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JR Iidabashi Station is the most dangerous train station in Tokyo for the visually impaired, with large gaps between trains and the platform, according to a survey by the Japan Federation of the Blind.
Released Sept. 6, the Aug. 31-Sept. 5 survey received responses from 57 visually impaired individuals, 40 percent of whom said they have fallen off train platforms.
The survey was jointly taken by the federation and Tokyo-to Mojin Fukushi Kyokai (Tokyo association for the welfare of the blind) after a fatal accident on Aug. 15, in which a 55-year-old man with a guide dog fell onto the railway tracks at Aoyama-itchome Station along the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.
The largest number of respondents, 10, said Iidabashi Station is the most hazardous. The respondents said the station’s platform is curved, resulting in the wide platform gaps for passengers boarding trains.
JR Shinjuku Station was the second most dangerous with eight responses.
One said a passenger walking along Braille blocks at Shinjuku Station could bump into a pillar.
JR Shibuya Station, JR Ochanomizu Station and Odakyu Shinjuku Station were each cited as dangerous by three respondents.
Three pointed out that stations along the Ginza Line, the same subway line where the fatal Aug. 15 accident occurred, presented risks because its stations “have narrow platforms and (many of them) have no platform doors.”
When asked about their own experiences, 22 of the respondents said they have lost their sense of direction and fallen off platforms after walking into people or baggage or having difficulty hearing sounds.
Twenty-seven of the respondents called on railway operators to install platform doors, while 12 requested more staff at stations.
The survey results were released during a Sept. 6 meeting by members of five groups for the visually impaired, guide dog users and guide dog trainers, including the Japan Federation of the Blind.
Representatives of the groups said they will hold additional meetings to air their opinions and file requests with the transport ministry and railway operators.
“The latest accident should be the last involving a fall off a platform,” said Yoshiki Takeshita, 65, president of the Japan Federation of the Blind.
(THE ASAHI SHIMBUN)
