I am happy to share my experience on this matter. Detectable warning strips
are required to provide equal facilitation. Therefore, if pedestrian
facilities are not provided because of the infrequent use of the area by
able-bodied pedestrians, there is no requirement to provide any equal
accommodation. However, if there is evidence of regular and frequent use by
able-bodied pedestrians, such as a worn-down strip along the shoulder,
accessibility accommodation may be a reasonable expectation.

As the former ADA resource person for the Arizona Department of Transportation,
I asked this question a few years ago during a U.S Access Board webinar and
received the answer given above. It was shortly afterward supported by a
letter from the FHWA attorney handling ADA. I then sent out a memorandum
strongly suggesting that sidewalks and curb ramps not be placed in rural areas
without demonstrated pedestrian traffic. Previously, the traffic designers
would place curbing and ramps around a radius to reduce the clear zone
requirement when they installed rural traffic signals. Now they just put in
the curbing and leave out the curb ramps. Painted crosswalks probably fall
into the same line of reasoning.

As for D/W panels on shared use paths, Arizona DOT transitioned from asphalt to
concrete at the portion of the shared-use path where the panels were
installed. ADOT only allowed wet- or dry-set recessed detectable warning
products; it did not allow glue-down products since our experience was that
they would peel up. The loose portions would then present a tripping hazard.
Hope this helps.

With all due respect - by taking the action to build curbs with no cuts, you
are building a barrier to PWD's. If you want a curb to "protect" the signal
device, then might I suggest a setback curb with an asphalt or cement
3 foot "skirt" with level or ramped transitions [recommend painted crosshatch
to delineate. Otherwise, the once in a while disabled pedestrian will be
faorced to go back to the closest transition to the street; and be forced to
travel in the street until the barrier you have just built is circumvented.
Please! We all need to change the paradigm! Building barriers in any place at
any time is a guaranteed impediment to PWD's - whether you happen to see them
travel or not. I am a W/C user since 1982 - and am lucky to have survived
alive the countless times I have been forced into the street in traffic. And I
wish to point out that rural light traffic poses a far greater threat to life
[traveling in the street] than does urban crowded streets.
We in the disability community want and need a barrier free environment - why
any built up curb is considered desirable without remediation is just
mindboogling to me. When I still had my van and lift -I traveled extensively -
and primarily on rural roads [I love small town America]....I do not recall
anytime or anywhere that a pedestrian was not at some point walking beside even
the most [apparently] deserted roadway.
So again, my suggestion, if you feel you must have a built up curb in a no
sidewalk area, then leave a three foot wide level traveling area in front of
the curb, preferably painted white or blue crosshatch. I do not see an
extraordinary expense involved in this simple design mechanism.
Respectfully,
Laura Williams, President
Californians for Disability Rights, Inc.

Road shoulders may be provided for vehicle use, but, if there are bus stops
along the road with no walkway connections to other facilities (e.g., housing
developments), the shoulders are clearly intended for pedestrian use.

In response to the question about bicylcist conflicts with the DW panels. The
panels have been placed at crossings where shared use paths cross streets and
we have not encountered many issues from the 2 wheelers or the in line skaters.
These trail/widen sidewalk multi use paths are usually asphalt and we have not
had any diffuculty with maintaining the DW panels.

The AASHTO "Green Book" is generally accepted as the authoritative resource for
road design and it is very clear in its discussion on shoulders that, among
their many other purposes, in the absence of a dedicated sidewalk shoulders are
the defacto pedestrian pathway. No matter how rural a section of road might be
(and here in Nevada we have some very remote sections of road) there is always
the potential for a pedestrian as the result of a disabled motor vehicle. In
the absence of a dedicated pedestrian facility, a shoulder should always be
considered as a pedestrian facility. Having said that, we do not currently
install a DW at crosswalks where there are only paved shoulders. We do not use
adhered DWs; a DW will always be installed in a concrete slab regardless of its
location. I am unaware of any safety or riding issues with regard to a DW in a
shared us path.

Yes, to question 1 because the issues states "at a crosswalk that crosses a
highwary or roadway in a rural location". If there are no pedestrian
facilities at all then the answer would be no.

Recommended opinion would be to install the embossed type concrete DW on top of
a concrete subpanel within the AC paving. From experience there does not
apprear to be any DW plastic or paint on systems that can be mounted directly
on asphalt.

Past experience with plastic panel showed they delaminate, and that UV
deteriorats the poly plastics and fiberglas to the extent they become hazards
to able-bodied pedestrians.

There is a potential for trip and fall on DW with injury. There are a number
of complaints that DW absorb the locomotive energy by manual wheelchair users.
Best practices to reduce hazards may be to install embossed concrete domes per
the new ADAABAAG rules of a nominal height which I think could be as low as an
1/8" high dome since no tolerance is stated. Municipalities should also
require strict adherence to a specification that clearly spells out the care
necessary to install DW in a manner that will be non-hazardous to able bodied
pedestrians.