It’s for guidance for the visually impaired… Controversy over ‘Braille blocks’ pushed to the side of the road

It has been pointed out that the Braille blocks for the visually impaired installed on a section of the sidewalk next to Seocho-daero in Seoul are located on the side edge of the road and right next to the flower beds, raising concerns about the safety of the visually impaired.

On the 27th, a post titled ‘Location of sidewalk blocks for the visually impaired in Seocho-dong, Seoul’ was posted on an online community먹튀검증, sparking controversy. The author of this post said, “It’s a sidewalk near the courthouse in Seocho-dong, and I think the location of the sidewalk blocks for the visually impaired is too big. “Are you seriously telling me to go there?” he said, attaching a photo.

This is a photo of a yellow Braille block for the visually impaired attached right next to a flower bed between the road and sidewalk.

According to Kookmin Ilbo’s coverage, the sidewalk in question was a section that stretched about 150 to 200 meters along Seocho-daero in front of Exit 1 of Gyodae Station on Subway Line 2.In fact, the Braille blocks in this section were installed right next to the flower beds that separate the sidewalk from the street where vehicles travel. In the flower bed, there were not only trees but also benches where people could sit and rest. If you step aside even a little while walking along the Braille blocks, there seems to be a risk of stepping on the soil of the flower bed or hitting a tree.

Considering that the Braille blocks are intended to guide the visually impaired to walk safely along the sidewalk, it was difficult to understand.

However, it was confirmed that the Braille blocks in India were in this condition only recently. From April to the end of July, Seocho-gu carried out a ‘greenbelt’ project to create green space around the trees along Seocho-daero, and during this process, flower beds in some sections were built right next to the Braille blocks.

In a phone call with Kookmin Ilbo, a Seocho-gu official said, “We discovered this problem belatedly after completing the construction of the strip green space, so we are planning to move and supplement sidewalk blocks next month (October),” and added, “We will quickly repair it to minimize inconvenience.” “He said.