Handicapped parking at inaccessible businesses...Huh?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
41

Look, all I said is “many” with disabilities requiring use of handicapped parking would also find such an obstacle (an unusually high step in front of an entrance) potentially unsafe and not easy. Of course (of course) many other disabilities would be unaffected by such an obstacle.

And having a grandfather clause doesn’t mean you can’t have an accessible entrance, it just means you aren’t required to. A small ramp wouldn’t have been an issue for the entrance; the grandfather clause (I’m sure) was more about the accessibility issues inside the facility; like I said, I also had to go down a flight of stairs once inside.

And none of this was even a complaint, not really. It was an observation that, on the surface, the situation seemed absurd. Handicapped parking for a certain subset of physical disabilities; that’s a first in my book.

42

I have a friend who owns an 1820ish sea captains house on Cape Cod that has a back servant’s stair that is 2 feet wide and is damned near a ladder - I couldn’t use the stairwell comfortably before I needed a cane, the steps were narrow front to back, 6 inches and the treads were around 11 inches. The whole stairwell was barely larger than a normal closet. The builder really didn’t want to take up any space giving the servants a stairwell! The stairwell in the front hall for the family and guests was much more normal - 5 feet wide, and treads were about 8 inches, and the boards making the stairs was at least 12 inches front to back. Much easier to climb!

43

Is this building a Y by any chance? Because I have worked out and taught at various Ys in my city and they are all just–I don’t even know why they built them that way. Most of the ones I go to are pretty old, the original one is in an 1890s building, the one near my house was probably built in the 50s. But there is a very new one that has the same features. It kind of goes like this: You get there and you have to walk up half a flight of stairs to get in the door. Then you are on a main level. You have to go down four steps to get to the gym, you have to go up four steps to get to the weight room. To get to the locker rooms next to the pool you go down a whole flight of stairs. (There is an elevator–once you’ve gotten in the building.) From the locker room, you go down a hall, and up three steps into the pool room. It’s insane.

They have a pool hoist in there for handicapped swimmers. Never saw anyone use it. Swimming is a great thing, and the pool is heated quite warmly because there’s an arthritis class several days a week.

Now the weird thing is there are quite a few handicapped spots, but the ramp is on the opposite side of the building from those spots. There is a door by the HC spots that goes right into the gym, and this door is never unlocked. ???

In the newer one the ramp is actually close to the HC spots, but it is a long, long ramp. I don’t get what the problem was with people walking directly into the building. There is a lower floor. Why not put the door there? And the newer one basically has a lot of those same features–a few steps here, a few steps there, very split level.

Also, I have to say that in the Y closest to my house, not only are there stairs, but they are the worst kind of stairs. They slope down, probably for drainage, and they’ve put this stuff on them that makes them very slippery when wet. If you push the button for the doors to open automatically you have to kind of step backwards so the door doesn’t hit you. Then there are two sets of doors that open the same way, which is awkward. It’s really not all that friendly even if you’re not handicapped (but it is cheap, and it’s close.)

(Oh, and the men’s dressing room opens directly to the pool, but the women’s is upstairs and you have to go through the shower and then walk down a flight of wet stairs. Or if you can’t handle stairs, then you can walk through the lobby in your dripping swimsuit and take the elevator down to the pool, and then reverse it in your dripping swimsuit on the way back.)

There is another place quite near that is about the same age but did it right. No step required to enter. There is a second floor but there’s an elevator, and only the two stories, no interim steps. No pool though.

44

Handicapped parking spots don’t always make much sense. I recall one time taking my grandmother to a store. Handicapped parking right in front of the store. Looked and looked for a ramp. She used a walker and steps could be dangerous. I finally went inside and asked. The wheelchair access was in the back and a different parking lot. :smack:

The people implementing the ADA aren’t necessary that versed in the needs of the handicapped. They just follow whatever rules they are given.

45

It’s a workout just to get into the place!

I’ve encountered a few problem places, too. While some places are very good at putting curb cuts or ramps in front of the striped area designating the wheelchair access zone, others require that a customer hike half a block to get to a ramp. It’s like the designers think that everyone has a power chair with a heavy duty battery.

46

That’s a relic of the YMCA being all-male until the 70s.

47

Did you get banned yet?

48

For what?

49

That must be why the drive thru ATM always has braille buttons.

50

The handicapped spaces are required by law or code. They have to be there. They don’t have to be useful or make sense.

This is the norm for bicycle parking. New retailers are required to provide racks for securing bicycles. Most of them locate these poorly, often difficult to find when looking for them, and in low traffic areas which make the bikes vulnerable to theft or vandalism. They are usually up against a wall, allowing access from only one side, so only half as many bikes can be parked. They are usually poor designs, the worst of which are likely to damage bikes. Often access is completely blocked by stored shopping carts or seasonal goods. But, hey, they complied with the law, so it must be fine, right?

51

Cars can have passengers.

52

Well, to use a drive thru ATM you pretty much have to be in the driver’s seat, as the passenger side won’t line up with the ATM unless you’re coming in the wrong way, and back seat windows often don’t open all the way (if at all) so you’d be unable to reach from the car and instead have to get out, at which point, you have no reason to be using a drive thru ATM instead of a walk up.

I’m sure it’s really just more they don’t want to manufacture more than one type of pad at a time, but it’s still pretty funny seeing braille on something you have to be driving to use.

53

Or unless the passenger ( blind or not) is in the back seat of a cab.