Beijing has spent lots of money to impress outsiders with walkways for the blind on the sidewalks. A complete waste of city money. No blind person would ever use them as cars, bikes, vendors, and other stuff blocks those guide paths. Just imagine a blind person crossing the street: even an athlete has to be careful making it to the other side. Traffic lights and pedestrian crossings are for decoration only. Same for disabled people. How many do you see on the streets? For Chinese, those people should stay home.
Even the Chinese media admit the problem:
“Quotable” – China Daily (28 August 2013)
“It is not an exaggeration to say that blind people are ‘seeking death’ if they dare to take blind pathways. Unless blind people are very familiar with the situation nearby, they would never dare to take the paths.”
Li Weihong, deputy chairman of the China Blind Persons’ Association, told the Beijing Morning Post. Even though the capital has about 1,600 kilometers of blind pathways, hardly any blind people use them due to their awkward design and obstructions.
