Mobility Justice Learning Series: Getting Familiar with Sidewalk Accessibility
Accessible sidewalks are a key piece of infrastructure for safer, more inclusive cities.
by BikePGH Staff Contributor, Catlyn Brooke, Events Manager
“Ideally, sidewalks provide a safe space for pedestrians, help interconnect mass transit services, and serve as unique public spaces for food, commerce, and leisure. Without accessible sidewalks and accessible transit, a city excludes where and how people can travel.”
While on a recent trip to Amsterdam, I noticed patterns in the sidewalk that I originally mistook as just decorative pavers. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the bumps and patterns embedded in the pavement were accessible infrastructure called tactile paving.
Tactile paving in Amsterdam. Source: Tim Haymore
I can only assume that I never noticed these before because 1) I use my car or bike far more often than I walk along the sidewalks, and 2) perhaps Pittsburgh doesn’t utilize tactile paving in such a widespread way throughout the city. (However, it can be found in the new Penn Circle infrastructure at Station + Euclid in East Liberty!) I have seen tactile paving in very particular places, like curb ramps or along a T-station stop, but not simply integrated into normal sidewalks.
Encountering tactile paving in this new environment got me thinking about other types of accessible sidewalk infrastructure that I don’t notice or take for granted. There are a few common elements to consider when thinking about sidewalk accessibility and safety for pedestrians with a variety of needs.
Tactile Paving
Tactile paving, or Tenji blocks, were invented in the 1960s by a Japanese inventor named Seiichi Miyake. The purpose of tactile pavement is to help vision impaired folks navigate public spaces, train stations, and stairs more easily through detectable guiding and warning sensory cues. Although tactile pavement was created in the 60s, it wasn’t commonly adopted in the US until the 1990s when the Americans With Disabilities Act was passed.
Tactile paving is seen most often in crosswalks, the edges of train platforms, on curb cuts/ramps, at the edge of stairs, at the edge of emergency exits, on sidewalks leaning to and away from public transit stops, and in airports. The pavers can have a variety of textures and colors depending on what the pattern is trying to convey to the user. Bright colors are paired with tactile paving to increase contrast for people that have low vision and that might not use canes or other mobility tools.
Note the difference in textures of the pavers. Raised lines typically indicate either a warning to be cautious if crossing (such as from a sidewalk into a bike lane at the same level) OR they can be used to direct someone using a cane. The raised bumps (truncated domes) typically indicate a context change such as from sidewalk to street in a crosswalk. Source: Japan Up Close
Curb Ramps / Curb Cuts
In the 1940s, about 20 years prior to tactile paving, curb ramps were introduced in streetscape design to increase accessibility for folks in wheelchairs. Curb ramps have improved since their original design to include tactile paving and bright colors (typically yellow) to increase sensory cues for the transition between the sidewalk and entering a roadway. Today curb ramps are not only beneficial for wheelchair users, but also for pedestrians with strollers, workers pushing handcarts, kids on scooters, shoppers with carts, etc.
Keep in Mind: Although curb ramp design has improved over the years, we can see in the video below that not all curb ramps are created equal. The most effective and accessible ramps lead users in the direction they need to go, ie: into the crosswalk, not diagonally into the street.
Including pedestrian scale low-lighting to the streetscape serves a two-fold purpose. First, it increases visibility for all users, but especially for visually impaired users who may have difficulty seeing clearly in dim lighting. Higher visibility for pedestrians improves physical safety by illuminating varying sidewalk conditions and possible obstructions, while also increasing feelings of personal safety by casting light on their general surroundings and dark spots.
Lighting can also be taken a step further to specifically illuminate cross walks, which sheds light on pedestrians to approaching motorists. Better street lighting reduces nighttime pedestrian crashes and increases drivers’ awareness while passing pedestrians. A recent study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that “flashing beacons and crosswalk lighting made drivers 13 times more likely to yield to pedestrians.”
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)Source: Detas Group
Clear and well maintained sidewalks are accessible sidewalks. Here are some things to consider:
–Surface & Maintenance
Surface problems such as missing and broken pavers, gravel, and uneven heights are all issues that can affect how pedestrians get around safely. Near my home tree roots have created a particularly bad section of buckled sidewalk. Recently I passed a neighbor in a power chair who went around the section into the street stating, “my chair would never make it over that” as we passed each other.
–Snow & Ice
We are lucky enough now that the worst of Pittsburgh’s winter has passed for this year, but more winters are coming, and with that bring snow and ice. Sidewalks are essential for everyone, even if it means you are just walking from your front door to your car, or walking to grab a coffee before work. Snow and ice pose significant mobility challenges not just for getting from point A to point B, but also in terms of bodily safety in slippery conditions. Our friend and colleague, Christine, wrote a blog about this very subject: Read more here
–Cars & Obstacles
BikePGH has rallied for sidewalks free of cars and other obstacles in our “Protect Pedestrians” campaign. Parking on the sidewalk not only narrows or completely eliminates the walkway for pedestrians, but also causes damage to the sidewalks that can create surface problems later on. Often, when cars are parked on the sidewalk pedestrians are forced to walk in the street with passing vehicles to get where they are going.
“When a driver chooses to park on the sidewalk, it puts their neighbors in harm’s way,” said Eric Boerer, Advocacy Director of BikePGH. “By addressing the issue of sidewalk parking head-on, we can create a more accessible, walkable, and welcoming city.”
Now that you’re equipped with more knowledge of safe and accessible sidewalks, you can put all that you’ve learned towards the greater good! Here are a few ways to get involved in the movement for safer and more accessible sidewalks for all:
Talk to your friends and neighbors about the importance of accessible sidewalks by sharing this blog and resources above.
Look out for a program coming soon from the City of Pittsburgh asking residents to share information about the quality of sidewalks in their neighborhood to help identify where improvements are most needed.
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