By Heidi Johnson-Wright
““...(P)aralyzed limbs may not particularly limit a person’s
mobility as much as attitudinal and physical barriers. The question centers on
‘normality’. What, it is asked, is the normal way to be mobile over a distance
of a mile? Is it to walk, drive one’s own car, take a taxicab, ride a bicycle,
use a wheelchair, roller skate, or use a skate board, or some other means?””
— Prof. David Pfeiffer, Ph.D, internationally recognized
scholar in the field of disability studies, and polio survivor
Strong towns must also be inclusive towns, communities that
welcome everyone. Places where people of all abilities can live, work and get
around. Rights of way that are safe and accessible to folks with a range of
mobility needs.
What's it like to navigate streets as a wheelchair user?
What works? What doesn't?
I have been using a wheelchair as my principal means of
mobility for four decades, so I'm always seeking smooth, wide and level
surfaces. I want the safest and most comfortable path of travel possible. As
someone who has worked as an ADA compliance and public works professional, I'm
always analyzing sidewalks, streetscapes, curb and gutter, curb ramps and
crosswalks. My eyes are drawn to concrete work, to the types of pavers used, to
detectable warnings and the placement of bus shelters.
Sometimes, the smallest details make all the difference.
For me, the ideal accessible pedestrian path of travel is as
wide as the sidewalks lining the great avenues of New York City. Plenty of room
for walkers, wheelers, babies in strollers and then some. Lots of space for me
to safely pass around slow walkers when I'm in a hurry. It's disquieting when
someone half a block ahead sees me approaching and yanks their child out of my
oncoming path. Sometimes the sight of the poor kid flying through the air jolts
me so much, I whip around to see if I’ve unknowingly left a row of maimed
bodies behind in my wake.
Even pricey, well-made wheelchairs have limits to their
suspension. If I could, I'd pave the paths of the Earth with the rubber safety
surfaces used on playgrounds. Smooth, seamless and shock-absorbing makes me
smile. But given real-world requirements, smooth concrete with narrow stress
joints works for me. I also love wide, flat flagstones like the ones used
throughout Barcelona.
I dislike even the smoothest of pavers and despise
brickwork. What looks like tiny seams to walkers means major up-and-down
bumping for wheelers. Even a two-block trip with a Starbuck's latte in hand
results in coffee spills on my lap and a subsequent trip to the dry cleaners.
Longer trips over bumpy terrain mean repeated, sustained jarring that can
trigger serious pain for folks with arthritis and other disabilities. Don't
even get me started on tree well pavers or grates. Properly maintained Addapave
tree pits are a much better choice.
Let's talk about curb ramps. Their mundane appearance is
deceiving. My number one biggest complaint is the use of the cookie-cutter
clip-art curb ramp design where it doesn't belong. You know the one I mean.
It's the copy-and-paste design architects use in drawings where building
perimeters meet sidewalks and parking lots.
There are many different designs of curb ramps that can be
found in state DOT roadway design standards. Why? Because differences in
terrain and limitations of space require different ramp designs in order to be
compliant and safe. Level landings at top and bottom are essential. The top
landings in particular must be unobstructed. I can't count how many times I've
reached the top of a curb ramp only to nearly run into a pedestrian signal pole
or other irritating impediment. And please no meter boxes on the slope or storm
sewer grates at the bottom. Be sure there's a level, two-foot transition to the
gutter, or wheelers who forget to fasten their seat belts are likely to be
ejected.
Don't design curb ramps at the maximum 1:12 slope, but
rather 1:14. In fact, the feds say they're to be designed with the minimum
possible slope. And please: TWO curb ramps per corner instead of a single
diagonal ramp. Drivers can't tell where a wheeler is headed when he or she
comes off the diagonal into the street. And unless the corner, ramp,
intersection and crosswalk are all expertly designed in harmony, wheelers often
must go out into the active vehicular way in order to cross. Many times I've
had to cross using a diagonal ramp and felt air displacement from cars passing
along next to me.
And finally, nothing makes steam come out of my ears like
rolling along and being foiled by an easily preventable impediment or detour.
Pedestrian paths of travel are in flux and must always be monitored.
Coordination between local public works, transit, utilities, and state DOT is essential
to preventing obstructions caused by landscaping, light poles, street signs,
signal boxes, bus shelters, bus benches, newspaper boxes, bike racks, etc.
Just as bad are sidewalks suddenly blocked off with little
or no warning. In this case, I’m not talking about the simple sidewalk or lane
work, or an emergency fix of a broken water main. I mean many months of torn up
or obstructed rights of way due to long-term construction projects which provide
no alternative, accessible, safe pathway. What is a minor problem for a walker
who can easily re-route can prove to be an extremely inconvenient -- even
dangerous -- situation for someone in a wheelchair.
I’ve encountered this situation numerous times. Most
recently, I was attempting to get to a doctor’s office for a first-time
appointment. Due to limited parking options, I had to search for an on-street
space. I found spaces one block away, but the swale had obstructions that
blocked my van’s ramp from deploying. I had to settle for an on-street space
four blocks away.
After parking, I rolled along a couple blocks with bumpy
sidewalks and corners with dangerously steep curb ramps. But the worst was
saved for last. The final block to the doctor’s office was impassable due to
major construction that had closed off the sidewalk. My only real option was to
cross to the other side of the street, roll down the block, then cross back
over. Problem was, the street I had to cross was four lanes plus a turn lane. Drivers
fly down it like a highway. The closest signalized crossing was three blocks
the other way. A kind lady who saw my dilemma crossed with me at an
unsignalized but clearly marked pedestrian crosswalk. I am forever grateful,
knowing how wheelchair users have a lower profile than walkers. This makes us
like the amphibious targets in a real-life version of the classic video game,
Frogger.
Navigating a few blocks should not be so complicated and so
dangerous. Elected officials need initiatives such as New York City Mayor Bill
de Blasio’s Vision Zero push to eliminate traffic deaths. Planners, traffic
engineers, capital projects managers and public works departments that issue
rights of way permits need more common sense designs and policies.
All of these things should be formulated with input from the
disability community. Each county, city, town and village should have an
advisory committee comprised of local folks with disabilities. Those involved
in streetscape design should consult orientation and mobility trainers who work
with the visually impaired. People who are blind learn to navigate through the
world in specific ways. Design compatible with those methods often equals good,
sensible design.
The federal Proposed Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in
the Public Right-of-Way address access for blind pedestrians at street
crossings, wheelchair access to on-street parking, and various constraints
posed by space limitations, roadway design practices, slope, and terrain. These
guidelines -- which are expected to become mandatory and enforceable within a
year or two -- will cover pedestrian access to sidewalks and streets, including
crosswalks, curb ramps, street furnishings, pedestrian signals, parking, and
other components of public rights-of-way.
Now’s the time to focus on inclusive design.
http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2015/3/2/complete-street-with-inclusive-design
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