Braille block unexpected danger on October 24 15:04

In October at a station in Tokyo, a visually impaired woman fell from her home and died. I found something unexpected when I proceeded with the interview. Dangerous lurking in a braille block that should help the visually impaired. (Social Department reporter Yasunori Tabata)

On the way home from my husband's grave

On October 1, Kiyoko Akutani (66), who was blind and had a white collar at Keisei Oshiage Line, Keisei Oshiage Line, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo, fell to the home. I was hit by a train that came soon after and died.

After the accident, I visited an apartment in Arakawa Ward where Mr. Akiya lived. Mr. Watanabe, a landlord who lives in the next room, told me a story.

Akiya has lived with her husband about 30 years ago, but her husband died about three years ago. Just like that, your eyesight will drop and you should use a white collar when you go out.

Even after becoming a visually impaired person, his friendly personality remained the same, and he often went to the public bath in the neighborhood and enjoyed interacting with regular customers.

It was the husband's grave visit that was indispensable on the first day of the month. The grave was near the Kyosei-ishi station. It is believed that the day of the accident was the return of visiting the grave.

"When I went out, I was saying" Be careful! "

Mr. Watanabe has a feeling he can't do.

“Stumbled on something”

Why did the accident happen? The most effective way to prevent the visually impaired from falling is the home door.

However, there was no home door installed at the station. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, it has been decided to preferentially install stations with more than 100,000 users a day, but the number of users at Kyosei-ishi is less than the target.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Mr. Akutani stumbled on something at his home, and a nearby person was witnessing a fall on the track. What happened.

Braille block “displacement”

“When I checked the Braille block on the station platform, I found a“ displacement ”.”

Six days after the accident, I received information from the Tokyo Metropolitan Blind Welfare Association. It was said that there was a “deviation” in the height of the Braille block installed at the home.

Braille blocks are lined up along the edge of the platform at the station. A projecting block and a straight “inward line” are a set. "Inward line" tells you which side is inside the home.

Since March last year, new stations have been obliged to install Braille blocks with “inward lines” as a set.

It became an obligation to make efforts at existing stations.

According to Keisei Electric Railway, the “Inward Line” was installed at Keisei-ishi Station in August last year, in addition to the existing block. As a result, there was a gap.

Even a deviation of only 3 or 4 mm

I checked with the Tokyo Metropolitan Blind Welfare Association director, Kanichi Ichihara at the station platform. The straight “inward line” was certainly higher than the protruding block.

However, it is only 3, 4 mm when we measure. Is there any chance of tripping with this level of deviation? I asked Ichihara-san.

(Mr. Ichihara) “The station's platform is the most important place for visually impaired people. It makes me feel slipped to check the braille blocks, and there is a risk of getting rid of this“ deviation ”.”

Although the exact cause of the accident is still unknown, the Tokyo Metropolitan Blind Welfare Association says that Mr. Akiya, who died, may have stumbled upon this “displacement”.

The association then submitted a request for improvement to Keisei Electric Railway.

Prof. Motohiro Okura, an professor at Seikei University, who served as a member of the study group of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on the safety of stations, pointed out this after looking at the scene.
“Installation of the“ inward line ”indicating the inside of the home should be rushed. However, if there is a difference in height, there is a risk that the foot may get caught and fall down. And re-installation is necessary. ''

Keisei Electric Railway to take measures

Keisei Electric Railway showed future measures on October 18th in response to a questionnaire from the Tokyo Metropolitan Blind Welfare Association.

After recognizing the deficiency that “there was a lack of recognition”, we decided to renovate the Braille block into an integrated type without any misalignment within this fiscal year.

Furthermore, because the old standard braille blocks that are difficult for visually impaired people to recognize are used, this is also replaced with a new standard.
The policy is to proceed with inspections and countermeasures at other stations.

Keisei Electric Railway commented, “We will continue to work on safety measures even after this painful accident”.

However, there are many other stations that have the same problem besides Keisei Electric Railway. The Tokyo Metropolitan Blind Welfare Association calls for other railway companies to carry out inspections and countermeasures.

“If you speak to me”

There is an unforgettable word from this interview. It is the word of the landlord of the apartment where Mr. Akiya who died introduced at the beginning lived.

"If someone is calling out at the station ..."

Hardware is required to prevent accidents. Not only that, but let us be a little nostalgic. There should be some accidents that can be prevented with just one word before the trip.