Detectable Warning Surface Curb Cuts

By Bruce Woolner

The advent of the detectable warning surface and curb cuts are just the most recent development in the progression towards a more accessible environment. Not too long ago our cities and towns were set up to accommodate only the majority of the people who lived there. Since the civil rights and women’s movements and various other initiatives we have made an effort to try to accommodate all the individuals in our society, as opposed to just the majority. More recently the disabled are a group who has gained access to areas of our cities where previously they were unable to go. When we think of this type of legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Architectural Barriers Act, we think of individuals who are not as mobile, like those in wheelchairs or using crutches. Other disabilities require different aspects of the environment to be changed, such as those with hearing or visual disabilities. The premise is obviously that everyone should be able to access the city streets, sidewalks, public spaces, buildings and transportation as well as commercial buildings and housing.

Initially the sidewalk or pedestrian way is elevated from the adjacent roadway or vehicular way. In order to make the sidewalk accessible to those in wheelchairs, we have created curb ramps at the end of the sidewalk. For those who are visually impaired, the ramps created a problem because in the past they could use the drop at the curb to indicate where the sidewalk ended. Now they could walk from the sidewalk down the ramp into the street without knowing it. This has led to the use of detectable warnings on the ramp surface to replace the curb where it has been cut to warn people that they are entering a vehicular way.

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