I put my arm down on the sidewalk to get a rough measurement: wall to curb = fingertip to shoulder = about 28". Why even bother with a sidewalk that narrow? Apparently the designers decided they wouldn't and completely eliminated the sidewalk on this section between Meridian and Illinois:
What do you think about these decisions?
7 comments:
Since the Cultural Trail occupies the entire right-of-way in that stretch, sidewalks shouldn't be necessary. It looks like they put in a token sidewalk in areas where there is an adjacent building in order to provide some separation between the vehicle lane and people entering and exiting the building. Other than that, I think the decision to exclude sidewalks is correct.
I have to disagree. When the Cultural Trail is immediately adjacent to a building, it IS the sidewalk. But because the Cultural Trail in this section is on a raised median, with a major art installation and vegetation all around it, it should NOT be considered a substitute for normal, functional sidewalks at the edges of the street. Could you imagine being in a wheelchair and trying to navigate this sidewalk?
Design decisions like this should not be made based on the current usage of adjacent land. The elimination of the sidewalk around the corner from Meridian is unacceptable.
I gotta admit, this stretch of the Cultural Trail doesn't look nearly as good as the completed one on Alabama Street. Perhaps it's a different contractor or maybe it's because the street is so damn narrow?
Just so we're on the same page: the brick you see is for the vehicle lanes, not the Cultural Trail. In fact, only one block of Cultural Trail brick has been laid on the North Corridor -- Meridian from Walnut to St. Clair. Everything else has been curb, gutter, road bed and sidewalk work so far.
I think the brick road surfaces have turned out quite nicely so far. Obviously, though, I have a beef with these sidewalks. We'll see how the rest of this corridor turns out.
ummm..... there is this awesome thing called ADA.
http://www.access-board.gov/prowac/guide/figure1.htm
why is no one checking on these things. the min. forward passage width is 32"
Thanks Alan. I almost wrote something about ADA compliance but chose to stay out of it.
But since you brought it up: ADA regulations say that a sidewalk must be 32" minimum width.....for a max of 24" length. Then it has to be 36" width for the next 48" length. Even if my rough measurement is off and this IS 32" wide, it's clearly far longer than 24". And while my rough measurement could be off, I can say without a doubt that this is not 36" width.
In isolation, this sidewalk is clearly a violation of ADA. The only thing I can think (and I'm no expert) is that the Cultural Trail somehow qualifies as an acceptable alternative route. Otherwise, they're in for a lawsuit.
Is there a matching curb cut in the center median across from the second picture (out of the picture to the right)? If so, then it's probably an ADA-compliant system.
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