For able-bodied people, going through a crosswalk is pretty simple: we get to the street, we wait to have the right-of-way, and then we cross.
For people who are not able-bodied, it is not necessarily that simple. Not only that, but there are actually a number of ways that crosswalk areas are problematic to people who are not able-bodied, and are therefore ableist:
- Some crosswalks don’t have long enough light cycles for the people crossing. There have been numerous times where even I, an able-bodied 24-year-old, struggled to cross a street before I lost the right-of-way. If even I struggle with crossing by the time I lose the right-of-way, the problem is even worse for people who are not swift on their feet.
- Some crosswalks don’t have any noise cues for people who are blind. Honestly, I’ve always asked myself how a blind person can possibly cross a street without being run over by a car. If this video is any indication, it is difficult at best to cross the street without sound cues. Yes, blind people often seem to rely on sound cues from cars on the street, but many crosswalks (including crosswalks in New York City) lack sound devices to inform blind people on when it is or is not safe to cross the street.
- Many crosswalks seem to have the pedestrian right-of-way mostly (or only) activated when a button is pushed to ask for a walk sign. However, from amputated arms to simply an old person struggling to get to that button the person needs to push, there are various reasons why the pedestrian right-of-way activation button is not easily accessible for many individuals.
- In many snowy areas, snow is often pushed to the side, to the curb and to…the crosswalks. And sadly, such snow is often not removed from these crosswalk areas. The result is that many street crossings are barely accessible to even able-bodied people like me, let alone those who are not able-bodied.
While crosswalks have improved in some ways—most notably an increasing number of sound cues for crosswalks so that blind people can cross safely, as well as ramps that allow people with wheelchairs to get from the walkway to the street and back to the walkway again—we should not settle for these improvements alone. We should not settle for the aforementioned improvements alone because there are still several ways that crosswalks are not safe for many to cross. Hopefully, the appropriate changes can be made, so that crosswalks are accessible to more than the able-bodied.
Blind Injustice 
Temporarily able-bodied folks are often unaware of all of the accessibility barriers that make it difficult to navigate the constructed world, Brendan. I remember my time hobbling around on crutches after injuring my ankle decades ago. Crossing streets, boarding buses, trying to open heavy doors, all while carrying a heavy briefcase that kept knocking against my crutches.
I often notice how difficult it is, even now, to cross the street in my neighborhood. As you point out, the walk light requires pushing a button and sprinting across the busy street before it changes. It’s right on the corner by an elders’ high-rise apartment building. Many elders rely on the bus and have to cross at that corner to get to the bus stop. The sidewalk is rarely shoveled on the corner during winter, and we get a lot of snow! You post has inspired me to let the city know about the problem. 🙂
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You’re right, Carol. It took an ankle injury earlier this year for me to realize some of the accessibility barriers that make it difficult to navigate the constructed world. It’s sad, in a way, that it took something so dramatic for me to open my eyes to some of these barriers, but alas…
I’m glad that one of my posts inspired you to address an issue in your neighborhood!!! So many sidewalks are plagued with accessibility issues, and hopefully those issues can be fixed, one sidewalk at a time. 🙂
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These are such good points, Friend, and I had not thought of them before. Thank you.
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You’re welcome!!!
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Thank you for this. I was on a walker after knee replacement and pretty nimble on it and still had a hrd time crossing — and people could see me with the walker — cars did not wait if I was a second late. I was often stranded.
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Goodness me… that’s disappointing and saddening but also not surprising. I see drivers honking at people in walkers, people who are trying to move as fast as they can but can’t move faster, and more. Sadly, I often see what you describe here.
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