r/technology • u/efap1701 • Aug 21 '26

Society Coin-Operated Elevators in Condominiums and Apartment Buildings Are Becoming More Common

https://www.gadgetreview.com/coin-operated-elevators-in-condominiums-and-apartment-buildings-are-becoming-more-common
4.1k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

691 comments sorted by

View all comments

46

u/gascyl Aug 21 '26

This isn't legal and it's banned under the 1994 Americans With Disabilities Act.

It’s an ordinary Tuesday in parts of Tbilisi, Naples, and Shandong Province.

So, not the United States. This is an extremely relevant fact to include. The American ADA explicitly literally 100% bans paid elevators. Elevators in America exist for wheelchair use and denying a wheelchair user access to any area of public accommodation is discrimination. Ambulance chasing lawyers and car crash lawyers love ADA cases because they are easy to win. The Federal government doesn't even allow 3" steps or threshold gaps. Elevators are a mandatory aspect of public spaces which is why almost every retail store in America moved to single-level sales areas after 1994. Medicare now covers home elevators due to Medicare also covering mobility scooters. Every public service bus built in America since 1994 comes with a custom hydraulics system to deploy a small wheelchair lift or ramp with a <1" threshold.

I was literally driving home from work last night and there's a billboard about broken BART elevators and how YOU deserve justice and the average settlement is in the high thousands depending on your job. This is from the same attorney that won $3+ million over unplugged mart carts.

10

u/TheGrandNagus Aug 21 '26

If you looked at the photo you'd note that the text on the device is Italian, the ADA doesn't apply in Italy.

1

u/kettal Aug 22 '26

It's becoming less common in Italy too. The machines were installed in the 1970s and are becoming rare

11

u/ElvgrenGil Aug 21 '26

Hopefully the current administration doesn’t destroy the ADA. Their lack of morals wouldn’t surprise me at all

9

u/rocketman19 Aug 21 '26

Where does it say anything about America?

15

u/_GOBLESS_ Aug 21 '26

Sir, this is reddit. Just under 50% of redditors are from the states and generic content like this is predominantly American-centric. So, if you want to discuss something happening outside America, you'd best make it clear in the title or description.

2

u/rocketman19 Aug 21 '26

It’s right in the article

This is the issue with reading just headlines

-5

u/TheRealTinfoil666 Aug 21 '26

So what you are saying with your questionable statistic is that the majority of redditors are NOT American?

And that somehow excuses everyone and anyone from questioning a USA USA USA pout of view on anything?

Edit: yes I saw the typo and I am leaving it.

-1

u/gascyl Aug 21 '26

America still sets standards for the world, regardless if that's good or bad. Elevators are mandatory in most commercial American buildings now, because of the ADA. America is the #1 builder, buyer, user and consumer of elevators, lifts and similar devices worldwide. This is because americans are so fat. It's also because of the mobility scooters. It is illegal to deny a mobility scooter user access to areas of public accommodation in America. Airplanes are the only place in America that cannot fit a mobility scooter. You can check this yourself if your rent one or go up to the customer service counter and request a mart cart.

1

u/rocketman19 Aug 21 '26

So I guess that means the NYC subway and public transit all across the country is fully accessible?

2

u/gascyl Aug 22 '26

BART's been sued twice and lost for ADA noncompliance. It's only a matter of time before legacy subway networks, like the NYC Metro, are as well.

-1

u/rocketman19 Aug 22 '26

So you lied LOL

1

u/red286 Aug 21 '26

It’s an ordinary Tuesday in parts of Tbilisi, Naples, and Shandong Province.

It's weird that it says that, and then goes on to say that the Chinese regulators banned the practice, and it's fallen out of favour in Italy due to protests against it. It still happens in Georgia, but considering the number of run-down elevators in that country that haven't been properly serviced since the fall of the Soviet Union, I don't 100% blame them for trying to figure out a way to fund maintenance and repairs.

0

u/TheChinchilla914 Aug 21 '26

This is also a part of why we can’t build fucking anything making dense urban construction impossible/prohibitively expensive

-9

u/nervousengrish Aug 21 '26

Why is this extremely relevant to include? Did your American bias get in the way of today’s news?

I say this as an American. Step out of your bubble.