Boardwalks may be a cheap alternative to insuring ADA
compliance on trails in wilderness areas.
“Boardwalks are the
soft ballads of the pedestrian's world, offering an airy counterpoint to the
rough free verse of gravel trails and brittle formality of concrete sidewalks.
Their wooden planks, or synthetic lookalikes, invite all who tread or roll upon
them to pause and enjoy their measured eloquence, to peek between the cracks
that separate them, to count the plunks that mark their presence underfoot.
The enticing
promenades are relatively rare in Colorado, which lacks the sandy beaches and
coastal marshes that call for off-the-ground construction in seaboard states.
But thanks to the federal law requiring that public places be accessible to
wheelchair users, plus rising interest in wetlands that can only be reached via
elevated pathways, the linear platforms are springing up more often these days.
"Boardwalks are
an excellent example of what is now being called universal design," said
Carol
Hunter, a professor of architectural design at the University of Colorado
and director of a nonprofit research group called Partners for Access to the
Woods (PAW). "They meet the needs of wheelchairs, but also accommodate
baby carriages without any added features. I think that's why they're
growing."- By Jack Cox, Denver Post
Read the entire article here: http://www.americantrails.org/resources/structures/BuildBoardwalks.html
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USFS and Universal Design
“The U.S. Forest
Service strongly supports the need for accessibility guidelines that
specifically address developed outdoor areas. People recreating on the National
Forest System (NFS) lands are looking for a range of opportunities, from highly
developed areas with paving and hot showers, to remote areas where there is
little to no infrastructure. Guidelines are needed to ensure accessibility is
maximized where possible, without changing the outdoor recreation experience
and the natural environment.
The Forest Service has
significant experience integrating accessibility into the construction and
alteration of outdoor recreation areas. In 1993, universal design of outdoor
recreation facilities became the policy of the Forest Service.
193 million acres of
the NFS receive over 178 million visits each year. Through our National Visitor
Use Monitoring program, we know 7.7 percent of groups that visit National
Forests and Grasslands include at least one person who has a disability. Of
those groups, 77.7 percent say they have found Forest Service facilities to be
accessible.
We believe this excellent statistic, which we strive to continually
improve, is the direct result of our universal design policy.” JAMES S. BEDWELL- Director of Recreation
and Heritage Resources- U.S. Forest Service
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Previous accessibility standards such as the Americans with
Disabilities Act address the built environment, "the bricks and
mortar." These guidelines do not transfer well to the natural environment.
The built environment is open to manipulation. For example, if there is a hill
where someone wants to build the parking lot for a store, then a bulldozer is
used to level the area.
In contrast, the natural environment includes factors,
such as the weather, that are out of human control. The natural environment is
part of the experience people wish to enjoy on a trail. An accessible trail is a trail that is
accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. Accessible trails are
identified as meeting minimum guidelines established by the U. S. Access Board.
The Access Board is the Federal agency responsible for creating guidelines and
standards for accessible environments.
Many facilities are
now considering, if not already implementing, paved surfaces and boardwalks for
at least a portion of their trails in order to allow disabled persons access to
trails and wilderness. These ADA trails are also favored by parents who use
strollers and people who desire a firmer walking surface. The attraction is
similar to that of a curb that is lowered into a ramp at the crosswalk- people
prefer the path of least resistance.
Boardwalks and paved walkways will not
ever make it deep into the wilderness; in fact the presence of a paved path
disqualifies the area from being defined as wilderness.
There are “Rough County” options for the disabled that truly
seek the wilderness. One such device is similar to a beach wheelchair, with
high flotation tires and tall ground clearance. Other options involve volunteer
guides that help assist disabled hikers step by step. One such group helped a
group of blind amputees climb the vertical face of a mountain, miles from the
trailhead.
“Boardwalks are loved
for their form as well as their function. While dirt pathways may be mere
routes of passage, the elongated decks can be seen as destinations in
themselves-- places to linger, to loiter, to savor the simple textures of the
outdoors.”-Jack Cox
For those that study boardwalks, the innovation of
implementing these remote promenades is a welcome addition to style and type of
structure. For those that enjoy the beauty of the outdoors from a raised
walkway, the increased number of boardwalks gives them reason to smile. For the
disabled, it allows them into areas the rest of us already enjoy.
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