The "Accessibility Workshops", which were initiated in 2021 by the General Directorate of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly, in order to raise awareness on accessibility at the social level, and to increase the level of knowledge and awareness of those working in planning and implementing institutions, continue this year as well. Within the scope of the workshops, 32 Workshops, where the subject of "Sidewalks" was discussed, were held in 2021 for the technical units of the municipalities responsible for the construction and repair of pavements, and a meeting was held for the coordination units for persons with disabilities.
The first workshop of 2022 will be held on "Pedestrian Crossings". Workshops are held at the regional level, where the accessibility technical requirements that municipalities should apply when planning pedestrian crossings, preparing their projects and during the construction process are discussed. The first of the Online Workshops was held on 21 March 2022 for the Mediterranean Region, and the second on 22 March 2022 for the Aegean Region municipalities.
Pedestrian crossings are one of the basic built environment components in pedestrian circulation and transportation, as they are areas and structures designated as light-controlled or non-light-controlled by traffic signs in order to ensure that pedestrians can cross the vehicle road safely, and are considered an important link in the accessibility chain. The design and implementation of accessible pedestrian crossings is of great importance for everyone to reach all services in urban living spaces.
In the workshops held, technical officials from the relevant units of the municipalities are informed about the features and standards of accessible pedestrian crossings, the participants are divided into groups and asked to evaluate the faulty practices, and the implemented sample projects are examined together. It is planned to continue the workshops with the metropolitan, provincial and district municipalities in the Marmara Region on March 23, the Black Sea Region on March 24, and the Central Anatolia Region on March 29.