In response to a series of accidents in which visually impaired people were hit by trains at railroad crossings and died, the national government urged various regions to install guidance blocks for visually impaired people at railroad crossings. I found out that there are only 2 places in the country in between.
Local governments and others have criticized the government, saying, ``Even if you want to set it up, you can't set it up without showing detailed installation standards.''
In an accident at a railroad crossing for visually impaired people, a man in his 20s was killed by a train in Shizuoka Prefecture last August, and a woman in her 50s died in Nara Prefecture in April this year. rice field.
In both accidents, it is believed that the cause was that they did not know where they were standing near the railroad crossing. We created guidelines to encourage the installation of guiding blocks and notified them to railway companies and local governments nationwide.
However, as a result of NHK's interviews with 135 railway companies and local governments nationwide, it was found that only two locations in Osaka Prefecture had blocks installed within railroad crossings in the six months after the guidelines were created.
Why is the installation not progressing?
Municipality "Until the country shows the standard ..."
Shizuoka City is considering installing blocks at railroad crossings in the center of the city that are often used by visually impaired people, but it is said that it will be difficult to install them by the end of this year.
The main reason is that the city officials said that if the equipment to be installed inside the railroad crossing is different from that of other municipalities, it could be dangerous, so it cannot be installed until the national government provides a unified standard. and
Tomohiko Tanaka, chief of the Shizuoka City Road Maintenance Division, said, "No matter where you go in the country, if you step on this shape in a unified way, it will lead to the prevention of accidents by letting you know that you are inside a railroad crossing. No. The government says it will consider it, but if there is an instruction as to what shape to use, construction can proceed smoothly."
Regarding this railroad crossing, groups of visually impaired people are requesting the city to install blocks as soon as possible.
Satoshi Hasuike, representative of the Shizuoka Prefecture Visually Impaired Barrier-Free Promotion Council, said, ``Last year there was an accident in my hometown, and this year in Nara. I want you to do something soon," he said.
Anxiety even in places where it has already been installed...
At the railroad crossing in Toyonaka City, Osaka, where blocks have already been installed, a demonstration experiment was conducted last month to see how safely visually impaired people can participate and walk.
Twenty visually-impaired people stepped on the tactile blocks in front of the railroad crossing and the differently-shaped guide blocks inside the railroad crossing to confirm their current position while crossing the railroad crossing. I was.
A woman who participated said, "Compared to pedestrian crossings, railroad crossings are more difficult to understand and cause more anxiety, so if they were installed, I would definitely use them. I would appreciate it if they were installed widely."
On the other hand, there were also opinions such as, "If I hear the warning sound of a railroad crossing while crossing, I get scared and panicked, and I am worried whether I can make a calm decision based on blocks alone." I think it should be done.
Tomonori Furuhashi, chairman of the Japan Gait Trainee Association, said, "I feel that there are many issues in the field that cannot be seen at meetings. I want it to be reflected," he said.
No conclusion was reached at the first study meeting after the guideline was created
The first review meeting of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism was held on the 2nd since the guidelines were created in June this year.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the government, as well as organizations for the visually impaired and barrier-free experts.
The national government's guidelines state that it is desirable for the blocks to be installed inside the railroad crossing to be different in shape from the ones in front of the railroad crossing, such as by showing guidance signs with uneven surfaces. is not shown.
As for the reason, it is said that "it cannot be shown without sufficient grounds for effectiveness."
At the meeting, opinions were voiced that there was a lack of national surveys and research to create national standards, such as experiments at actual railroad crossings, and that other measures such as sound should be considered in addition to blocks. However, it was decided to discuss the installation standards of the equipment again in the future.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the country has not conducted demonstration experiments at railroad crossings for the past six months.
A representative of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said, "We believe that the government held the meeting today after discussing and preparing as much as possible. Members of the meeting said that the new standards should be thoroughly discussed and decided quickly. There were also opinions that it should not be done, so after going through the procedure of asking for opinions, I would like to accumulate discussions with a sense of urgency and show future responses."