We applaud TX DOT for launching construction projects to make sidewalks ADA-compliant.

We have added this article to our blog to stress an important point. 

The goal of the construction, of course, is an ADA-compliant sidewalk. 

However, the contractors have installed non-ADA-compliant barricades to close the sidewalk itself.   

Nor do we see, admittedly from the limited perspective of the photograph, an alternate, or temporary pedestrian access route, (TPAR) which is also an ADA requirement.

We manufacture SafetyRail, an ADA-compliant pedestrian barricade that contractors can use for both the sidewalk closure barricade, and the TPAR device, to guide pedestrians safely through the work zone.   

Please visit the main site, or www.adabarricade.com, for more information about SafetyRail.

Forcing a mother, pushing a baby stroller no less, and her children into the street seems a little dangerous, don’t you think?

We don’t believe that the work zone described here would meet ADA requirements, which mandate that contractors must provide safe pedestrian access routes (PAR) through construction work zones.  If contractors cannot use an existing route, they must provide a temporary pedestrian access route (TPAR).

That said, contractors must use ADA-compliant temporary traffic control devices, or TPAR devices, to provide safe, continuous guidance through the work zone.

We manufacture and market SafetyRail Pedestrian Barricade, an ADA-compliant TPAR device. For more information, please visit www.adabarricade.com, and download our SafetyRail Product & Compliance Guide.

From the article: 

“Sixty-nine citations for violation of a traffic control device have already been issued…[f]ifty -nine of the charges will be dropped, according to the city prosecutor’s office.”

And why is that?  “Of those 69 citations, a large majority of them are going to be dismissed because of improper marking in the construction zone,” [Lt. Tony] Hetrick [Bowling Green PD] said. “It wasn’t as secured as it maybe should have been.”

We notice, at least in this picture, among other issues, there is no temporary pedestrian access route (TPAR).

Read the entire article here.

From the link: 

“Neighbors in a Pittsburgh neighborhood said they are unhappy with a man’s sidewalk construction that forces people to walk in the street.”

At the link, you’ll see a local news video from WPXI.  It’s only 1:44, and worth the time, as you’ll see a classic, and dangerous, non-ADA-compliant sidewalk closure.

“Sixty miles of streets will be redesigned annually, 1,500 intersections will get countdown clocks and the number of slow-traffic zones around schools will triple as part of a new city push to reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths caused by automobiles.”

Read the entire article here.

“Nearly five years after a federal judge ordered the City of Detroit to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by installing curb ramps at intersections, several streets still have not been fitted with properly constructed access ramps.”

We would think most major cities would be well beyond this.  

Read the entire article here.

This seems like a pretty cool idea:  a web site at which citizens can submit community problems, and then track their resolution. 

Here’s a good example, from www.seeclickfix.com:

“Construction fence blocking sidewalk. Sidewalk torn up and uneven – impassable using stroller or wheelchair. Work on the building is sporadic at best – how long can people simply leave fence blocking our walkways? 2100 St Albans St,Philadelphia,PA 19146,USA”

See the entire process, or look for your town, here.

Example 3 today, of potentially dangerous sidewalk work zones, this one in Lexington, KY.

The article notes that the sidewalks will be ADA-Compliant upon completion. But, we will continue to point out, ad infinitum: why not during?

Read the whole article here.

With video, no less:  Worth Ave Construction, Palm Beach, FL, Day 37

At the :05 mark, you can see positive separation, as they’ve installed water barriers between the street and the sidewalk construction.  We’re not sure where the temporary pedestrian access route (TPAR) is here.  Maybe it’s between the water barriers and the construction. 

From 1:12 to the end, you will see signs for a TPAR, but that looks a little dangerous.  The last, lingering shot is of what we consider a dead-end, and no help for any pedestrian, whether they can see or not.  

Even with the technology of video, web site and digital pictures, we cannot state with certainty that there is any problem or danger to pedestrians at this construction site.   But it sure seems that way.

Read the whole article here. 

Take a look at the accompanying picture, above.  Seems perfectly safe, yes?  Well, no, it’s not so safe to those with limited vision, or without sight, we think.  Imagine tripping over a stake, or running into the wheelbarrow….

The other pic in the article shows the ubiquitous “bicycle barricade”. They’ve covered them, more for advertising purposes, we’ll wager, but the cover at least eliminates the bars as cane-snagging hazards. Not so much the barricade feet, though, which are prone to cause tripping or cane-snagging.

Here’s a great example of a dangerous sidewalk closure.  

No one developed or implemented a temporary pedestrian access route (TPAR) for this work zone.

This article is from a web site that covers a Brooklyn NY neighborhood.  We admire their graphics and layouts.