One of my friends commented on my last post and pointed out how the curb cut outs are not always alined with the crosswalks. She said that "If a blind person wanted to use a crosswalk but traveled in a straight line, they would end up in the middle of the intersection." This is true as the curb cutouts usually lead in a diagonal beeline cutting strait through an intersection. My friend asked me what kinds of changes would be necessary to better this situation for a handicapped individual.
Curb cutouts could definitely be improved for the safety of the disabled. One suggestion that I have is that every corner should have a curb cutout leading directly into each crosswalk/direction pedestrians cross the street. The curb cutouts on Chandler Street here in Bellingham are really good.
Another suggestion I have is for city planning. There is a law that states that when an area is upgraded/redone (like paving the street), everything needs to be upgraded. Last summer, Lakeway was repaved and perfectly good cub cutouts were redone. Even though the city was following the law, I feel like this was a huge waste of money as so many other places in Bellingham did not have adequate cutouts as well as some streets do not having any at all.
A third suggestion is when a person suggests that they are in danger, that the city should take that into an account. This situation could be a potential law suit. If a person is injured and has stated that they felt that they were in danger, the city could be liable.
It is not just blind people that are endangered by the inadequate curb cutouts. People who use wheelchairs stick out about three feet into the road when exiting a diagonally positioned curb cutout; this poses a possible accident. I've witnessed this scenario first hand. For about a second, it looks as if this person exiting the sidewalk, could be heading straight for the middle of the intersection. For a cautious driver, this would cause them to slam on their breaks even it the person in the wheelchair is intending to travel parallel to the car in the crosswalk. If the first car slams on their breaks a second car could potentially smash into the first car. The second car would probably have no idea why the first car stopped as by this time the person in the wheelchair would already be all the way in the crosswalk. This situation could also occur with a mom pushing a stroller, so it is not just disabled people who are endangered.
