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Comment by adwww | Hacker News Reader

I'd argue the car based status quo is not great for the majority of less able bodied people in places like the UK though.

Especially when you think a lot of disabled people can not afford to drive or use taxis.

Eg. Drop kerbs are frequently missing, cars frequently park on pavements (sidewalks), limited formal crossing points.

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I've noticed that in the Netherlands a lot of the infrastructure for cyclists is also useful for people with mobility scooters. There are a lot of people unable to drive that benefit from decent cycle paths.

Yeah, in NL people with mobility issues can use Canta cars or mobility scooters on the bike lanes, though there has recently been some pushback as people who don't need the mobility aid have sometimes been using Birò cars (similar in size to the Canta) there, so there have been rules introduced, or at least proposed, about who can park them on the footpath, though I'm not totally up on the details of it.

The US is much better on this front than the UK. Not great for affording treatment, but there are curb cuts everywhere (in cities at least where there are sidewalks) and very few businesses are not handicap accessible.

This is largely due to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Accessibility in the US is mandatory.

And there a few law firms that specialize in shaking down cities across the US for large settlements.

While ADA access is important, it is not often the most important thing. But the lawsuits are forcing $100+ million settlements that take any prioritization of resources out of the hands of local voters or local legislatures.

Why spend $300million on sidewalks 'right now' when other services may be more effective (e.g., on demand shuttles, etc.)

But, an awful lot of accessibility is done simply to meet the letter of the law.

Yes, there are curb cuts. But, the sidewalk only exists on one side of a 4-lane road. Or worse, the sidewalks jumps back and forth, forcing frequent road crossings.

Or, there are curb cuts and sidewalks, but no crossing signal on a 40mph road (where actually flow is closer to 50mph).

The buildings might be accessible, but you have to get across acres of parking lot and dodge distracted driers pulling in/out of spaces.

Lots of room for improvement.

i heard a story from a friend - she wanted to walk to work for a difference (30 minute walk, a small city in california) and mid-way a sheriff pulled up to ask if everything is ok.

I have the almost the same story. My brother-in-law studied in Dallas and walked from his dorm, over a grass plain close to a highway, to his friend. A police car stopped and questioned him. Apparently a suspicious behaviour.

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