time that the Athens Prefecture
has supported the City of Athens
through its own funding and, indeed, in difficult moments. This is a
demonstration of sensitivity on the part of the Prefecture and the City of Athens toward our fellow
citizens, for whom we must all show our respect, in a city which is difficult
even for those people who do not face mobility difficulties."




For his part, Prefect Sgouros said:


"First of all, I would like to say
that the Mayor of Athens and I enjoy excellent collaboration. Although Nikitas
is a member of New Democracy and I am a member of PASOK, and political agendas are
different, we are each obliged, in our own way, to both deal with everyday
matters.




The Prefecture will contribute substantially
to this effort, which involves some 2,500 wheelchair ramps. We appeal to
citizens to respect them and not destroy them with their cars, trucks and other
vehicles, so that they truly can serve individuals with mobility difficulties.




People in wheelchairs who want to
visit the hospital, for example, cannot cross from one street pavement to the
other. This is a sign of civic-mindedness and we must demonstrate it, while
there are many other problems we must also solve. This is what the Prefecture
is attempting to do. I would like to commend my friend Nikitas, who truly
expresses his sensitivities as a doctor and as mayor. Together, we will carry
out further projects".




Pan-Hellenic Union of Paraplegics
and the Physically Challenged chairman Spyros Stavrianopoulos attended the
presentation and said:


"I welcome the City of Athens signage initiative
which will assist us in being a little more careful when it comes to our fellow
humans. I appeal to our fellow citizens to ensure they do not hinder
individuals with disabilities but also society as a whole, including senior
citizens, mothers with baby strollers and pregnant women, and allow them to
move about safely. And I appeal to the state to finally implement the law
because this is the precise reason we have reached this point - failure to
implement the law. I believe that we owe it to our fellow citizens and our
society".