Sidewalks, street crossings, and other elements of the public rights-of-ways present unique challenges to accessibility for which specific guidance is considered essential. The Board is developing new guidelines for public rights-of-way that will address various issues, including access for blind pedestrians at street crossings, wheelchair access to on-street parking, and various constraints posed by space limitations, roadway design practices, slope, and terrain. The new guidelines will cover pedestrian access to sidewalks and streets, including crosswalks, curb ramps, street furnishings, pedestrian signals, parking, and other components of public rights-of-way. The Board had developed a draft set of guidelines based on recommendations from an advisory committee it had chartered. The Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee was comprised of representatives from disability organizations, public works departments, transportation and traffic engineering groups, the design and civil engineering professions, government agencies, and standards-setting bodies. The draft guidelines are being revised based on the input received from the public and will be available for public comment once published.
The Board has developed information to provide a source of guidance on various aspects of accessible public rights-of-way until its guidelines are completed. This information includes:
Information on detectable warnings and accessible pedestrian signals is also available from Accessible Design for the Blind and www.walkinginfo.org.
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION (FHWA) POLICY AND GUIDANCE
phone: (202) 272-0025 (voice) or (202) 272-0082 (TTY)
e-mail: row@access-board.gov
fax: (202) 272-0081
OTHER RESOURCES