Jackson, Miss., passes controversial ordinance so wheelchairs in the streets must have reflectors or flags

From The Clarion Ledger in Mississippi:

It's tough getting around Jackson in a wheelchair. Sidewalks, where they exist, often are cracked and curbs inaccessible.

But Scott Crawford, a disabled advocate who is in a wheelchair, said many who are disabled have to take their chairs to the streets - or they wouldn't be able to get around otherwise.

"I risked my life Saturday to get to the Hawkins Field airshow," Crawford said. "The question is: 'Are there alternatives?' Without accessible sidewalks, we don't have anything."

Jackson's lack of compliance with federal disability laws is a sore point in the disabled community. A coalition of disabled citizens filed a lawsuit in federal court last year to force the city to comply with the Americans with Disability Act in providing disabled access to the city's system of public transit.

Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes is advocating for a new law requiring wheelchairs to be outfitted with reflective tape, a warning flag or an electric lamp with the red light when operating on a city street after sunset.

"There are no fines, no money associated with it," Stokes said Thursday in a meeting of the City Council Planning Committee. "It's just for safety."

The committee passed his idea 4-0, but not before getting an earful. The disabled community is concerned that the idea could prompt run-ins with police.

"We don't want to create a situation where people in wheelchairs are being harassed by police officers," Crawford told committee members.

Stokes said the issue came up last month when constituent Lee Eubanks told him he narrowly missed hitting a person traveling on Terry Road after dark. In March, James Smith, 68, was struck and killed by an SUV as he rode his motorized wheelchair along Medgar Evers Boulevard.

Eubanks attended the committee meeting carrying a red flag on a telescoping fiberglass pole as an example of what could help motorists avoid colliding with wheelchairs.

"I just want to be able to see people," Eubanks said. "That's all."

Crawford, who has a bright yellow T-shirt pulled over the back of his motorized chair, said flags are not practical.