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Clearing Up Clear Widths

The Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) 4.3.3 indicates that an accessible route is required to be 36 inches wide minimum “except at doors” which appears to contradict paragraph 4.2.1. Paragraph A4.2.1, Fig. 1 ADAAG 4.2.1, and Fig. 1 of the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design (ADASAD) require the minimum clear width for wheelchair passage to be “32 inches at a point and 36 inches continuously.” The appendix section A4.2.1 explains the rationale behind these numbers and ends by stating, “… when an opening or a restriction in a passageway is more than 24 inches long, it is essentially a passageway and must be at least 36 inches wide.”
Paragraph 403.5 of the new Americans with Disabilities Act/Architectural Barriers Act Ac­cessibility Guidelines (ADA/ABA-AG) and ICC/ANSI A117.1 Standard for Accessible and Useable Buildings and Facilities 2003 al­lows the 32 inches minimum clear width to occur anywhere, as long as the restricted width is no more than 24 inches long and is separated by a distance of at least 48 inches (the length of a wheelchair clear floor space) from the next restriction. In other words, 32 inch minimum clear width does not exclusively apply to clear width at accessible doors.
For example, this would allow columns to reduce the clear width of grocery store aisles, or parking meters to reduce clear widths for short distances.

Figure 403.5.1 Clear Width of an Accessible Route
Source: Americans with Disabilities Act/Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines

Figure 403.5.1 showing Clear Width of an Accessible Route

This is an exerpt from Universal Design Newsletter’s “Aha! Moments.” Accessibility experts know that no one knows it all. Those in the field occasionally come across technical accessibility criteria anomalies that evoke an “Aha! Moment.” This column seeks to identify those surprising criteria and present opinions as to their intent. We welcome your discoveries as well. If you have comments or other examples of strange things you have found in the technical standards that made you scratch your head or otherwise change your mind -- send them to us.

 

New NYC Construction Codes Signed into Law

On July 3, 2007, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed the new New York City Construction Codes into law. The new codes, which go into effect July 1, 2008, have been in the works for several years and are based on the 2003 version of the International Building Code and the 2003 ICC/ANSI A117.1 Stan­dard on Accessible and Useable Buildings and Facilities. Major updates to the prior New York City building code ocurred in 1968 and 1938.
According to a report issued by the NYC Department of Build­ings, the new provisions in the code will bring New York City into sync with Federal mandates that address the needs of people with disabilities. “At one point in time, the city was at the fore­front of accessibility standards, but the accessibility regulations in the current building code have not been updated since 1987. Since that time, the rest of the country has surpassed New York City, especially with the passage of Federal laws such as the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.”
At a bill signing ceremony, Bloomberg said, “This bill delivers on a campaign promise I made in 2001 to update the current building code, which was last revised comprehensively in 1968. Because building codes govern a criti­cal part of the City’s infrastructure, it is essen­tial that the minimum standards they establish mirror the very latest in design and construction technology. [The new codes] will enhance safety by mandating sprinklers in more buildings, re­quiring fire alarms in more occupancies, updating structural integrity requirements, and improving construction safety.” The mayor noted the new codes will be reviewed every three years.
The conflicts between the older New York City laws and the current Federal laws have led to confusion among professionals and the public as to the applicability of various standards and the ability to enforce them. The report notes that to resolve conflicts and ensure dignified access to buildings for people with disabilities, the code:
• Includes most requirements found in the cur­rent Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).
• Provides specifications that are necessary for the installation of assistive listening systems.
• Harmonizes accessibility requirements of the current local law and federal law that are applicable to occupancies containing dwelling and sleeping units.
• Provides innovative and flexible solutions to address the technical and accessibility requirements of toilet and bathing facilities in multiple dwelling residential occupancies.
• Allows Limited-Use/Limited-Application (LULA) elevators, a type of vertical transportation that is safer and more accessible than a vertical wheelchair lift, in non-residential buildings.

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