An accessible London opens up before your eyes. Image: Wheelmap
Getting around London is tough enough — but for the 2% of UK residents who use a wheelchair (not to mention millions of tourists and other visitors), there are even more obstacles in the way of a smooth experience.
Enter Wheelmap — a crowdsourced online map, created by German nonprofit organisation, Sozialhelden.
The website/app allows wheelchair users to search by topic e.g. food & drink, leisure, hotels, toilets — to discover what’s accessible (and not-so accessible) around town.
Particularly useful perhaps is the transport button, flagging which stations you may want to use/avoid, as well as the accessibility of specific exits (so with a maze like Bank, for example, you’ve got an idea where to head).
Users can add their own places, and rate existing ones. Image: Shutterstock
You can search by places/things that are fully or partially accessible to wheelchair users — even those that are fully non accessible, so you know where to avoid.
One of the best features of Wheelmap: users can add places not already on the map, as well as rate those which are, deciding whether they’re fully, partially or totally inaccessible. The idea it builds up an honest picture of what’s what, as experienced first hand by wheelchair users.
Image: Wheelmap
Wheelmap features some 2.3 million places globally, but certainly there’s a glut of information for central London. For anyone looking for a smoother experience in the capital — especially if they’re not overly familiar with the terrain — Wheelmap seems a handy tool to have up your sleeve.
