NHRCK Recommends the Head of the Cheonan Dongnam Police Station to Install a Crosswalk
October 15- The NHRCK has concluded that the absence of a crosswalk on a road running in front of Cheonan Station’s east square (between the public market and Myungdong Street) constitutes disability discrimination, and has recommended that the head of the Cheonan Dongnam police station install a crosswalk to remove the difficulty experienced when utilizing the road by persons with disabilities using wheelchairs and that the Mayor of Cheonan provide the necessary administrative and financial support for the installation of the crosswalk.
The petitioner (Male, 38) filed a petition with the NHRCK in May, 2008 stating, “There is only an underpass installed for the road running in front of Cheonan Station’s east square and no crosswalk installed above ground, so that persons with disabilities using wheelchairs cannot but detour a long distance to cross the road or jaywalk.”
According to the results of the NHRCK’s investigation, even though there is an underpass installed for the road running in front of Cheonan Station’s east square it is impossible for persons with disabilities using wheelchairs to cross the road by utilizing the underpass since there are no facilities installed for the convenience of persons with disabilities, and since the installed crosswalks are at points that are 110m to the north, 130m to the south, and 300m to the east of the three-way intersection of Cheonan Station’s east square, crossing the road from the entrance of Myungdong Street to the public market requires a detour ranging from a minimum of 500m to over 900m. In addition, the results of measuring the time required to cross the road showed that for persons with disabilities using wheelchairs it took a minimum of 9 to a maximum of 14 minutes to cross, thus requiring a minimum of 10 to a maximum 16 times the amount of time required when compared to non-disabled users of the underpass.
Moreover, the effective width of a section of the sidewalk approaching the crosswalk does not reach the standard required in the applicable regulation and it is very difficult to move in a wheelchair since there is a gap of more than 5cm.
Article 2(4) of the NHRCK Act stipulates that any act of favorably treating, excluding, differentiating, or unfavorably treating a particular person based on disability is a discriminatory act violating the right to equality, and Article 3 of the Act on Promotion of the Transportation Convenience of the Mobility Disadvantaged stipulates that the mobility disadvantaged such as persons with disabilities have the right to be able to move about through the safe use of the roads, etc., without discrimination.
The NHRCK determined that while the right to access and utilize roads, as public property used by everyone, requires a higher level of protection than other facilities, it is for persons with disabilities the most basic right for the enjoyment of human dignity and the right to pursue happiness and at the same time constitutes the minimum basis for the genuine social integration of persons with disabilities.
