Wheelchair users and their families can't tell which routes, venues and lifts in Bangkok are usable
Visitors who use wheelchairs ask r/Bangkok where they can actually go. Replies say malls, hotels and BTS lifts work, but sidewalks are blocked by poles, stairs and vendors, and one reader found a BTS wheelchair lift out of service with no staff. Several advise hiring a van with a driver.
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5 ways to tackle it
Hardware and sensors
Roll Logger: a clip-on sensor that scores every sidewalk you roll
An ESP32 with an IMU and GPS clips to the wheelchair frame. It logs bumps, tilt and stops as you ride and turns them into a roughness score per stretch of sidewalk, so the next rider sees which leg actually rolled well.
Build with ESP32, MPU6050 IMU, GPS module, LiPo battery, 3D-printed clip, map web page
Camera and vision
Curb Scan: hold a printed ruler card, film a sidewalk, get a pass or fail
A helper films a 5 second walk along a sidewalk holding an A4 ruler card with printed marks. Claude vision measures width, step height and slope against that scale and says pass, risky or blocked for a standard chair.
Build with Claude vision, printed ruler card with fiducial markers, OpenCV, PWA
Web portal
Door Card: venues print a sticker that says exactly how step-free they are
A cafe owner answers 10 quick questions (steps at the door, door width, toilet size, lift) and gets a printable window sticker and a page with the exact numbers. Wheelchair users can trust it more than a vague 'accessible' label, and the numbers feed the shared map.
Build with Next.js, Claude (form to page), QR sticker PDF, Supabase
AI agent
Van Caller: an agent that phones van-with-driver companies and compares quotes
The agent places Thai phone calls to van companies and asks the questions a wheelchair user needs: ramp or lift, chair size, price for the day, driver help. It returns a ranked list with prices and a transcript of each answer.
Build with Twilio Voice, Gemini Live or OpenAI Realtime, Thai TTS, Claude
Data and maps
Step-Free Route Card: a printed route with the right BTS exit and lift for each leg
It combines OpenStreetMap wheelchair tags with a table of BTS and MRT stations, exits and lifts to build a step-free route between two places. The traveler prints a large-type card that names the exit number and lift location for each station.
Build with OpenStreetMap wheelchair tags, BTS and MRT station data, Google Routes API, PDF generator
What people reported
Electric wheelchair user staying at Asok asks for advice. Replies: sidewalks end abruptly or have obstacles, temples have stairs, hire a driver, malls and BTS stations with lifts are fine.
reddit.comFamily planning a trip with a wheelchair-using mother. Replies: 'malls, but not much else', one saw the dedicated wheelchair lift at National Stadium BTS out of service and stranded a couple.
reddit.comFull-time wheelchair user asks about exploring. Replies: a pole, transformer or staircase blocks seemingly every sidewalk, skywalks have stairs, most chair users seen had an assistant.
reddit.comTravel guide by a power wheelchair user: missing curb cuts and ramps, disrepair, crowds, potholes; curbs 7.6 to 30.5 cm force rolling into the road; Sukhumvit has intersections without ramps.
wheelchairtravel.orgThe Nation via Asia News Network, May 7 2024: NSO says about 2,490 sidewalk injuries a year, Bangkok over a third; BMA plans curb height 18.5 to 10 cm, 1:12 slopes, entrances level with sidewalks.
asianews.network