Skywalk at BTS National Stadium

BTS
National
StadiumLast Saturday at BTS National Stadium, I took a field survey to observe any updates of a brand-new skywalk connected to MBK, which was still under construction. As I observed, there was no accessible lift from the platform floor to floor ticket, only escalator at opposite side of MBK. Disabled passengers, especially wheelchair users, would have to face troubles getting off the station. They inevitably needed to deploy by escalator which required at least 3-4 staffs to help. This movement on this way could cause from slight injury into risk of serious accident.

Moreover, they would have to once again ask for help from a security guard to carry them down to a skywalk, as there were a steps acting as a barrier blocking them and the free world. Some could make it their ways but some could not, just like one of my friends. This was incredibly terrifying considering that the station was in a heart of Bangkok full with people from around the globe. This poor accessibility destroyed a message of the land of smile we are trying to create in tourists’ mind. Yes, we smile. We smile while carrying you, on a wheelchair, to cross a steps. Lol.

The operator, BTS, told that at the beginning this poor accessibility was built before the release of new law and regulation, which was more user-friendly. So they acted out like they were not wrong and no one could blame them. However, since the new law had activated, I wished that they were on the task to complete it. All we could do now was nothing except calling other’s hands for help, which we didn’t want to. We just wanted to be able to depend on ourselves, just provided us some additional accessibility. The equality and good quality of life we had always dreamed of seemed to be in a very distant utopia.

However, I’m still not sure about the correctness from the operator’s speech that is there any relationship between construction period and the legal release.

Anyone who knows this, please feel free to contact us.