TEHRAN — Safer traffic rules to ensure protection for people with disabilities and providing more accessible public transport for them are on agenda.

According to Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Ali Rabiei wheelchair users will be considered as pedestrian in the coming weeks.

“So far wheelchair was considered as a vehicle but within two or three weeks the cabinet will adopt a new law which recognize the wheelchair users as pedestrians,” Rabiei explained. 

As per the law in case of an accident the wheelchair users who used to be treated as an operator will be provided with insurance coverage for pedestrian accidents. 

As the director for legal department of traffic police Mohammad Tarrahomi said, in addition to the aforesaid law police is planning on introducing new traffic rules and regulations which would protect persons with disabilities in cities. Tarrahommi didn’t go into the details of the proposed traffic rules.

Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has underlined the importance of developing disability-friendly transportation saying that a budget line is allocated to the matter.

“Some 60 wheelchair-accessible SUVs will joint public transport in Tehran over the coming weeks,” Qalibaf added. 

Unfortunately, many persons with disabilities and disabled war veterans cannot use public transport which is their absolute right, the mayor said, adding, the municipality spend billions of dollars on developing public transport annually but people with disability are deprived of them.

Tehran municipality has recently begun to allocate budget to development of transport accessible for people with disability and has asked other metropolises’ municipalities to follow the footsteps of Tehran municipality, Qalibaf stated. 

He further noted that providing special children and children with disabilities with free school services has doubled the number of such students who go to school over the past three years.

Currently, some 4,000 special students who didn’t go to school due to difficulties they had to go through to get to school are now attending schools, he noted. 

MQ/MG