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The Trams In Russia and Ukraine Aren’t Built for Amputees
When the war is over, both societies will need to completely revamp the public space to accommodate the wounded vets
For 30 years, the tram was my favorite form of mass transit. Each time I climbed aboard one, I felt lucky. Like a kid on a ride at The Great Adventure not far from my home in New Jersey, I used to think about how I wished my parents could see me at the moment.
Sitting on a warm seat listening as the metal wheels noisily scratched and pulled at the tracks below, the driver of the creaky metal box, which was always lit up like a birthday cake, would sound the bells, scattering everyone and everything out of its way.
Not unlike a tank, especially when sitting home and hearing its rumble through the narrow and winding streets of St. Petersburg’s UNESCO-protected city center, no one messes with the tram.
Filled with pensioners because it seemed to remind them of their youth when trams were the main form of transport around most cities, it was always hard to watch as the elderly men and women would struggle to scale the steps to enter. If you happened to be entering at the same time as them, then you helped; if you were tucked back inside in the crowded tram, you didn’t dare exit…
