How Wheelchair Friendly is Prague? (Portal of Prague)

Wheelchair users living in Prague know the city very well. They know the places where they cannot go, should avoid, or shouldn’t even try to access. They know, all to well, of the aggravation caused by the city’s cobbled pavements. But how does the wheelchair user, or their assistant, visiting the city for the first time, find their way around?

We asked some participants of the project Crossroads 2008, which has been held annually for the past eight years by Red Cross national organisations, it provides an exchange of experiences among the young handicapped people, for their views. The project is overseen by Mayor Pavel Bém and Councillor Milan Pešák, who became patrons to the project’s efforts in Prague. Prague is making great efforts to be more accommodating for disabled people. As an example, we can mention the press conference held on 18^th June in the Town Hall, which resulted in the publication of a special map showing the accessibility to various historical monuments. We have even published a map for the blind, emphasized Milan Pešák. I think the experience gained from the all-day visit to Prague will be fruitful for both sides. The delegates of the seminar can provide us with some valuable ideas and suggestions which would otherwise be difficult to obtain he added.

How did participants of Crossroads perceive their stay in Prague?

Simona Karlwetter, 24, wheelchair user, Austria, Vienna:

It was quite difficult in Prague. I was asking for help most of the time as the pavements were really bad. It was difficult to go up and down the pavement due to the lack of drive-up ramps. Some historical monuments were not easily accessible. While visiting the centre of the town, the routes for wheelchair users were not very good so I needed constant help. The public toilets were difficult to find and enter. I liked the map we were using, published by the City of Prague. Our guides from the Czech Red Cross didn’t take any chances and organised the whole visit perfectly. To compare Prague and Vienna, I must admit that Vienna’s monuments are easier to access, and the pavements with their drive-up ramps are of better quality. Regarding the public transport, even Vienna has some old type vehicles which cannot be used by wheelchair users. However, the public toilets in the tourist sites are easily accessible and the web pages of Vienna’s Town Hall have a whole sub-section dedicated to the wheelchair users.

Zuzana Pavlíčková, 19, a wheelchair user assistant, Pardubice, a member of the coordinate group of the Czech Red Cross in the project HIV AIDS and the Life of All of Us. She visited Prague assisting a wheelchair user as part of the Crossroads 2008 project:

From my point of view Prague is not very well adapted for wheelchair users. We have encountered quite an unpleasant situation when crossing the road at Karlovy Lázně heading towards Charles Bridge. The red crossing light appeared before we could manage to get to the other side, and car drivers weren’t very considerate either. Karlova Street is generally very difficult to traverse due to its bumpy tiled pavements. The map for wheelchair users, published by the City of Prague, was more than welcome. Our colleague, being more experienced, walked the route in advance to make sure no changes had occurred. One of the groups later travelled to Černý Most knowing that there is a lift at Florence metro station. The lift was there, but out of order, therefore the assistants had to carry the wheelchair user into the metro station, which resulted in further delays and consequently they missed their bus. Later on, we visited a restaurant in the centre of the town only to find that its lavatories were not suitable for the disabled. I think that toilets for disabled should be a norm, especially in the city centre. When visiting Pardubice, where I assist during the Abilympics, we found the centre easier to walk, however, the locals weren’t very keen to help.

Václav Endrich, 22, Pardubice, a wheelchair user assistant, student of Electrical Engineering in Brno and an organiser of Crossroads 2008

I’ve been assisting a girl from Slovakia who cannot eat or use toilet on her own. I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a lot of toilets for the disabled in Prague. We even located several suitable entrances into the metro, but the tiled pavements are a struggle. Unfortunately, there cannot be much done about it. The map for wheelchair users given to us at the Info-centre in The Old Town Square was totally amazing. Regarding the lavatories, we used the ones in McDonald’s, that wasn’t a problem. Following the map we found a great restaurant nearby Wenceslas Square which was wheelchair friendly. When crossing the cables lying on the ground due to road works, I can’t recollect where exactly it was, the passers by were even quite willing to help. On the other hand, the main tourist route wasn’t very friendly. People were rather distant.

In some places, Prague just cannot be accessible for the wheelchair users. The metro stations constructed in the 70s had no consideration for disabled passengers in their design. Nowadays, there are lifts being built for tens of millions of crowns, but in some places it is technically impossible to do so. Furthermore, some listed monuments cannot offer a wheelchair user a friendly environment as it would interfere with their construction, and they are protected historical monuments. We know about the bumpy ride that Prague’s tiled pavements cause, commented a councillor Milan Pešák. Nonetheless, it is impossible to create a completely friendly environment for the handicapped, although certain improvements still can be made, he added.