"Are you the one complaining to the municipality? It won't help you": The death roulette of the visually impaired in Tel Aviv
Broken sidewalks, open pits, traffic lights without accessibility buttons, and speeding cyclists make every outing for the visually impaired a survival struggle. Residents report a lack of oversight and safety, while the municipality claims it is working to improve urban accessibility.
Tel Aviv-Yafo has turned into an obstacle course for people with disabilities. Liat Beni, a visually impaired person who uses a guide dog, describes her daily commute from her home in the Old North to the city center as a continuous "roulette."
"The entire area around me is under construction as part of TAMA, meaning there are broken sidewalks, iron bars, building materials, and heavy machinery everywhere. The municipality has a responsibility to oversee these sites, but my path out of the neighborhood is a real obstacle course," she says. According to Beni, construction workers often mock her for filing complaints with the city, telling her it won't make a difference.
"They don't see me at all"
Beni describes the chaos: "The whole neighborhood has turned into one big construction site. On the right, Electric Company works. On the left, sewage works. Sidewalks have disappeared. There are no directional signs, no clear marking tapes, and no one to direct pedestrians. One time, I had to walk on the road itself."
The difficulty continues on Ibn Gabirol Street, where construction for the light rail is underway. Traffic lights there lack accessibility buttons for the blind, forcing them to cross the road blindly. Beni recounts a harrowing experience where she tripped over a pipe in the middle of the road and fell. When she stood up, she realized she wasn't on a traffic island as she had thought, but in the middle of the road, surrounded by honking cars.
Furthermore, cyclists and electric scooter riders pose a daily threat, frequently speeding on sidewalks rather than bike paths. "They yell at me as if I'm the one taking their road. There are no inspectors effectively enforcing the law," she adds.
A systemic issue
Other residents echo these concerns. Y., a visually impaired resident of Bograshov Street, notes that even public spaces like the Tiberias garden remain unlit at night, despite numerous calls to the municipal 106 hotline. Shachar Tamir, an Ibn Gabirol resident who uses a guide cane, says: "It is no longer safe to walk on sidewalks or promenades. Electric vehicles travel at 70-80 km/h, and it is terrifying. My friends have left the city because of this situation."
Municipality response
The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality stated that it makes great efforts to ensure urban spaces are accessible and is promoting a multi-year plan for infrastructure and environmental accessibility. "Tel Aviv-Yafo is a city in development, and we handle every appeal that reaches the accessibility officer. Engineering coordination teams work daily with construction sites to ensure accessibility is maintained," the municipality said.
Regarding the traffic lights on Ibn Gabirol, the city explained that malfunctions are due to the ongoing Green Line light rail construction and the lack of underground infrastructure, but safety repairs are beginning. As for electric vehicle offenses, the municipality noted that it conducts the highest level of enforcement in the country, though inspectors cannot be everywhere at once. They promised to focus enforcement on areas identified as particularly problematic for the visually impaired.
