What are the problems of PWDs in safe movement through Nikšić: Local government representatives also drove wheelchairs

The President of the Municipal Assembly (SO) Nikšić, Nemanja Vuković, and the representatives of the local government, at least for a moment, were able to see what problems people with disabilities (PWDs), wheelchair users, all face when it comes to safe movement through the city.

Thanks to the non-governmental organization (NGO) "Alfa centar" and the project "Traffic tailored for persons with disabilities", which they implement with the German organization "ASB", representatives of the local government, driving wheelchairs, together with PWDs, covered a short section in the city center.

Illegally parked vehicles, sidewalks occupied by cars, terraces of bars, are just some of the problems.

"We went through three catering establishments and we see that none of them complied with the regulation that states that the tables must be moved two meters away from the facade. This is something that we will insist on already after the activity has been completed, and I will request that the regulations be actively implemented and implemented supervision, because it's in vain that we put it in order once, if we don't have continuous supervision, we won't do anything in the long term. I'm aware of the problem and we'll do our best to solve it," Vuković said.

He praised the activity of the "Alfa Center" and pointed to the traffic (non) culture.

"The municipal police and competent services are trying to restore order as much as possible, but unfortunately the irresponsibility that we encounter every day is a problem. We tried to further adapt the municipal building to people with disabilities. We made tactile strips and Braille stickers in all offices and cabinets," Vuković said.

As he said, it is always possible to do better and more, and the local administration is trying, according to him, to comply with the standards and make the city as accessible as possible to people with disabilities.

"We have a lot of work to do. I personally saw that and I hope that we will succeed in further improving the situation in the coming period, when it comes to compliance with the regulations. They agreed to hold a meeting with the NGO 'Mozaik' next week and see in what ways we, as the leadership, should contribute to a better position and improvement of the quality of life of the PWD", emphasized the President of the SO Nikšić.

It was the president of NGO "Mozaik", Blagoje Šturanović, together with two other wheelchair users, who pointed out to the leaders of the local government the problems they face every day.

"Accessibility in the municipality of Nikšić is at a very poor level. As a wheelchair user my whole life, I encounter a large number of architectural obstacles, especially regarding public areas and public institutions. It is not safe for wheelchair users to move through the city, because most of the time we have to we start on the road. The traffic culture in Nikšić is not at a high level and parking spaces for PWDs are often occupied," said Šturanović and thanked "Alfa Center" for pointing out the problem of traffic culture and safety of PWDs with the project.

He pointed out that if the laws were respected, and if PWDs were consulted during the construction of access ramps, the level of accessibility would be at a satisfactory level.

"Alfa centar", as part of the project, installed 15 warning boards in parking spaces intended for people with disabilities, with the inscription "Do you want us to switch places".

"If we were a society of equal citizens, we would not have to put up these signs, nor would we discuss this topic," said Šturanović.

This is precisely the intention of the "Alfa Center" - to contribute to the establishment of transport tailored to the needs of people with disabilities, so that it would be the beginning of building a society of equals.

"Our goal is to improve the rights of people with disabilities in Nikšić and to raise awareness among citizens of the problems they face every day in traffic. We also want to raise awareness of the importance and respect of parking spaces intended for people with disabilities," said Sara Đoković, from "Alfa center".

As she pointed out, with the warning signs, they want to draw the attention of unscrupulous road users to the respect of parking spaces intended for PWDs, as well as to send a message that there is still plenty of room for discussion on this topic, both in the local community and at the state level.

"We would like to encourage other non-governmental organizations dealing with this topic, as well as decision-makers, to deal more with this issue. By not respecting the parking spaces intended for PWDs, as well as by parking on the sidewalk, we are endangering their lives and it seems to me that drivers forget or don't remember," Đoković pointed out.

The NGO "Mozaik" and the Day Center for Children with Disabilities and People with Disabilities helped them in the simulation.