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roserodent ([personal profile] roserodent) wrote in [community profile] accessibility_fail2010-06-15 10:16 am

World's most ridiculous lift (elevator)?

I think this lift could very easily win the title for the most ridiculous installation ever. At the bottom of the lift there is plenty of space to enter and exit the lift. At the top of the shaft, however you get this: 

Picture of lift opening onto a domestic doorway

The lift opens at the top onto a standard width internal domestic doorway, and a long corridor. The lift is in high demand both up and down because it's the only disabled access to a massive showbar that holds about 1,500 people. To go down, you queue at the lift entrance like the lovely couple in the picture. However, when the lift arrives you find it has a wheelchair, scooter or buggy already inside. Because two wheelchairs cannot pass each other at the top of the shaft, you must now reverse back up the entire corridor and ramp to allow the wheelchair inside to exit the lift. At this point, the light on the lift goes out again because you have not got in the lift fast enough. The next person waiting downstairs presses the button to call the lift, which duly disappears back downstairs again to pick them up.

By the time you have successfully stationed yourself back at the lift doors to press the button again, it has gone back downstairs and picked up another wheelchair. Repeat the above, you reverse, they come out, lift goes back down, gets another wheelchair, you get back, you missed the lift, you press the button, along comes another wheelchair! I spent about 20 minutes trying to get into this lift, with my husband waiting at the bottom puzzled as to why it kept coming back down empty. My powerchair doesn't like backwards very much at the best of times, let alone backwards down a corridor and up a hill over and over an over again.

Is there some kind of award we can send them? Butlins Skegness, may I present you with a Fail Award. However, there are also many positives, it was a great holiday and we have rebooked, and when I have the energy saved up I will post the wins.

This venue also contains a toilet with nappy bin, sanitary bin, paper towel bin and continence supplies bin. What you cannot do is actually get in!