When the Sidewalk Ends: An Experience Edition

The other day, I was on a walk with my mom. We were on our way home and decided to venture from our usual route and travel a different path. The way we went did shave about five minutes off our travel time, but we ran into a glitch that would prevent me from traveling this route on my own. We were traveling along just fine, excited that we had found a new, faster way. A couple overgrown blackberry bushes stuck out into the sidewalk, but as a Western Washington resident I am used to this and they did not stand in my way. I am thankful that I have solid tires as the pesky thorns on these bushes may have otherwise stopped me in my tracks.

A little ways past the blackberry bushes, the side walk came to an end; there was no way for me to exit the sidewalk to cross the street. I had traveled multiple blocks that did not have any cross streets (which would potentially prove a previous curb cut) nor any driveways (which would provide another means of exiting the sidewalk). I did not have the desire to backtrack multiple blocks back to the point where I had decided to take the shorter -- but unknown -- route. I am thankful my mom was with me and able to assist me down the curb on one side of the street and back up again on the other side. If she had not been there, I would have had to backtrack defeating the purpose of taking a shortcut.

Coming to the end of the sidewalk. While facing the curb, to the right there is grass, to the left is the road. 

The curb across the street that blocks me from taking the shortcut from High to Garden. There is a trail that heads down a slight hill, cuts through some trees, and leads to the road below. 

I am not writing this to encourage anyone to take pity on me. I am writing this to inform the population that the lack of a curb cut can mess up an otherwise perfectly good pathway. Just because the typical person who walks this pathway can access a pathway does not mean every person can. This should not be the case; if there is a pathway that is open to the public, it should be open to all members of the public. It is frustrating that something such as simple as a curb can send me out of my way in order to access the same destination as anyone else.

When I was on this particular walk, I could see where I needed to go, but without someone physically able to help me, I could not get there. I do not understand why this is the case, when two or three blocks away perfectly good curb cuts were being updated. Sure, follow the law and update the old curb cuts that have to be updated as there are currently curb cuts that are terrible; however, a terrible one is better than there not being one at all. It is more important for places lacking a curb cut all together to be updated before a place with an existing curb cut to be replaced. People who cannot step on or off a curb can enter or exit a sidewalk if a curb cut exits, but their paths are completely blocked when there is not a curb cut at all.