Beijing city to improve barrier-free environment in public places

BEIJING -- The Beijing municipal government put forward a three-year action plan from 2019 to 2021 to improve the city's accessibility of public facilities for the disabled.

The plan listed blind tracks, pavement, ground transportation, shopping centers, restaurants, parks and government service and residential areas as key fields for improvement.

According to the plan, the surrounding areas of the stadiums of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, the city proper and Tongzhou District, Beijing's sub-center, are the three main improvement areas.

The plan also required that 80 percent of buses should be accessible for the disabled, and an increasing number of accessible parking spots with conspicuous signs be set up in the next three years.

Residential areas should also be equipped with barrier-free slopes and enough space for wheelchairs to change directions, the plan said.