"Over the roar of traffic, Krystal shared her story: forced from her apartment when the landlord stopped taking Section 8, she began a nearly impossible hunt for a place that was affordable, wheelchair accessible, and near transit. She finally found an apartment with a bus stop nearby, but the path to the stop included traversing a 100-yard mud pit. She would often get stuck in her wheelchair just trying to reach the bus."
"Krystal's experience is not unique. Ask any disabled nondriver, especially a wheelchair user, about the condition of their communities' pedestrian infrastructure, and I guarantee you will hear similar horror stories. Inaccessible sidewalks mean that people walking and rolling end up in the street with vehicles, a contributing factor in pedestrian deaths. Research by the University of Central Florida and the Florida DOT in 2022 reveals that the absence of a sidewalk can increase the risk of a pedestrian crash by 67%."
A disabled advocate faced repeated barriers when seeking affordable, wheelchair-accessible housing near transit, including a 100-yard mud pit that trapped her wheelchair en route to a bus stop. Sidewalks across her city ended in gravel, vanished, or were too broken to use, repeatedly leaving disabled nondrivers stranded. Inaccessible pedestrian infrastructure forces people walking and rolling into streets alongside vehicles, contributing to pedestrian deaths. Research from the University of Central Florida and the Florida DOT found that lacking a sidewalk can increase pedestrian crash risk by 67%. Addressing these gaps requires political will, substantial funding, and legal frameworks to ensure accessible upgrades.
Read at Streetsblog
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