Sacramento ramps up accessibility of sidewalks, streets

From the Sacramento Bee in California:

They say you can't fight City Hall.

Jean Riker (pictured) didn't have to. City Hall was in her corner.

"It was wonderful that they responded almost instantly," said Riker. "They have adhered to the Barden settlement."

Barden v. Sacramento, in 2003, was a landmark case for people with disabilities. It made the city a national leader in ridding neighborhoods of steep curbs and narrow sidewalks.

Five years later, 5,900 new sidewalk curb ramps line Sacramento streets. More than $37 million has been spent on accessibility improvements for the disabled.

Until City Hall came to Riker's rescue, negotiating a certain Oak Park intersection to reach a bus stop was dangerous and frustrating.

Riker, who has used a wheelchair since an operation for a brain tumor, was blocked by curbs that made it difficult to cross Broadway at Alhambra Boulevard.

Because the intersection curbs were too steep, she was forced to go through a gas station parking lot, ride in the street and use a parking lot driveway to get to the bus stop.

So she called City Hall.

Led by Rocky Burks, the physical access manager for the city Department of Transportation, the city spent $125,000 to bring the intersection within reach of the blind and people in wheelchairs. Concrete curbs were torn up and at least 10 intersection spots modified. Ramps were installed, replacing the sudden curb drop-offs.

In addition, knobby yellow mats were installed on the ramps to let the visually impaired know when they approached traffic.

Nine initial plaintiffs, represented by Disability Rights Advocates of Berkeley, sued Sacramento 10 years ago, saying the city was not complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The city petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling requiring the city to make sidewalks accessible to disabled people by moving such obstacles as bus benches and utility poles.

The precedent-setting national test of whether the 1990 federal ADA applied to sidewalks was closely watched around the country.

Settlement was reached in 2003, calling for the city to spend 20 percent of its transportation funds for the following 30 years on sidewalk and curb ramp improvements.

Today, the city is a leader in making sidewalks easier to navigate. Other jurisdictions call Burks for advice.

The activist group that brought the suit credits the city for not shirking its responsibility.

"The city has done an excellent job," said Melissa Kasnitz, an attorney for the Sacramento residents who brought the case. "We are very pleased with its compliance."

In addition to curb cuts, she said that the city is also a leader in the installation of detectable warning mats for people with poor, or no, vision. They can see the yellow and feel the bumps, letting them know they are crossing from the relative safety of the sidewalk into the traffic area. Yellow is the last color humans lose as eyesight diminishes, expert Burks said.

Jeff Thom, a party in the Barden suit, said there have been many improvements. But he said there is a long way to go.

He said there are still hazardous downtown corners where a blind person could easily walk right out into the street.

"Nothing is perfect, but the city has certainly gone a long way from the position they were taking back in the early years," Thom said.

The city has looked at intersections surrounding the state Capitol to determine where curb ramps need to be installed. That curb ramp work could begin early this year, weather permitting.

Burks, the city's physical access manager, said with 27,000 street corners, the city is not likely to run out of work anytime soon.

"The future holds a much more inviting infrastructure for people to participate," he said.