Find YOUR path
Accessibility
What barriers prevent people - especially those with disabilities - from using a trail?
Understanding Accessibility Standards for paths and trails
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1. They are complex 2. They are confusing
3. There is one set of standards but many different types and levels of disability
We reference Universal Access (UA) standards across this site when describing all paths and trails used for walking and hiking. These based on the summary provided in Trails for All People (see right), with specific page references. These guidelines review issues related to accessibility on Universal Access Trails as well as Shared Use Paths. This is especially useful for those responsible for designing paths, because of the different regulations that apply under different circumstances.
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The summaries offered below are intended to orient users to general principles: those seeking to build universal access trails MUST rely on an experienced designer.
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1. UA Standards are complex
Grades​
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Running grades in the direction of travel (p. 30): Less than 12.5% for no more than 10'; Less than 10% for no more than 30'; less than 8.33" for less than 200' and 30% of the trail. Why? Many wheelchair user find steeper grades in the direction of travel impossible to navigate.
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Cross grades perpendicular to the direction of travel (p. 30): 5% maximum. Why? Many wheelchair user find it impossible to chart a straight course with steeper cross-grades.
Tread Surface (p. 31): Must be clear, firm, and stable. Why? Wheelchair users can quickly become stuck on a surface that is not firm (e.g., where their their wheels sink more than an inch). Users are more likely to slip and sink into a poorly drained surface.
Obstacles (p. 33) Must be 2" high maximum, and separated by 48". Why? Higher obstacles are more challenging for wheelchair users to surmount, and quickly become impossible when spaced around the same wheelbase as a wheelchair
Width (p. 31) Must be at least 36" at the tread. It can decrease to 32" around a specific obstacle. Why? A wheelchair user needs 36" to comfortably navigate, but can pass through a specific opening as little as 32" wide.
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The Whitely Farm Loop in White Clay Creek State Park is at least 36" wide, though it sometimes narrows by 1-2 inches to squeeze between trees. This is illustrated here with Margot's 32" wide special needs trailer barely squeezing through.
Other features (p. 32)
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Passing Spaces: At least 60" wide and 60"long, at least every 1000' for any trail less than 60" wide. Why? Two wheelchair users need 60" to pass each other comfortably.
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Resting Intervals: At least 60" long, at the top and bottom of segments that exceed 5%. Why? Resting intervals give wheelchair users a chance to catch their breath on sections that approach the maximum length/grade combinations listed earlier
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2. Standards referencing accessibility are confusing
There are different standards for Shared Use Paths and Universal Access Trails
The former (see. p. 63) must also accommodate cyclists and other users, and so are wider, have stricter requirements for grades, and are paved for other users (like those on roller-blades) - see the example of grades listed to the left. And standards for Shared Use Paths are also different when these are built in the public right-of-way.
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Trail builders must comply with accessibility standards only "to the extent practicable"
In practice, this means that Shared Use Paths and Universal Access Trails are permitted to exceed allowable grades because of the terrain, like in the example listed below. Note that those using only local or private funds to build these paths and trails have no obligation to adhere to accessibility standards, but any shared use path or universal access trail built on federal land or using federal dollars (including pass-through grants to states and counties) must strive to comply with these standards
CASE STUDY The descent from Alapocas Drive into Brandywine Park in the westernmost section of the Northern Delaware Greenway includes more than 160' of difficult downhill grades (up to 20%) that would make this uncomfortable for many cyclists and all but the most experienced wheelchair users. You can see this in the grades to the left, with each dot marking a 10' section, and dark blue indicating difficult downhill grades. Like many shared use paths, no resting intervals are provided.
Descriptors can sometimes be ambiguous
In practice, this means that paths might exceed allowable grades because of the terrain, like in the example listed below. Note that those using only local or private funds to build paths have no obligation to adhere to accessibility standards.
CASE STUDY The descent from Alapocas Drive into Brandywine Park in the westernmost section of the Northern Delaware Greenway includes more than 160' of difficult downhill grades (up to 20%) that would make this uncomfortable for many cyclists and all but the most experienced wheelchair users. You can see this in the grades to the left, with each dot marking a 10' section, and dark blue indicating difficult downhill grades. Like many shared use paths, no resting intervals are provided.
Are related facilities - and the routes to them - accessible?
Descriptions can be confusing - they do not always clearly specify if the path or trail meets accessibility standards
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3. There is one set of standards but many different types and levels of disability
forcu on physical barriers - not simply wheelchair users or those with canes, but even those recovering from surgery, pushing a stroller, those with other conditions that affect their strength and balance, and those whose cognitive or visual impairments make navigating the trail more difficult. This means that many people potentially benefit from trails that are accessible.....
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Many different people face many different kinds of barriers to using paths and trails