mark handler
SAWHORSE
Making sidewalks more accessible to disabled
Donald Kostelec, Asheville North Carolina • October 31, 2010
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20101031/OPINION02/101029027/1007/COLUMNISTS
Asheville's efforts to use federal stimulus funds to upgrade pedestrian facilities should be commended not only for creating more walkable environments, but for underlying efforts to help make those new sidewalks more accessible to persons with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates access for everyone to public facilities, and 2010 marks its 20th anniversary. Cities in North Carolina are at a disadvantage in designing and constructing sidewalks, wheelchair ramps and pedestrian signals, as state-mandated design standards are not compliant with ADA.
NCDOT controls many of the design specifications for pedestrian facilities and has tried to require Asheville to follow substandard design policies. The city's transportation and engineering staffs have diligently tried to design their new sidewalks to meet the federal standards, including seeking consultation from myself and other local professionals who regularly work on ADA compliance issues.
As a result, many of the projects built through the city's stimulus funds contain features that meet ADA requirements, despite the push back from NCDOT. The community and City Council should continue to support staff in designing projects that meet the mobility needs for everyone and do not follow state design policies that are noncompliant with prevailing federal policies
Donald Kostelec, Asheville North Carolina • October 31, 2010
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20101031/OPINION02/101029027/1007/COLUMNISTS
Asheville's efforts to use federal stimulus funds to upgrade pedestrian facilities should be commended not only for creating more walkable environments, but for underlying efforts to help make those new sidewalks more accessible to persons with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates access for everyone to public facilities, and 2010 marks its 20th anniversary. Cities in North Carolina are at a disadvantage in designing and constructing sidewalks, wheelchair ramps and pedestrian signals, as state-mandated design standards are not compliant with ADA.
NCDOT controls many of the design specifications for pedestrian facilities and has tried to require Asheville to follow substandard design policies. The city's transportation and engineering staffs have diligently tried to design their new sidewalks to meet the federal standards, including seeking consultation from myself and other local professionals who regularly work on ADA compliance issues.
As a result, many of the projects built through the city's stimulus funds contain features that meet ADA requirements, despite the push back from NCDOT. The community and City Council should continue to support staff in designing projects that meet the mobility needs for everyone and do not follow state design policies that are noncompliant with prevailing federal policies