Walking home one evening, Bernard Vinther followed his guide dog into a signalized intersection. A car hit him and his dog, inuring him and killing his dog. The intersection is lit by a streetlight but has no painted crosswalks and no safe crossing cues for blind pedestrians.
Incomplete streets impede livability
Streets in our communities must allow safe and comfortable travel for everyone, including people with disabilities. Yet, they often are difficult to navigate for people who use wheelchairs, have diminished vision, can’t hear well, or for people who move more slowly. Nearly one in five Americans face at least one of these challenges.
Incomplete streets do not provide for pedestrians of all abilities and are thus a constant source of frustration and danger for people with disabilities. Along incomplete streets, unpaved surfaces and disconnected, narrow, or deteriorated sidewalks discourage wheelchair travel – and the lack of a curb ramp can force a pedestrian into the street. Wide intersections designed to quickly move motorized traffic may not provide enough time for someone with a disability to cross safely. Pedestrian signals that use only visual cues can lead to dangerous situations for those with low vision. A recent study found that blind pedestrians waited three times longer to cross the street, and made many more dangerous crossings than sighted pedestrians.
Planting a bus stop sign in a patch of grass may not trigger other site improvements, but without sidewalks and necessary curb cuts, these stops are inaccessible and an uncomfortable place to wait for everyone. In Houston, sidewalks are absent between home and the nearest bus stop for three out of five residents with disabilities and older adults; nearly three-quarters said streets near their homes also lack curb ramps and bus shelters. As a result, fewer than 10% of them use public transportation, even though 50% live within two blocks of a bus stop. Many people with disabilities may prefer to use fixed route transit, but a street network that does not account for their needs forces them to use more costly paratransit service.
Complete streets remove barriers
Streets that are truly “complete” provide all of us with a choice of mobility options. They allow everyone to travel to and from work, school, and other destinations with the same level of safety and convenience, whether or not they have mobility, vision, or cognitive disabilities. Complete streets also help people who are coping with temporary disabilities as well as those pushing strollers, pulling wheeled luggage, or managing large packages.
Complete streets policies provide flexibility to transportation professionals and give them room to be creative in developing solutions that promote accessible travel. Operating under a policy can prompt a deeper analysis and encourage them to work with community members with disabilities. In roadway design, complete streets means attention to details at intersections, such as installing curb ramps, audible or tactile signals for blind pedestrians, and/or providing longer crossing times; along pedestrian routes by providing smooth sidewalks free of obstacles, with usable benches; and at transit stops with ample space to approach, wait, and board safely.
Complete streets policies remove barriers to independent travel by considering the needs of all users at the outset of every transportation project. Providing transportation choices for everyone, including those with disabilities, improves livability by connecting citizens to their community and by reducing dependence on more costly alternatives, such as paratransit or private transportation service.
For detailed guidance, please see the Revised Draft Guidelines for Accessible Public Rights-of-Way from the U.S. Access board.
[all citations are available in the downloadable files]
Additional Resources:
Including People with Disabilities in Coordinated Transportation Plans (.pdf)
Easter Seals Project Action
Blind Pedestrians Access to Roundabouts and Other Complex Intersections
Institute for Transportation Research and Education
Building Livable Communities Through Increased Pedestrian Access (webinar materials and transcripts available)
Easter Seals Project ACTION
Guidelines for Accessible Pedestrian Signals
University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, 2009
Common Problems Arising in the Installation of Accessible Pedestrian Signals
U.S. Access Board, 2009
Aging and Disability: Implications for the Housing Industry and Housing Policy in the United States
Stanley K. Smith, Stefan Rayer, and Eleanor A. Smith, 2008
Accessible Public Rights-of-Way Planning and Design for Alterations
Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee, 2007
Visual Detection of Detectable Warning Materials by Pedestrians with Visual Impairments
U.S. Access Board, 2006
Universal Design & Accessible Transit Systems: Facts to Consider When Updating or Expanding Your Transit System (.pdf)
Easter Seals Project Action and the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Accessible Public Transportation
Housing Quality Among the Elderly: A Decade of Changes
J.I. Gilderbloom and J.P. Markham, International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 1998
