Bad Design Style: Case #28

The picture above pretty much explains everything, a grate with openings that are too big. So big that the front wheels of a manual wheelchair can fall in and get stuck. This one is located in a street which usually means the grate opens can be bigger. However this one is located at a crosswalk and in the path of travel. Unfortunately there are still some places where grates with big openings are still in sidewalks. Usually these are located in older areas where the original grates haven’t been changed out for some reason (even though they should have been replaced by now). Or around trees planted along the sidewalk to let water into the roots.

ADA code states that grate openings in a path of travel cannot have openings where a sphere larger than 1/2″ can pass through. Also if the openings are elongated, they must run perpendicular to the dominant direction of travel. So let’s make sure these old grates get replaced and we don’t get stuck in the past.