Photo - wheelchair user at single diagonal curb cut (1581 bytes)

The problem with diagonal curb cuts.

A single diagonal curb cut is inferior to two perpendicular curb cuts. With two curb cuts, there is a separate curb cut lined up with each crosswalk. With a single diagonal curb cut, the curb cut is directed toward the center of the intersection. A wheelchair user waiting on the curb is not pointed toward either crosswalk. In order to line up with the crosswalk, the wheelchair user has to leave the curb and wait in the street. This is inherently dangerous.

Separate curb cuts for each and every crosswalk should be the universal standard!

Other interesting topics in Episode 35:

  • A bicycle compatibility index for city streets.
  • A newspaper editor left a legacy of pedestrian safety in Little Falls, Minnesota.
  • The Congress for the New Urbanism meets in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  • The European experience with traffic speed.
  • Gaps in the sidewalk system in Roseville, Minnesota.

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