The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) established clear protections from discrimination from people with disabilities and set clear requirements for making public facilities accessible to all. But while ADA rules revolutionized access to and within public buildings, they didn’t include detailed guidance for making our streets and sidewalks easy for people of all abilities to navigate. The U.S. Access Board worked for over two decades to develop the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) that standardize accessibility features across public rights-of-way. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation officially proposed a rule to adopt the guidelines. 

From standards around curb ramps and detectable warning surfaces to accessible pedestrian signals and street furniture, PROWAG will not only improve the daily lives of millions of Americans with disabilities, but will also contribute to creating more livable, walkable communities that benefit everyone. While many cities have used draft PROWAG rules as best practices for street design, adopting the guidelines officially will make these standards requirements. 

Last month, NACTO submitted comments to U.S. DOT on the proposed rule. Our comments, which reflect the experience of our member cities, recommend that the department adopt PROWAG without modification. 

Read the full letter >>

As part of this rulemaking, U.S. DOT proposed prohibiting bus stops where the boarding and alighting area overlapped with vehicular lanes, including bike lanes. While typically not a first choice for design, many NACTO members expressed a need to have this option on streets with limited space. As a relatively new tool, and one where designs continue to evolve to better meet the needs of all, our comments requested that U.S. DOT instead collaborate with researchers, practitioners, and the disability community to address concerns about shared boarding and alighting areas at transit stops. (Read the letter for more details!) 

(Read the letter for more details!) 

NACTO and our member cities applaud U.S. DOT for its leadership in advancing accessibility and have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to issue its own rulemaking for PROWAG. (Both departments must adopt PROWAG before its guidelines become fully enforceable.) These guidelines will help public agencies ensure that people with disabilities can navigate our communities with greater ease and independence. 

We look forward to collaborating in future research and developing new design standards that bring us closer to universal accessibility.

Read the full letter >>

Thumbnail image via Oregon Department of Transportation, Flickr