I find it amazing the number of non-handicapped people who use the handicap door activation buttons. In fact, it drives me nuts. I can understand if your hands are full, and you can't actually open the door yourself, but typically I think people should just pull the handle open. This might sound totally petty, but here is my reasoning:
- Don't the switches ever wear out? Seems like a waste of money if able-bodied people require the button to be replaced because of their laziness.
- People that work in my building use this button when entering or leaving the bathroom. Hello people, I don't really want the bathroom door open when I'm using the restroom! This is potentially embarrassing!
- I seem to constantly get blasted with hot or cold air as I walk down the halls of my building - when I look to see why all of a sudden it's freezing inside (this time of year anyway), I see that someone just pushed the handicap button to enter the building. Of course, this means the doors swing wide open, and stay open for much longer than it takes the person to walk through the door. Thus, all that outside air comes inside, and the inside air conditioned or heated air escapes outside. So not only am I uncomfortable because of the change in temperature, but it's a definite waste of energy.
- I have heard justification from people saying they don't want the germs from the door handle. Well, don't you think there are germs on the handicap button? For heavens sake, use a paper towel or your sleeve to open the door, or keep some anti-bacterial gel handy.
Anyway, thanks for letting me rant. This seriously bugs me. I have NO problem when people who actually NEED to use the button use it... It's the people that can clearly open the door themselves that get me!
I find it amazing the number of non-handicapped people who use the handicap door activation buttons. In fact, it drives me nuts. I can understand if your hands are full, and you can't actually open the door yourself, but typically I think people should just pull the handle open. This might sound totally petty, but here is my reasoning:
6 comments:
I have to admit that I use those buttons when they are available. Trying to hold a door open and push a stroller through it can be very combersom, especially if the door isn't a wide one. And it is amazing how many people DON'T help moms out and hold the door open for them when they are struggling with a stroller, bags, and an active preschooler running this way and that. Anyway, just a different perspective.
Thanks for the perspective :-) As I mentioned, it doesn't bother me in the slightest when people have their hands full... and that includes kids and strollers! It's people like me, just one person walking through the door that use it that get me :-)
I always use it with a stroller too, but for some reason I'm always afraid I'm going to get in trouble. Like using the handicapped stall in a restroom to fit the stroller in. What if someone in a wheelchair or with a walker comes in while I'm in there? There again, I always feel like I'll get in trouble. :) Kinda silly.
not to mention the waste of electricity to operate the door opening and closing when the action could've been done using one's own personal energy instead.
This is one of my pet peeves also. I found this blog when I did a search to see how much energy was wasted from people using the doors unnecessarily. I didn't even think about the energy lost when all the heat escapes through the doors. If anyone comes up with any numbers, I would be interested to see what they are.
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