Here are two street treatments less than a mile apart in the Bronx that could not be more different. The first one is at Webster Avenue and East 172 Street. The curb cut in the background leads not to the crosswalk but away from it. Years ago the City installed curb cuts like this to be minimally compliant with accessibility requirements. The result is just bad and could be fixed easily, including moving the lamppost away from a new curb cut. I chose just to step down from the curb into the crosswalk. For someone in a wheelchair, this is unsafe. The curb cut in the foreground is more recent.
The street treatment in the second image is one of two on the Grand Concourse south of Mount Eden Parkway. It is an inverse curb cut. Pedestrians and those in wheelchairs do not go from one level to another to cross the street. Vehicles turning onto the street must enter onto a raised, speed-reducing plate. This works for everybody and should be adopted more widely.
