Something to Think About

This is less about me and more just something I'd like you all to think about / keep in mind. Especially those of you who don't live in an apartment/condo building and put your garbage bins out on the sidewalk rather than the end of a driveway.

Walking up my street tonight took twice as long as usual. It was like an obstacle course. The garbage and recycling bins were scattered all over the sidewalk. There were a couple bins I could barely get around and I was standing there debating if I should step off the sidewalk onto the road to get around them. This seemed like a bad idea and so I shuffled along sideways past them when needed. About half way down the street I actually caught up with the garbage truck going along emptying the bins. Once I made it past the truck, things got easier. All the bins were nicely lined up off to one side of the sidewalk. So it would seem it's the garbage/recycling collectors that need a lesson in keeping the sidewalks accessible. Yes it was an inconvenience for me but I was eventually able to get around all the bins and make my way down the street. However, as I maneuvered around some of the stray bins I was thinking, there is absolutely no way someone in a wheelchair or that was relying on a walker would have been able to make it by all these discarded bins.

So next time you're putting your bins out at the curb ask yourself, "can a wheelchair still get by?" And I'm hoping you won't be satisfied until your answer is "yes". Unfortunately you can only be sure the bin is out of the way until it's emptied, then who knows where they will throw it.