How can the city be made more friendly to the disabled?
I am appalled about the number of times I have been waiting with my father, who is in a wheelchair, for a designated disability toilet which is occupied.
Apart from the long wait, it is infuriating to find that 99.9 per cent of the time the people exiting the disability toilet are able-bodied and have only been in there to sneak a cigarette in a non-smoking zone. The toilets are left filthy with cigarette butts all over the floor and the heavy smell of cigarette smoke is unpleasant.
The worst experiences I have had with my father were at Hong Kong International Airport on our recent travels in June. The biggest offenders are uniformed staff working for the airport or specialty shops.
First, how inconsiderate for able-bodied people to be using the disability toilet when male and female public toilets are readily available, and second, they should not be occupying the disability toilet for a cigarette, when there are obvious no-smoking signs and information with regard to fines for smoking on the door of the toilet.
When will the no-smoking fines be enforced for smokers using the disability toilets for a sneaky cigarette? Shame on the airport and other security personnel in Hong Kong for turning a blind eye to this. It is time something was done and the fines were enforced for offenders. Wheelchair users have no other choice but to use the disability toilets.
Also, I have noticed shopping malls, hotels and office blocks that have recently been refurbished often put a disability toilet in the men's and women's toilets, rather than having a unisex disability toilet.