Are doorknobs problematic?
Apparently, they are in Vancouver, Canada. Starting from March 1, 2014, wrist-twisting doorknobs will be banned in all new construction, even in private homes. According to Viviana Zanocco, a city spokesman, doorknobs will be replaced with levers to “make it easier on seniors and those with disabilities.”
The city decided to change the building code in September. However, older buildings that have doorknobs will not be affected by the new rules. Some people, like Howard Gerry, a design professor at the OCAD University in Toronto, thought that the new rule was a great idea. “This is very progressive of Vancouver,” he said. “It makes good sense, even for private houses. Think about an ageing population or an individual carrying groceries or small children. Levers make access easier.”
However, others like Allen Joslyn, a resident of Vancouver, thought otherwise. “I can understand if you have a public building where everybody wants to have free access and that is a problem,” he said. He thought the city was overreaching its authority in cases of citizens building private homes where nobody is disabled.
What do you think? Should Korea ban doorknobs as well?
