by eila in Accessibility, Government Reform, Neighborhoods and Squares, Pedestrians
Posted on June 29, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Last Modified on August 16, 2009 at 3:48 pm
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A map detailing some sidewalk and curb access issues between Endicott St./Broadway going NW to Alewife Brook Parkway/Broadway has been placed here.
This is not a comprehensive survey, but only looks at the slopes of curb cuts and some crosswalks, plus Pedestrian Crossings (marked by City of Somerville signage). Of the 22 spots (12 Somerville side streets plus Broadway) surveyed, only 1 curbcut was built correctly, per State Access Building Code 521 CMR. That’s only 4.5%!
Two streets that were paved recently- Garrison Street and Victoria Street- have incorrectly built curbcuts. For Garrison Street, both sides of the street are noncompliant with the latest State building code (2006 regulations). At Victoria Street, one side’s curbcut is noncompliant with 2006 regs.
In addition, these newly paved roads trigger the need to address issues crossing Broadway. In particular, perpendicular curb cuts need to be added for safe passage across the street, especially at Garrison and Broadway, since this is at a Bus Stop. When addressing streetscape access issues, local governments need to prioritize the streets around Federal and municipal public facilities as well as all Bus Stops. That’s Federal law.
If a municipality’s Bus stops are unreachable and inaccessible, due to badly built street facilities, then its residents are restricted from accessing public transportation systems, etc.. For some individuals, the challenges created by these issues cause them to be nearly or fully housebound.
Do you think such quality of life issues should continue to be put off until “tomorrow?” …
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I wonder how some of these problems might be addressed. As I read through this material, (and I confess I’m finding a lot of it difficult to understand)it seems like some problems are a lot simpler than others. For example, if there’s a drop where the concrete curb cut meets the asphalt, it seems to me the asphalt could be built up a little.
I have a hard time getting in a sweat about new curb cuts that aren’t coordinated with existing crosswalk markings. (If I’m understanding the issue, perhaps I am not.)That doesn’t to my mind mean that the curb cut wasn’t built appropriately. It means that the crosswalk markings need to be repainted to coordinate with the new curb cut. I’m not buying the suggestion that the existing condition will lead to blind people being smashed like pumpkins.
Curb-cut ramps that are excessively steep strike me as a more difficult and expensive problem. (Although the regulation as quoted seems to suggest a recognition that compliant ramps are not always possible.) I’m willing to bet that the guys out there building these cuts aren’t equipped with digital levels. I’d also place a little wager that they haven’t been trained to recognize these regulatory issues when they see them in the field.
Where we have major road projects underway, like on Somerville Avenue, it might be worth asking our aldermen what kind of access review the plans for these projects include, and how we can insure that the end product is compliant. There should be little or no cost implication to getting new work into compliance, apart from the purchase of those digital levels.
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Dear Jonathan,
I appreciate your comment very much. I’m guessing you speak for lots of people.
So, first things first, thanks for letting me know that I need to write it so that it’s readable! If you can’t understand it, than I assume most people can’t. And I recall that when I first began learning this stuff, I didn’t understand it and found it tedious- thanks for that reminder.
My main concern is that these accessibility requirements are not being skillfully overseen, even though we pay for these municipal jobs to be done accurately- according to Federal, State and local regs. and standards. The MA Access Building Codes are written and tweaked regularly, to make facilities minimally accessible to the most people possible. (Sidewalks and curbcuts are considered facilities, just like buildings.) The intention of these codes is the inclusive intention- what’s going on here is a lack of either awareness or care about who is being left out.
So, every slope really does count- the effort required to get out and around shouldn’t be prohibitive for residents. These minimal requirements were tested again and again by users. So, even if you and I can’t intuitively tell why an inch or a degree would matter, wheelchair-mobile and blind pedestrians are expecting that city planners will care to do it right, and fix it when it’s not usable. Everyone has a reasonable expectation that they can be integrated into all municipal activities and programs- and getting around the sidewalks for any reason at all is a reasonable expectation for all residents to have.
Crosswalk markings are secondary to curb cuts. The curb cuts need to be built correctly. (I hope my posts won’t be interpreted to mean that the crosswalks should be repainted to accommodate inaccessible curbcuts!) Then, if it’s a simpler matter, such as building up and leveling the asphalt- yes, that should be a simpler correction. But who will do that correction if it’s not reported?! And why isn’t it done correctly the first time (a regular pattern I’m noting)? After all, the sidewalks are integrated with the road- not a fringe item to care for some other time.
Now, about the smashed pumpkins in the middle of Broadway, here’s a story that alerted me to the importance of ensuring that the crosswalk is also usable by everyone: A woman was killed in Davis Square on Mother’s Day 2 years ago. It was claimed that she was not properly in the crosswalk when she was hit by the bus. As I heard the story, and I know this was just secondhand, she was very near the crosswalk and was visually impaired.
I don’t want you to take my word that this is an important issue. Just cross Broadway from the Weston St. curbcut, with a friend nearby, supervising your every step- with your eyes closed. No holding hands!
Then, please let me know if you think this crosswalk is perfectly safe for everyone just the way it is now? That would be a great story to post here on Somerville Voices blog.
Thanks, Jonathan!
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Three points:
1. I am generally opposed to busses running over people, but I’m not clear on how curb-cut design ties in with this issue, or what changes (in your Ward 7 examples)would make the new ones safer for the blind.
2. When a new building goes up, the building inspectors have enforcing authority for access and other regulations. Is there a parallel authority for road work?
3. My intent in writing was to open the floor to some thinking about what one might do to make at least new construction more fully accessible.
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1. Correct curb cut design will lead into correct crosswalks. The pedestrian path is therefore safe for all to cross the street.
2. If the building inspector isn’t knowledgeable about the building regulations, we have a problem.
3. For new municipal construction to be fully accessible, we need administration to care about hiring qualified staff.
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