I only used the Lisbon Metro twice; when I arrived to get from the airport to my hostel and when I left to get to the bus station.
Still, it was a different enough experience from how I found the London Underground that I wanted to share.
The Lisbon metro is a lot less friendly for people with vision impairments. The announcements on the train are inconsistent and too quiet to hear easily over the noise of the train rushing through the tunnels. The signs both for finding the right platform and on the platforms informing passengers which stop they’re at are small.
And, of course, this metro doesn’t have the same wonderful assistance service as the London Underground.
Upon my arrival in Lisbon, I thoroughly impressed myself. Not only did I manage to navigate around the metro stations, I did not once get on the wrong train or get off a the wrong stop. It was smooth sailing!
Now, you might think that if I managed to navigate the system without any problems then I either don’t need assistance as much as I think I do or the metro is set up well enough for the blind. Neither of these thoughts are accurate.
First I’d like to say, if someone had less functional vision than me, they’d be screwed in the Lisbon metro. There’s no way around it.
Secondly, I managed by taking pictures at, like, every third stop to make sure I knew where I was and how many stops I had left. If I’d had more battery life on my phone I’d have been tracking my progress on Citymapper (Note for Mum, the low battery wasn’t my fault. the two extra hours at Stansted Airport chewed up my battery).
At the stations themselves when I changing platforms or trying to go out the right exit, I hung back from the crowd so I wasn’t holding anyone up and took pictures of signs to make sure I was heading in the right direction.
Basically, I took things slow and used the tools at my disposal in order to find my way. I’m amazed by my own resourcefulness, but I’m glad I didn’t have to use the metro more. I think it would have stressed me out and made my stay in Lisbon a lot less pleasant.
Hmmm. Short article. I guess I just wanted to show off about finding my own way through an unfamiliar metro in a country where I don’t speak the language. I’m awesome!
