On March 12, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Approximately 370 facilities were equipped with barrier-free environment elements in 2011 in the Vitebsk region, the Committee for Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent. A significant amount of work on creating a barrier-free environment was carried out by housing and communal services organizations. Thus, repair and construction work is carried out taking into account the adaptation of housing stock, including social housing and courtyard areas, for visually impaired people and people with musculoskeletal disorders. Over the past year, utility workers installed more than 150 handrails and 85 ramps. Capital and current repairs of the street and road network, pedestrian pavements in the courtyards of residential buildings with a total area of 259.5 thousand sq.m. were completed, and the first and last steps of stair flights at the entrance and inside buildings were painted and equipped with tactile elements at 587 housing and communal services facilities and educational institutions. In the Dubrovno and Postavy districts, Polotsk and Vitebsk, 13 free parking lots for 24 parking spaces were equipped for vehicles of people with musculoskeletal disorders and visually impaired people. Many social infrastructure facilities are equipped with turnstiles indicating the direction of movement, handrails, ramps, digital displays, and audible notifications. In the public transport sector, 178 buses equipped with an internal scrolling display are operating on urban routes in the Vitebsk region. 13 low-floor trams were purchased. The share of low-floor passenger transport in the total number is 17%. Overall, the share of social infrastructure facilities in the Vitebsk region that comply with barrier-free environment standards at the beginning of the current year was 56.4%. It is planned to allocate Br4.9 billion from various sources of funding for the implementation of the Vitebsk region program for creating a barrier-free environment for physically weak persons for 2011-2015. In 2011, Br453.8 million was utilized from the local budget, and over Br1 billion was from the own funds of enterprises, organizations, and institutions. The funding volume for 2012 is planned by the program at over Br1 billion. It is planned to equip about 200 facilities with barrier-free environment elements. -0-

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