Bad Design Style: Case #29

I’ll admit that I’ve never been a big fan of modular “temporary” ramps. Without solid concrete footings I always felt uneasy about their long term structural integrity. Although their are some circumstances where they can be a good and cost effective alternative. With that said, the modular ramp pictured above has some flaws.

First you’ll notice the bottom of the ramp has not side guards or edge protection to prevent drop offs. Granted the height of the drop isn’t significant, but still an avoidable situation. Second that landing at the turn doesn’t look to be a big enough. ADA calls for a minimum 5ft x 5ft landing at 90° turns for ramps. This one looks to be 4ft x 4ft at the most. So a standard wheelchair would have difficulty making this turn. A larger wheelchair or one one with the legs extended might not be able to make this turn at all. And that could be a turn for the worst.